About StLouisGreen.com
Brought to you by St. Louis Green, Inc., a 501(c) 3, non-profit organization.
Mission: Empowering others to learn about and implement sustainable lifestyles.
StLouisGreen.com is your online source for everything green in the St. Louis Region.
Our objective is to give you the opportunity to learn more about sustainability and how you can simply change your daily decisions for a greener lifestyle.
History of St Louis Green
St. Louis Green, Inc., was founded to address a need in the St. Louis community for information about green businesses, green products, and green events. Founder and Executive Director Craig Jung noticed that people seemed not to have a reliable source for information and education about sustainable lifestyles, so in 2007 he created StLouisGreen.com, the online resource for everything green in the St. Louis area. The organization has grown quickly to address other “green” issues and needs in the St. Louis community.
In 2007 – 2009, St. Louis Green:
• Helped the St. Louis Cardinals start a volunteer-supported recycling program at Busch Stadium, in conjunction with its “4 A Greener Game” program.
• Helped the St. Louis Cardinals expand its “4 A Greener Game” program to include waste diversion, composting of food waste, and donation of edible leftovers to Operation Food Search.
• Represented green education at over 30 events, and used its booth and presence to educate the public about sustainable lifestyles.
• Started the area’s first Holiday Light Recycling Drive to keep used holiday lights out of the landfill and to promote the use of energy-efficient LED holiday light strands.
• Created and distributed podcasts, videos, TV programs, and website content to educate kids and adults about sustainability at home and at work.
• The website has grown to 1,000 page views per month to 17,000 page views per month. The website has over 15 sponsors.. This support contributes to the long-term viability of St. Louis Green and provides funds for its educational programs
Programs
St. Louis Green is dedicated to promoting sustainable lifestyles through the following programs.
StLouisGreen.com is the organization’s resource center and directory for:
• Green jobs and volunteer opportunities
• Local green non-profits, businesses, products, and services
• Green events and activities
• Educational articles on ways to green your life at home and work
The “4 A Greener Game” program with the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis Green is responsible for recruiting, educating, and supervising volunteers for recycling collection and sorting before, during, and after games. St. Louis Green also makes recommendations to the Cardinals on how to reduce waste at the stadium, recycle more, and divert waste from landfills.
The Holiday Light Recycling Drive began in November 2009. It was responsible for diverting 2.56 tons of holiday lights being recycled. St. Louis Green coordinated with St. Louis area stores to place the recycling bins and managed the arrangements with the recycler to pick up the holiday lights. It also worked with its media partners to educate the public about the importance of recycling, using radio, TV, print media, blogs, and podcasts.
Green Education for the general public includes educational content on StLouisGreen.com, blog posts, podcasts, radio interviews, TV programs and video. Subjects include Building an Outdoor Classroom, Green Furnace Filters, Energy-Saving Tips, and many more. Craig Jung also gives talks on subjects such as How to Green Your Business at the Small Business Monthly.
Educational Touring Theater Program. In the future, St. Louis Green would like to bring to the St. Louis area an educational touring theater program that teaches children how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. This will raise awareness about sustainability among children ages 5-10 and encourage them to think critically about their place in the environment. The information is presented in the form of an entertaining theater program in order to engage the children in a lively and creative format. With funding, the pilot series of 30 performances will begin in the school year starting when the funding arrives!.
What is 'green'?
'Green', also known as sustainability, allows a product, process, or event to meet current needs while minimizing the negative impact on the environment. Our success in implementing sustainable principles will determine the ability of our children and their children to meet these same needs.
What is Sustainability?
On an individual level, living sustainably means your everyday activites do not negatively affect the environment. It means using less of just about everything -- except reusable materials.
A few examples:
- take cloth bags with you to the grocery store to bring your groceries home, instead of using the store's plastic bags (which end up in a landfill).
- use a mug at work instead of a styrofoam cup for your morning coffee.
- ride public transportation to work if possible.
- put a hold on your newspaper delivery during vacations.
- use energy-efficient light bulbs in your home.
These are small steps. Larger things to consider: if you have two cars, can you make do with one? Can you power your house through solar energy?
For a more in-depth look at sustainability, visit wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability
