Free Two-Day Conference to Focus on Future
of Green Economy, Jobs in St. Louis
St. Louis Green Confluence to be held Jan. 26-27 on SLU Campus

St. Louis Green Confluence will bring St. Louis area employers, educators, public policy makers and citizens together to explore the future of the region’s green economy.

Hosted by SLU’s Center for Sustainability, the two-day event will feature a green economy symposium with expert speakers, a green career opportunity showcase with education workshops and the unveiling of a new Web portal for green jobs.

The unique program is a collaborative effort between the Missouri Career Center, Illinois Work Net, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), the St. Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium, St. Louis Green.com and SLU’s Center for Sustainability.

St. Louis Green Confluence will be held Wednesday, Jan 26-Thursday Jan. 27, in SLU’s Busch Student Center, 20 N. Grand Blvd. The event is free and open to the public. Register online at www.StLouisGreenJobs.com. For more information, call Stephanie Morris at 314-835-9900 or e-mail Confluence@StLouisGreenJobs.com.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Green Economy Symposium – Wednesday, Jan. 26
• Registration and continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m.; program begins at 8 a.m.
• Leading employers, educators and government representatives will present their perspectives about the green economy and the outlook for green occupations nationally and in the St. Louis region.
• St. Louis Public Radio’s St. Louis On The Air will broadcast the closing panel discussion among area green economy experts live from 11 a.m. – noon.
• Luncheon keynote address by IBM’s Rich Lechner, vice president of energy and environment, will describe the economic opportunities for sustainable business and regions.
• StLouisGreenJobs.com, the new green career and jobs portal, will be presented to the community, an on-line access point to employment, occupational and job training information about St. Louis’ green economy.

Green Career Opportunity Showcase and Skills Workshops – Thursday, Jan. 27
• The Green Career Opportunity Showcase — featuring exhibits by the region’s leading green employers, trade associations and educational institutions — will be held from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Green Skills Workshops will be held at noon and 2 p.m.

The St. Louis Green Confluence promises to be the best-attended and most widely covered “green” event in the St. Louis region. Attendees will have many opportunities for networking and informal conversations that will stimulate connections and lay groundwork for future collaborations to expand St. Louis’ green economy and workforce.

The StLouisGreen.com Holiday Light Recycling Drive is off to a great start and will continue through Jan 31 at several locations including 18 Car-x locations, 22 Goodwill, Kirkwood Recycling Center, Schlafly, Whole Foods (Town and Country location only), Mungenast Lexus Dealership and others. Locations are on the website. Currently we have collected 5.5 tons and have a goal of 9 tons this year, last year we recycled 3 tons, please help us attain our goal. www.stlouisgreen.com/lightrecyclingdrive.php

Bi-State Green Expo is hosting its second annual green show in the Metro St-Louis area featuring eco-friendly companies, products, and services. The exposition will be held at the Belle Clair Fairgrounds in Belleville, IL on January 21-23 and will hosts vendors from all green fields, a student recycling contest, recycling drop off areas, and a kid’s adventure zone. Instructional classes will run continuously and there will be hourly give-a-ways. www.bistategreenexpo.com

The Missouri 9^th Annual Environmental Summit is January 22^nd 9:00am -3:00pm in Columbia, MO. Join the Missouri Votes Conservation Education Fund as they host environmental activists, business owners, small farmers, students and others interested in protecting Missouri’s environment for our 9th Annual Environmental Summit. Attendees will learn about a range of key issues and challenges that are facing our state, as well as the important role that citizen advocacy plays in creating better environmental policy. http://movotesconservation.org/MVCEFsummit.aspx

The St. Louis Green Confluence will be held on January 26 – 27, 2011. The Center for Sustainability at Saint Louis University has partnered with SLATE – the St. Louis Agency on Training & Employment, the Workforce Development Boards for our region’s counties, and the RCGA to host the St. Louis Green Confluence, the largest green jobs event ever held in our region. The two day Confluence brings together stakeholders across industries, academic institutions and government to define how our region’s workforce will establish St. Louis as the “Gateway to Green”. www.StLouisGreenJobs.com

The Saint Louis Auto Show announced the Eco City -an indoor feature area highlighting alternative fuel vehicles and businesses, which will allow manufacturers to display and consumers to drive hybrid and electric vehicles. Their will be opportunities to learn about the cars and even test drive them. The EcoCity’s indoor track will wind through natural surroundings creating an outdoor setting for a green automotive experience. Also visit the exhibits from companies committed to conservation, recycling, and clean energy as they educate about their green initiatives. The Auto Show is held at America’s Center on Jan. 27-30, 2011. www.saintlouisautoshow.com/features/66-ecocity

Welcoming the New Year, hope yours is prosperous and Green!

Kirkwood recently has changed over to a single stream recycling pickup, yeah! Here is a breakdown of what can and cannot go in the bins.

Plastics: Recycled plastics have a number inside a triangle on the bottom of the container. In Kirkwood, you will be able to recycle all of the following numbers: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7. This includes soda, water, and flavored beverage bottles; milk and juice jugs; detergent and fabric softener containers; health and beauty products and household cleaner containers (narrow-neck); margarine tubs, frozen dessert cups and other grocery containers; yogurt cups, narrow-neck syrup and ketchup bottles; plastic buckets (narrow-neck) such as kitty litter containers.

Cans and Foil: Aluminum cans, trays, and foil (trays and foil must be cleaned); steel cans and tins; non-hazardous aerosol cans, such as whipped cream or cooking oil (must be empty).

Glass: Glass bottles and jars (clear, brown, or green). NO window glass, mirrors, dinnerware,light bulbs, or ceramics.

Paper: Newspaper, including inserts (remove
from plastic sleeves); cardboard, including pizza boxes; milk and juice cartons;magazines, catalogs, and telephone books; office and computer paper; notebook and gift wrap paper (no metal clips, spirals, or binders); chipboard (cereal boxes, cake and food mix boxes, gift boxes); carrier stock (soda and beer carrying cases); mail, junk mail, and envelopes; paper books (no hardcover books). Rule of thumb: If you can tear it, you can recycle it.

WHAT CAN NOT BE PLACED FOR CURBSIDE PICK-UP:
Motor oil, insecticide, herbicide, paint, or hazardous chemical containers.

Plastic grocery or department store bags(take them to the grocery stores). Plastic film, sheets, or wrap (take them to the grocery stores). Styrofoam,expanded foam, or clear polystyrene (#6 plastic) by order of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

http://www.kirkwoodmo.org/content/City-Departments/2287/recycling.aspx