This article was originally authored by the Missouri Botanical Garden.

REDUCE GARDEN WASTE BY RECYCLING PLASTIC GARDEN POTS AND TRAYS
THROUGH THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
2012 Plastic Pot Recycling Program

WHAT: Plastic Pot Recycling
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Apr. 2 through Oct. 31
WHERE: Monsanto Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4500 Shaw Blvd. at Vandeventer; visit website for satellite collection locations
SPONSORS: Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District; Missouri Department of Natural Resources; Monrovia Growers, Inc.
INFO: www.plasticpotrecycling.org; www.potstoplanks.com; (314) 577-5100, 1 (800) 642-8842 toll free

(ST. LOUIS):  Don’t pitch those pots! Help reduce the amount of horticultural waste in landfills by recycling your plastic garden pots, polystyrene cell packs and plant trays at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Plastic Pot Recycling will be offered starting April 2 and will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October 31 at the Garden’s Monsanto Center, 4500 Shaw Blvd. An additional 13 retail garden centers across the St. Louis region will be participating in the recycling project in 2012.

The Missouri Botanical Garden operates the most extensive public garden recycling program in the nation. With the addition of 140,000 pounds of horticultural waste in 2011, the Garden’s Plastic Pot Recycling program has saved over one million pounds of plastic garden pots, cell packs and plant trays from landfills to date. The goal for this program is to divert materials from local landfills by forging partnerships that will work to manufacture plastic timbers from 100 percent horticulture waste.

“These partnerships are crucial to find alternative ways to re-use plastic garden waste otherwise headed to landfills,” said program founder and organizer Dr. Steven Cline. “The public interest for recycling garden pots and trays is astonishing. Each year we offer this program, the response is stronger and we are proud to share this with gardening retailers who support the environmental effort.”

Horticulture plastic will be accepted at the Garden’s main collection facility located at the west parking lot of the Monsanto Center, 4500 Shaw Blvd. at the corner of Vandeventer. Thirteen area garden centers will serve as satellite collection sites in 2012: Bowood Farms, Crabapple Cove Nursery, Garden Heights Nursery, Greenscape Gardens, Hartke Nursery, Hillerman’s Nursery and Florist, Rolling Ridge Garden Center, Sherwood’s Forest Nursery and Garden Center, Schmittel’s Nursery, Summer Winds Nursery, Thies Farm and Greenhouse, University Gardens and Waldbert & Sons Garden Center. Each satellite collection site will collect horticultural plastic during their normal business hours from April 2 through September 30. Visit www.plasticpotrecycling.org for specific location and contact information.

Horticultural plastic accepted includes cell packs, trays, pots of all sizes and hanging baskets. Please shake soil and rocks out of containers and remove all metal hangers, rings or other foreign materials. Plastic bags or clay pots will not be accepted. Separate #6 plastic cell packs and trays from #2 and #5 plastic pots into the recycling trailers. Garden edging, plastic sheeting materials and food plastic will not be accepted.

The Missouri Botanical Garden strives to reduce as much of this material headed to landfills as possible and to find an alternative for its use by diverting it back into other products.

Plastic is recycled locally and converted into landscape timbers used to build raised beds and short retaining walls. Timbers measure six by six inch by eight feet long. More information on purchasing timbers may be found at www.potstoplanks.com.

“Simply educating the gardening public about how garden containers can be recycled is the first step to changing the common habit of tossing usable raw materials in the trash. Making this service available is just one more way the Missouri Botanical Garden meets its mission of sustainability,” said Cline.

Grants from the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and California-based Monrovia Growers also support the program.

For more information on the Garden’s Plastic Pot Recycling program, visit www.plasticpotrecycling.org. For general information, visit www.mobot.org or call the recorded line at (314) 577‑5100 or toll-free 1 (800) 642-8842.  Follow the Garden on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/missouribotanicalgarden and http://twitter.com/mobotnews.

This article is provided by Cindy Bambini from Brightergy Solar Solutions.

Traditionally known as pioneers in sustainability, 501c3 organizations have long searched for a way to easily adopt solar energy. With Brightergy Solar Solutions BrighterLease, the search is over!
Founded in Webster Groves in 2003 and now headquartered in Kansas City, Brightergy has grown to become the Midwest’s leading solar development and finance firm. Through this growth our team has recognized that one of the most important segments in the region, non-profit organizations, are unable to utilize the incentives which make solar viable to for-profit entities.

All non-profits have to purchase electricity to operate their organizations. Given the choice, why wouldn’t you use solar power to provide at least part of what your organization already requires?
With a BrighterLease, your organization can now install solar energy with no upfront costs, no maintenance expense and a fixed monthly payment that is guaranteed to be less than what you are currently paying for the same amount of grid generated electricity.
What’s more, the electricity savings start immediately…which of course means more money for your mission as of day 1!

Brightergy’s turnkey solar generating systems are designed with virtually no time commitment required on your part. All aspects are directed and managed in-house including site analysis, design and engineering, permitting and incentive paperwork, installation, internal system monitoring and maintenance.
This new program has already received great response and enthusiasm from municipalities, schools and non-profits.

You can learn if a BrighterLease is right for your organization by attending our free St. Louis Business Journal seminar on Wednesday April 25th, from 7:30-9:00 am at the Missouri History Museum.
Our panel of experts will explain the incentives, the installation process and describe the benefits they’ve experienced since adopting solar – all from a non-profit perspective.
The seminar is free, but reservations are required. Please visit the event website to register: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/event/68341

Fall is in full swing and there are a surprising number of green events in November. We hope you can make it to some of these!

Early in the month is the fourth annual fundraiser and celebration for EarthDance, known as the Farmers Formal. On November 5th , this event is open to anyone and tickets are $75 per plate. All proceeds go towards the sustainable farming education programs by EarthDance. Purchase tickets at www.FarmersFormal.org.

The Rams have had a great turnout of volunteers for the Green Team, people who get to watch the game for free and help collect recyclables from fans. But to get through the season with a strong Green Team, they are still looking for more volunteers. If you support the Rams, this is a fun way to lend your support to them as they green their operations. Get off the couch and come on down to the stadium! Email lboaz@rams.nfl.com to check for available dates!

Sustainability and the Build Environment of the St. Louis Region is an exhibition that explores the idea of sustainability through art. This unique event allows you to see visual art, architectural designs, and community projects that demonstrate sustainable lifestyles in the St. Louis region. The exhibit will be open from November 11 through January 7 and is free to the public.

At the end of the month is the Midwest Energy Policy Conference. This is the fifth annual conference that brings in regional and national experts to discuss energy regulations, energy efficiency, power sources, investments and plans for our energy future. This conference focuses on constructive and honest dialogue among a diverse set of stakeholders – speakers and attendees. The early bird price is still available through November 17th. For more information about how you can attend this conference November 30 – December 2, visit www.regform.org.
We are excited to tell you about a new development in the effort to divert waste from landfills! St. Louis Green has joined forces with Operation Food Search to keep more waste out of landfills and use the donations to feed the hungry. The acquisition of the Operation Food Search Furniture and Metal to Food programs by St. Louis Green allows each organization to better service and expand their existing programs. The collection programs will continue but with expanded capabilities. At least 10% of proceeds and 100% of the in-kind furniture and metal donations will go to benefit Operation Food Search’s mission to feed the hungry.
For more developments and events, check out www.StLouisGreen.com. We post new events on our calendar on the website, and also announce them on Facebook.

Happy October! Is there such a thing as a green Halloween? The costumes, the decorations, and the candy all provide a great opportunity to make our lives more sustainable. Tell us how you plan to reduce, reuse, and recycle this Halloween at www.facebook.com/stlouisgreen.
The holidays are just around the corner. Have you started getting out your winter decorations yet? Soon we will all be plugging in those strings of holiday lights and seeing how many of them survived another year. If some of them don’t work, that’s actually good news for us at St. Louis Green because we want those lights for our Holiday Light Recycling Drive starting November 13th! We are teaming up with Operation Food Search to make this the biggest and best Holiday Light Recycling Drive yet, with a portion of the proceeds donated to a program to feed hungry kids on the weekends. We do this to keep these recyclable materials out of the landfills, and this year we need your help to reach our goal of recycling 50,000 pounds of holiday lights! We tried to make it easy and convenient with 200 drop-off locations in the St. Louis area. Find the closest drop-off location at www.stlouisgreen.com. If you would like to provide a drop-off location at your work or school, let us know soon!
It’s football time in St. Louis and the Rams need your support. This year, instead of watching the game on TV, see the game live at the stadium for free! When you volunteer to collect recyclables from fans during the game as part of the Rams Green Team, you get to be part of a fun group and do some good for your team. Email lboaz@rams.nfl.com to check for available dates!
Speaking of sports teams keeping waste out of landfills, the St. Louis Cardinals had a very successful year donating food to Operation Food Search. Instead of putting leftover edible food in the trash, the Cardinals donated thousands of pounds of prepared food to be given to the hungry.
As useful as foam packing peanuts are, sadly there are a lot of environmental problems with the polystyrene they are made of, especially during the manufacturing process, when used to hold hot food, and after disposal. The least we can do is recycle those Styrofoam food containers and foam packing peanuts. Did you know that at any time you can bring in this material to Kirkwood Recycling? They are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! Help Kirkwood Recycling contain the chaos by dropping off the peanuts in a bag or a box.
In October, we also have Food Day 2011, the Greening Midwest Communities conference, and many other events. For information on upcoming green events, check out www.StLouisGreen.com.

Green Scene for September Healthy Planet
Finally, fall is on its way here, and with it comes all the great events we are used to seeing every September!

The Green Homes Festival you might remember from last September is a little different this year. It is the Green Homes and Great Health Festival, and the new focus on health means that you can get all the same great information about greening your homes, as well as yoga, Tai Chi, free health screenings, and everything else you need to know about sustaining our lives here on Planet Earth. It’s 9am to 5pm on September 24th.

If you are looking for a cool volunteer opportunity, you’re going to love this one. The Rams need friendly volunteers for their Green Team. You get in free to the Rams game, and you’ll work alongside other volunteers to collect recyclables from fans. This could be a fun volunteer activity to do with a group from work, your church, or even a family activity that parents and kids can enjoy together. Just email lboaz@rams.nfl.com if you are interested!

Don’t forget, you can still participate in the Cardinals “4 A Greener Game” program to collect recyclables between innings.

If you don’t yet know how to green your Back to School experience, here are a few tips to get the school year started off right. Green school supplies are widely available – especially paper and notebooks made with recycled products. Bagless lunches have become a no-brainer. There are so many great reusable lunch bags, food containers, and even cute washable sandwich bags available for sale. Do you have a favorite washable or reusable lunch product? Tell us what it is on our St. Louis Green Facebook page!

The Butterfly House is having a great event for kids ages 7 and up with their families. From 11am to 2pm, kids get to learn about Monarch butterflies, their life cycle, migration patterns, and how to tag live monarchs. The class is included with the price of admission. Get more information about this class and these amazing creatures at www.butterflyhouse.org.

Now that it’s cooling off just enough to go outside and get your hands in the dirt, it’s time to start thinking about fall planting. As much work as scientists are doing on carbon sequestration, don’t forget one of the best and easiest ways to deal with carbon is by planting a tree. And fall is the best time to plant many trees! As you are planning your fall plantings, be sure to save your plastic pots for the Missouri Botanical Gardens recycling drive. They collect plastic plant pots of all types every fall, so just set those aside until it’s time to recycle! What else should we be doing in our gardens this fall? Tell us on Facebook and share the idea with us all!

Aug 1, 2011

Parent’s interested in being Green for Back to School supplies? Thinking about all those school supplies you need to purchase? Do you wish your child’s school was doing more to be green? There may be more that you can do than you realize! Meet with EarthWays staff and others to discover a variety of ways you can make your student’s year at school a green one! Pricing includes one adult and up to three accompanying children allowed (ages 5 and older). Please attend the Green Parenting Class at the Missouri Botanical Garden Commerce Bank Education Building on Aug. 7, 2011 from 1:00pm-2:30. The cost is $28 Missouri Botanical Garden member; $35 nonmember (price includes 1 adult and up to 3 children). http://www.earthwayscenter.org/

The St. Louis Cardinals need your help with their 4 a Greener Game program. Come down to Busch Stadium and help collect recycling between innings and see the game for free. Great for groups large and small, business community outreach, or individuals who want to help out and catch a game. Be sure to sign up to reserve your spot. http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/community/green.jsp

On August 13 & 14 from 9am- 5pm an American Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course will be offered at the Alpine Shop in Kirkwood. Whether you’re a scout, an outdoor enthusiast or you work in a remote environment, course gives you the skills you need to respond to an emergency when help may be delayed. This 16-hour course is based on the Boy Scouts of America Wilderness and First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines. The course also offers enhanced content and topics to meet OSHA’s Best Practices for the Workplace First Aid Training Programs-particularly important for occupational environments that are impacted by federal regulations. Course participants must be at least 14 years of age and possess current certification in adult CPR/AED. Cost: $135 (cost includes Reference Guide) To register E-mail: Ambre@GinkgoAdventures.com or call 314-496-1332.

FORM Contemporary Design Show on August 13, 2011 is presented by The Luminary Center for the Arts as a forum for exceptional designers to showcase their work, connect with a community of other designers and sell directly to supporters. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the designers and to support The Luminary Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit artist resourcing platform created for the production and presentation of innovative art, music and cultural projects. The event is being held at The Temtor Building located at 8125 Michigan Avenue. http://formdesignshow.com
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July 1, 2011

Looking to turn your organic waste into a rich soil amendment with the help of a tumbling composter? Roll into the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, located at 3763 Forest Park Ave, to learn how to make this tool and get answers to your composting questions. If you would like to take one home, pre-made or special-order composters will be available for sale. The free composting demonstration is being held on July 6th from 6-7. RSVP to restore@habitatstl.org

Preserving the Harvest will be held on Thursday July 7 from 7-9pm at the Kemper Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Deliver the healthful wealth of your garden to your family’s table all year long! Leasburt, Missouri Master Gardener, teacher and veteran preserver, Laura Friz, will demonstrate basics and share expert tips covering canning, drying, and freezing all types of fresh produce – and she’ll whip up a batch of microwave pickles! http://mobot.org/gardeninghelp/AdultEducWeb/classes.asp

Are you a – Nonprofit leader, board members, donor, project manager of nonprofit construction projects looking to learn more about renewable energy? There is a great event being held at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood on July 26th from 4-6. Higher Education Institutions have shown leadership on renewable energy, across the nation; but the structuring of the available incentives can make it a challenge to make renewables projects feasible. Items that will be discussed are a number of strategies that can be employed that make it possible to achieve affordability (even zero cost!) for Higher Education to invest in renewable energy. http://microgrid-energy.com/partial-content-areas/events/

The St. Louis Cardinals need your help with their 4 a Greener Game program. Come down to Busch Stadium and help collect recycling between innings and see the game for free. Great for groups large and small, business community outreach, or individuals who want to help out and catch a game. Be sure to sign up to reserve your spot. http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/community/green.jsp

Love those Bugs!! The 4th Annual Bug Hunt is being held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, 15193 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield, Mo . Learn behaviors of insects in their habitat by transforming yourself into an insect through games and activities. Step outside and see if you can beat our own native insects by capturing them with one of our entomologists. For children ages 2 to 13 with their families. www.butterflyhouse.org

June 1, 2011

The St. Louis Green Business Challenge began in February and runs through October 2011. The Business Challenge is a program organized by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) to help area companies adopt more sustainable practices. On June 8 the RCGA is hosting the St. Louis Green Business Challenge Products and Services Fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Commerce Bank Education Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden. www.stlouisgreenchallenge.com

Now that most of the planting is finished for the spring- Don’t pitch those pots! Help reduce the amount of horticultural waste by recycling your plastic garden pots, polystyrene cell packs and plant trays at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Since the inception of the program 980,000 lbs of horticultural plastic has been diverted from the landfills. The program kicks off April 2nd and runs through Sept. 30th. Visit the website for a location nearest you. www.plasticpotrecycling.org

Wouldn’t be nice if we could have saved all that rain water from this past spring and used it for something useful instead of letting it run down into the sewer systems. There will be a Rain Barrel Demonstration at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on June 22nd from 6pm-7pm free of charge. Learn how to make a rain barrel and start collecting and using water from your down spout. Pre-made or special-order rain barrels will also be available for sale. RSVP to restore@habitatstl.org or check out http://www.habitatstl.org

PK through 12 grade Educators, this event is for you- Education for Sustainability: Midwest Summer Institute which is sponsored by Webster University, Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. The three day event is scheduled to take place Wednesday, June 29- Friday, July1. There are exciting keynote speakers, workshops with curriculum ideas, and information sessions to establish an understanding of education for sustainability for PK through 12 grade. Also included are field trips to local schools and nonprofit institutions, discussions with providers of sustainability curriculum, and resource exhibitors. http://www.webster.edu/education/msei/index.shtml

The St. Louis Cardinals need your help with their 4 a Greener Game program. Come down to Busch Stadium and help collect recycling between innings and see the game for free. Great for groups large and small, business community outreach, or individuals who want to help out and catch a game. Be sure to sign up to reserve your spot. http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/community/green.jsp

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The month of April proved to be a fantastic month of Earth Day Celebration’s. What a wonderful time of the year! The St. Louis Cardinals “4 A Greener Game” got of to a great start, the dvd GashOle released. You may remember it showing here a couple of years ago at the Tivoli. With the delightful weather, a huge crowd turned out for Earth Day at Forest Park for a celebration that brought camel bikes and great music.

All the planting you are doing this spring- Don’t pitch those pots! Help reduce the amount of horticultural waste by recycling your plastic garden pots, polystyrene cell packs and plant trays at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Since the inception of the program 980,000 lbs of horticultural plastic has been diverted from the landfills. The program kicks off April 2nd and runs through Sept. 30th. Visit the website for a location nearest you. Way to Go Steve!! www.plasticpotrecycling.org

Shopology, the 2nd Annual St. Louis World Fair Trade Day Festival is taking place on May 14th from 11am-4pm. Shop and learn how to be a Shopologist stretching your dollars into living wages and sustainable practices that support people and the planet. Clothing and accessories, coffee, chocolate and other foodstuffs, baskets and boxes, games, holiday items, home decor, jewelry, musical instruments, rugs, stationery and books, tableware, toys, sporting equipment…Buy and learn from organizations right here in St. Louis. This fun, family-friendly event will also feature live entertainment and food for purchase. It is taking place at Kirkwood Baptist Church, 211 North Woodlawn Avenue in Kirkwood. www.KirkwoodBaptist.org/STLWFTD2011

The 8th Annual Clean Air Festival at Kiener Plaza takes place on Thursday May 19th at 11:00am-1:00pm. So if you are downtown come on over to kick off the summer air quality forecasting. Music from the Soulard Blues Band and the Green Strum Project and many other exhibitors will be present. They will offer area residents and downtown employees convenient access to free information on how they can go green and do their share for cleaner air. www.cleanair-stlouis.com

Integration Controls is hosting its 3rd Annual Electronics Recycling Drive on May 21 from 9am-4pm at Kirkwood High School. In the past two years approximately 350 TONS of unwanted electronics and appliances filled 28 tractor trailers. With your help they look forward to doing more this year! www.integrationcontrols.com click on electronics recycling.

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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