2017 Earth Day Action Grants Announced
These small grants, awarded by St. Louis Earth Day, provide an opportunity for people, groups and nonprofit organizations to “take action” on environmental issues and implement projects on Earth Day or throughout the year. Funding for the Earth Day Action Grants is generated through the fundraising efforts at the Earth Day Eve Celebration.
Implementing Recycling at the APA Adoption Center for a Greener Community – Animal Protective Association of Missouri
The APA currently tries to recycle all paper and cardboard, but they do not have a system in place to recycle pet food cans or things like large plastic laundry detergent bottles. They estimate they go through 50-60 cans of pet food per day that are currently not being recycled. That adds up to 18,250 cans per year. New, strategically placed recycling containers will help the APA divert these recyclable materials away from the landfill.
Blitz Clean-Up: Grab That Litter – Brightside St. Louis
“Bitz Clean-Up: Grab That Litter” project is an expansion of the Brightside St. Louis Blitz program. Each year Blitz engages St. Louis resident in cleaning up city neighborhoods. Through this program, they lend various tools to residents, neighborhood groups and organizations for clean-ups and plantings in public spaces. While the rakes, shovels, brooms, gloves, trash bags, and recycling carts are essential tools available through Brightside, they do not have the most-commonly requested too — litter grabbers — to aid in clean-up. In 2016 alone, Brightside supported 275 Blitz projects and participants, their tools are constantly being put to good use cleaning up St. Louis neighborhoods.
Love Bank Park – Cherokee Street Development League
One of the goals for Love Bank Park is to become an educational landscape for an environmentally sustainable public space design – specifically, for progressive sustainable stormwater management design. We are very aware of stormwater infrastructure issues in the city of St. Louis and regularly see the effects of high volumes of stormwater run-off during in the form of flooding and stormwater discharge from inlets. Love Bank Park will be one of the district’s first efforts to sustainably managing stormwater. They will showcase a number of materials, tools and landscape strategies to collect, retain and filter the storm water that falls on site.
Waste Solutions Innovation Challenge – EarthWays Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
The EarthWays Center is launching a new student design challenge – the “Waste Solutions Innovation Challenge.” The support from St. Louis Earth Day helps to coordinate, promote, and host the event. The EarthWays Center will serve as a resource, while pulling other local experts and professionals to serve as mentors for the students during the design challenge. Students will be tasked to come up with an innovative solution to problem related to recycling and waste that can be used in schools immediately.
Earthworms Think About Tables – The Invasive Species Variety Show at the Stage at KDHX – KDHX and Dale Dufer Studios
With the help and support from St. Louis Earth Day KDHX plans on two live variety shows that will be produced at The Stage on Sunday April 25, 2017. These shows will have the theme of “Invasive Species: Bush Honeysuckle, Moquitoes, Honeybees – US!” and will spotlight topics such as what an invasive species are, how an introduced species can flourish beneficially, how the principle that “The Solution is the Problem” can work, and more!
Refugee Enrichment Through Agriculture Program (REAP) – International Institute of St. Louis
With the help from an Earth Day Action Grant it will allow the International Institute Global Farms program (IIGF) to purchase a biochar (also known as agricultural carbon) for the development of the second acre of a two-acre training farm. The cost of biochar, soil and compost for these two acres is over $50,000. The addition of biochar is essential for the development of this farm.
Delmar Loop Green Dining District: Donating Food to Under-served Communities – Loop Special Business District
This project solves two problems simultaneously by reducing space taken up in landfills by food and to help feed those in need. Volunteer food runners will pick up the donations from Delmar Loop restaurant 2-3 times a week and deliver them to food pantries and shelters that provide meals to people living in under-served communities.
An Evening of Citizen Empowerment to Protect the Environment – Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) will host an outdoor evening event focused on citizen empowerment and engagement in environmental grassroots issues. The evening will feature a screening of the documentary “We the People 2.0”, a Q&A session with a member of the film’s production crew following the screening, and opportunities for attendees to learn about local environmental issues by signing up to become part of MCE’s Action Network.
Accessible Gardening for People with Disabilities – Paraquad, Inc.
Paraquad’s goal is to build raised gardening beds to develop a gardening program for people with all types of disabilities. Initially, the garden will be a job training site for people interested in pursuing landscaping or other relevant career interests. Eventually, they expect that the garden will serve a variety of purposes, such as environmental education for youth; horticulture therapy through their health and wellness program; and independent living skills training to teach people about healthy eating and gardening.
Sustainable Backyard Tour 2017 – Slow Food St. Louis
By showing new homeowners and others how traditional yard care impacts the earth and the many beautiful and fulfilling ways sustainable or “green” yards can be improve the world, they change behaviors and attitudes. Tour goers learn about composting,water management, energy use and herbicide alternatives among other topics.
SLU Gardens to Tables Teaching Garden Earth Day Action Grant – St. Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
The Saint Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics plans to create lesson plans, blog posts, mason bee kits, and native plants to help educate seven inner city schools.
Container Gardening Project – St. Anthony Food Pantry
They will teach out clients how to grow their own fresh food in container gardens. They will provide the plants. fertilizer, and written directions on how to care for each plants.
St. Norbert’s Community Garden – St. Norbert’s Catholic School
The project’s goal is to cultivate an understanding of where food comes from, which is a struggle for many modern students living in urban and suburban communities. A community garden would engage students in hands-on learning in planting and yielding crops as well as composting. The children’s book “Tops and Bottoms” will drive the curriculum. The students will learn the importance of sustainability at a grade appropriate level that will set a base knowledge for understanding and appreciation for the environment.
Pollinator Habitats – Frank P. Tillman Elementary PTO
Tillman staff, led by principal Dr. Maria Stobbe, passionately believes that taking education beyond the walls is crucial in youth development. Studies show how outdoor education improves retention and facilitates scientific inquiry while experiential (hand-on) learning strengthens academic achievement and engages students in active learning. The Tillman community works to produce global citizens – children who are aware and connected with their natural surroundings. With the addition of pollinator gardens to the school’s “backyard” students and teachers will be able to further their studies and deepen their understandings of the casual relationships that exist in a global society.
Mix Up Recycling – Word of Life Lutheran School
The recycling Mix Up program will allow the school to sort mixed recyclable items from daily lunch trash and during other school activities. The program already actively recycles paper and is looking for the opportunity to provide the proper containers to allow for additional recycling in the school facility. Other sustainable efforts currently active at the facility are solar panel energy, eater fountains with bottle filling stations and a youth garden to be installed March 2017.
