2018 Earth Day Action Grant Awards

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Earth Day Action Grants! A 5-member selection team each worked through a scoring rubric for each of 20 applicants. This rubric provided a consistent guide listing specific criteria for scoring the committee used to determine the final 8 grantees. Several applications easily rose to the top with the use of the scoring rubric and discussions were lively as each of the members offered a unique perspective and saw elements in each application that informed the final decision.

Grant funds of $500 – $2,000 were awarded to each of the following projects:

1. Meramec Elementary School’s Meramec Garden Club Project
2. Forest ReLeaf of Missouri’s Community Tree Care Work Days
3. Perennial’s Creative Reuse Outreach Program
4. MARSfarm’s Sustainable Food with MARSfarm
5. VITENDO4AFRICA’S V4A Community Garden
6. St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry’s Container Garden Educational Program
7. Becky-David Elementary PTO’s Elkay Water Bottle Filling Station
8. Sustainable Backyard Network’s Sustainable Backyard Tour 2018

These local micro-grants will stimulate sustainability and community development in our St. Louis region. While we appreciate the effort all of the organizations put into the 2018 Earth Day Action Grant applications, we had limited funds. We wish we could have funded all of the amazing projects who sought funding.

Our first grant recipients are from Meramec Elementary School and are a part of The Meramec Garden Club.  This club consists of 28, first and second graders with a passion for creating a sustainable garden and sharing those benefits with families in need from their school and around the world.  Projects chosen by the Garden Club promote sustainable behaviors such as bee pollination, worm fertilization, and the cultivation of plants.  To further the positive impacts within their community,  Meramec Garden Club is looking to acquire new gardening equipment such as;  a rain barrel for summer watering,  a multiple grow light stand to help with early germination of seeds which are shared around the world, and start up supplies to help another local school begin their own garden.   

Our second grant recipients are from Forest ReLeaf of Missouri’s Community Tree Care Work Days.  Since the Fall of 2016,  Forest Releaf has planted 1,700 trees with the help of  community and neighborhood volunteers.  Partnering with St. Louis City Forestry Division, Old North Community Group and St. Louis Place Park Community Group, Forest ReLeaf is now ready to teach these groups the importance of tree care and maintenance through a series of Community Tree Care Days.  Activities supported during these informational meetings will  emphasize the importance of mulching, watering, weeding, pruning, and trash pick up as well as replanting any trees which have not survived.  Trees have an incredible impact on the sustainability of communities and neighborhoods because of their ability to sequester carbon,  manage stormwater, lower energy bills, provide clean oxygen, and eliminate heat islands.  By introducing and educating communities about the importance of sustaining trees,  Forest ReLeaf ensures long term success in creating a greener community.

Our third grant award recipient goes to Perennial and their St. Louis social service partners which include; Center for Women in Transition, St. Patrick Center,  Magdalene St. Louis, Lydia’s House,  and Bilingual International Assistance Services.  Perennial’s Creative Reuse Outreach Program encourages underserved and at-risk women in the St. Louis community to reuse reclaimed materials,  reduce waste, and live an economically self-sufficient, sustainable, and creative life by sponsoring DIY Workshops within each of Perennial’s social service partner’s agencies.  These workshops teach new hands-on skills such as woodworking, sewing, and jewelry making which supports positive individual growth, personal responsibility, and improved relationships with families, communities, and work.

Our fourth grant award recipient goes to MARSfarm’s Sustainable Food and their quest to excite and educate the next generation of farmers on the importance of controlled sustainable farming.  MARSfarm has partnered with the St. Louis Science Center through their GROW Exhibit, a one-of-a-kind attraction that focuses on teaching the journey of food.  By comparing traditional farming methods with new concepts in sustainable food growth,  such as water, light, and temperature controlled environments,  MARSfarm is able to redefine how we produce and consume food in communities around the world.  Through the GROW exhibit,  MARSfarm will help educate communities move towards a better, more efficient and less-wasteful way to grow food.

Our fifth grant award recipient is VITENDO4AFRICA’s Community Garden.  This non profit organization works with immigrants and refugees in Missouri to lessen the challenges they face when acclimating to a new community.  Many refugees and immigrants face the challenge of how to prepare healthy traditional meals from their native homelands.  To address this problem,  VITENDO4AFRICA established F4KIDZ program that focuses on fitness, healthy eating habits, health education, and home gardening.  By partnering with Christ Covenant Church,  VITENDO4AFRICA  developed a community farming project to teach parents and kids about home gardening and the importance of preparing healthy meals.  Through demonstration classes at the Community Garden and visits to homes and churches,  the F4KIDZ program connects the importance of organic foods and the sustainability of home gardening to a healthier and greener lifestyle in their new communities.

The sixth grant award recipient goes to St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry for their commitment to supplying their community with the opportunity to cultivate healthy sustainable food.   With the help of pantry volunteers and students,  St. Anthony Of Padua is able to establish healthy plants from seeds to give to food pantry clients.  These established plants of tomatoes,  green peppers, jalapenos, and basil are accompanied with written instructions and supplies to ensure successful yields.  Teaching clients how to grow their own sustainable food promotes the importance of educating communities on how to care for the earth by reusing planting supplies, emphasizing water conservation, and sharing healthy fresh foods with their families.

The seventh grant award recipient is Becky-David Elementary School PTO’s Elkay Water Bottle Filling Station.  In an effort to educate students on the importance of reducing the schools environmental footprint, the Becky-David Elementary School PTO is installing a water bottle refilling station to ensure a greener method for water consumption by their students.  By encouraging each student to bring their own reusable water bottle to refill at the water station,  students will learn the importance of reducing the use of plastic and reducing waste in landfills.  The Becky-David Elementary School PTO is setting an example of how implementing healthy hydration and environmental habits early in life helps promote a healthier and greener planet for the future.

The final grant award recipient is the Sustainable Backyard Network’s Sustainable Backyard Tour 2018.  This one-day free tour is designed to connect neighbors and help break down barriers to the adoption of healthy, sustainable practices.  By connecting homeowners and residents with an open forum that centers on questions about growing native perennials,  perennial fruits,  collecting rainwater,  installing solar panels, composting,  and eschewing herbicides and pesticides,  Sustainable Backyard Tour 2018 wants to inspire individuals and families to incorporate new sustainable practices at home and within their communities.  

Consider a donation to St. Louis Earth Day which will allow us to continue to fund small community projects!

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