1970

St. Louis took up the challenge of celebrating the earth and many Earth Day events were organized across the area.  AG John C Danforth and other political and environmental leaders spoke to crowds at University of Missouri-St. Louis.  St. Louis University students had cleanup events. The St. Louis Scuba Club cleaned up Post-Distpatch Lake in Forest Park.  And it all culminated in an Eco Fair celebration in Forest Park.

1980

• 10th Earth Day celebrated at the Arch

1989

In 1989, teacher and rain forest advocate Matt Diller led a small group that organized the first of many consecutive Earth Day Festivals in St. Louis. The popularity and success of local and national events in 1990 for the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day, prompted organizers to find ways to educate St. Louisans about Earth Day, every day.

• Celebrated at Creve Coeur Park, becoming the first of a continuing annual event
• Grateful Dead cover band Jake’s Leg performs at the Festival
• Matt Diller – Festival Organizer
• Ray Hartmann – stage MC
• About 3000 in attendance with 50+ environmental groups
• Denis Hayes comes to St. Louis to organize for Earth Day 1990

From Matt Diller – “Almost got shut down due to no money to pay for million dollar insurance policy. I had to cut lawns to make the last few dollars, came to the park office. They were just closing and said “too late.” I begged and begged, and they finally stamped the permit.”

1990

• Celebration at Cricket Field in Forest Park
• 20th Anniversary of National Earth Day
• Over 115,000 people in attendance
• 1st All Species Parade
• 1st [partially] solar powered Festival
• Establishment of Earth Day St. Louis
• Research on the Earthways Home begins as a year-round project of Earth Day St. Louis
• Kate Fish  – Festival Director
• Jean Ponzi – Festival Coordinator
• Alex Bornstein, Nikki Bloomfield, Dale Dufer, Steven Davies – key volunteers
• From Kate – “A group of activists showed up protesting corporate support of the event and
  ended up rolling in mud and joining the All-Species Parade.”
• From Jean – “The Natural Streams Act was an initiative petition on the ballot in 1990; organizers rallied support for this measure by paddling canoes around a pond that had formed on the field thanks to intensive rainstorms during the weeks before the Festival.”

1991

• Celebration in Tower Grove Park
• Earthways Home established
• Kate Fish – Festival Director
• Elena Irwin – Festival Coordinator
• Jean Ponzi – MC

1992

• Festival site – Steinberg Rink in Forest Park
• Joia leads the All Species Parade through Forest Park
• 1st Giant Puppet Pageant: “Saving the Earth from the Forces of Greed”
• Paula Geiss brings speaker John Robbins to St. Louis
• Kate Fish – Festival Director
• Jerry Klamon – Festival Coordinator
• Alex Bornstein –  Earthways Home Manager

1993

• Jerry Klamon and Kay Kay Morgan – Festival Co-Directors

1994

“We need to understand what we’re doing to our world.  It’s the kids who are younger than us that I’m worried about.”  Amanda Andrew, age 12 – quote in St Louis Post-Dispatch May 2, 1994

• Laura Neuman (now Neuman-Howe) joined the EarthWays team
• First Aid booth added – Paula Geiss

1995

• Festival site – Kiener Plaza downtown
• Jean Ponzi coordinated “Earth Art Area” activities and the All-Species Parade

1996-1998

• Festival site – Tower Grove Park
• Alliance for a Livable World established and organized the Festival
• Bike valet was offered and run by Bicycle Works

1999

• Festival site – Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
• Jerry Klamon – Director; Laura Neuman – Deputy Director

2000

• Earth Day Festival site – Boat House in Forest Park
• 30th Anniversary of National Earth Day
• Dr. Peter Raven and Dr. Robert Archibald become Earth Day Advisory Board Co-Chairmen
• Environmental Summit between Missouri Coalition for the Environment and RCGA was facilitated by David Wilson and co-organized by Pat Waterston and Mike Alesandrini. Hunter Lovins is keynote speaker.
• 1st Earth Day Around Town
• 1st Earth Day in Forest Park stewardship projects: Ron Coleman with Open Space Council organized Forest Park clean up.
• David and Karla Wilson – Co-Directors of the Earth Day Festival

2001

• Earth Day Festival site – World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park
• Festival theme – “Our Water, Our Rivers”
• St. Louis Earth Day established:  Louise Bradshaw voted Board President
• 1st St. Louis Earth Day Symposium “Our Water, Our Rivers:  St. Louis as a 21st Century River City,” held at Missouri Botanical Garden
• 1st Mississippi River barge trip
• 1st St. Louis Earth Day Teachers’ Guide created

2002

• Festival Theme – “Connecting Our Communities”
• St. Louis Earth Day officially becomes a 501(c3) non-profit organization
• Symposium held at Missouri History Museum
• Karla Wilson hired as part-time Executive Director, 2002 – 2005
• LaDoris Payne with Imani Family Center brings future Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai to St. Louis to celebrate Earth Day

2003

• Earth Day Festival site – The Muny grounds in Forest Park
• Festival theme – “Passport to a Healthy Planet”
• Pam Schulte – Event Coordinator
• All Species Parade held at the Saint Louis Zoo as part of Earth Day in Forest Park
• 1st Festival Peace Garden co-organized by Claire Laune, Rebecca Weidekker, and Paula Geiss
• Symposium “Clean Water:  Livable Cities-Models that Work”

2004

• Festival site – remains on Muny grounds through 2019 (at least!)
• Festival theme – “Explore the Earth’s Treasures”
• Cheri Hutchings – Festival Coordinator
• Patrick Osborne – St. Louis Earth Day Board President
• Symposium “Dialogue for Development:  Investing in Sustainable Communities” in partnership with USGBC at Missouri Botanical Garden
• USGBC-MO Gateway Chapter brings developer John Knott to St. Louis as Symposium Keynote Speaker
• 1st model for event-based recycling used at Festival – guidelines added for exhibitors to encourage “zero waste,” cardboard recycling for vendors, and electronics and used shoes recycling for the public at Forest Park Community College

2005

• Festival theme – “Celebrate, Educate, Cultivate”
• 1st composting stations included at the Festival
• BBB awards St. Louis Earth Day first A+ accreditation
• 5th Annual Symposium “A Confluence of Interests:  Water Resources and Economic Vitality in the St. Louis Region”

2006

• St. Louis Earth Day hires first full-time Executive Director, Terri F. Reilly
• Recycling On the Go pilot begins

2007

• 1st full implementation of Recycling On the Go program
• Robert Kennedy Jr. is Symposium Keynote Speaker

2009

• Teamed up with TalentPlus to provide entertainment on 3 stages at Festival
• 2009 Festival Archives

2010

• Festival theme – “40 Years Later: Living Earth Day Every Day”
• Cassandra P. Hage becomes Executive Director (through 2015)
• Jeanette Reynolds – Programs & Communications Director (through 2014)
• 40th Anniversary of National Earth Day
• 1st Earth Day Challenge offered to Festival Attendees
• 2010 Festival Archives

2011

• Festival theme – “Be the Change”
• 1st Recycling Extravaganza (REX!) collection event
• Launch of Green Dining Alliance (December)
• 2011 Festival Archives

2012

• Festival theme – “Heroes for the Planet:  Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions”
• Chipotle Cinema
• Ban of high fructose corn syrup and fried foods
• Exclusive use of compostable or recyclable service wares by all food vendors
• City of St. Louis Sustainability Showcase
• Pedal for the Planet 6 mile bike ride
• 2012 Festival Archives

2013

• Festival theme – “Common Place”
• Earth Day Action Grants established – 18 projects awarded a total of $12,000
• 1st Earth Day Eve celebration
• 2013 Festival Archives

2014

• Festival theme – “25th Anniversary of Earth Day in St. Louis”
• 1st Founders Day event in January
• 2014 Festival Archives

2015

• Festival theme – “Earth Day, Every Day … for Everyone!”
• Estimated 50,000 in attendance
• Laura Allers-Lowry – Event Coordinator
• 1st Pet Adoption area
• Upper Limits climbing wall
• Cassandra Hage resigns as Executive Director in October to become Sustainability Manager at Washington University
• 2015 Festival Archives

2016

• Festival theme – “Think Global, Act STL”
• Estimated 62,000 in attendance
• Jen Myerscough – new Executive Director
• Recycling Extravaganza becomes independent event from Festival
• SLED bumper stickers offered at entry points for donations to SLED
• Added new experience area called Social Sustainability

2017

• Festival expands to 2 days again, to include Earth Day on April 22
• Estimated 65,000 in attendance
• Slow Roll bicycle event has inaugural year
• St. Louis Earth Day Internship Program begins

2018

• Festival theme – “Our ComMOn Home”
• Estimated 45,000 in attendance
• Festival electricity use is carbon neutral
• St. Louis Earth Day Film Series inaugural year
• Recycling Extravaganza become quarterly events, St. Louis City Recycles partnership

2019

• 30th Anniversary of consecutive St. Louis Earth Day Festivals