Many of us feel powerless as we confront the enormity of the problems we currently face. We at earthday365 are undergoing an intensive period of self-reflection as an organization, asking: How can our programs create the greatest impact for all of our St. Louis communities?

In the meantime, we look for immediate ways to be of use and respond to the intertwined crisis of the pandemic and racial injustice. We would like to announce two initiatives with direct impact: the GDA Relief Fund and upcycling masks from Festival t-shirts.

The GDA Relief Fund provides scholarships to renewing Green Dining Alliance Restaurants who still want to deepen their commitment to sustainability even in the midst of the pandemic. The GDA Relief Fund will cover staff training, coaching, and sustainability audits to allow Green Dining Alliance members to stay certified. The promotion and visibility provided by GDA certification helps restaurants differentiate themselves and stay afloat during a difficult time.

Our second initiative is to upcycle PPE from unused St. Louis Earth Day Festival t-shirts, which will be distributed through partner organizations in North City and County communities. In keeping with our ethos to conserve resources and repurpose or recycle whenever possible, we assessed what resources we might have to help and t-shirts are one thing we certainly have. Many, many t-shirts. We at earthday365 are heartbroken and outraged by the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on African-American communities in the St. Louis region and would like to help in this small way.  Thank you to the volunteers who have offered their skills to make the upcycled masks.

If you would like to donate to either of these causes, you may do so here. Please continue to stay safe and thank you for everything that you do to lighten your footprint on the earth each day.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jess Watson & the earthday365 Team