Are you a regular at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival in Forest Park? Do you love being able to recycle at your favorite area festivals? Do you want more green dining options in St. Louis? Of course you do! And now you can help sustain these programs by supporting earthday365.

Green Dining Alliance Certification Assistance (Relief) Fund

For the past 9 years, the Green Dining Alliance restaurant certification program has blossomed into a trusted resource in the St. Louis community. Many of the St. Louis area’s finest restaurants are seeking GDA certification for their restaurants to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, in an industry known for its waste. Others have sought certification as a way to learn and improve their operations.

Even though the certification fees charged to restaurants are highly subsidized thanks to sponsors and a grant from the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, some small restaurants still cannot afford those fees or the costs associated with operational changes required by the program. Not only do member restaurants pay $250 for their annual audit, often they incur expenses associated with changes in disposable service ware, paying for compost and recycling hauling, and paying expenses associated with water and electrical efficiencies.

In an effort to reach small, neighborhood, and family-owned restaurants, we’ve set up an assistance fund to help establishments committed to sustainability obtain GDA certification. The real cost of certification ranges from $700-$2000 depending on the amount of time and assistance each restaurant requires. In the fund’s first year, we hope to raise $2000 and partially assist at least 5 restaurants obtain GDA certification.

Recycling On the Go Event Assistance Fund

For the past 14 years, Recycling On the Go has been working with event organizers across the St. Louis region to assist with making their events a little “greener” by NOT sending so much waste to landfills at the conclusion of the event.

Unfortunately waste disposal, and especially reduction, are usually never at the top of the budget list for special events. The services Recycling On the Go provides are often highly subsidized based on the event’s ability to pay and the specific strategy they would like to use at the event. The City of St. Louis requires a recycling plan for every permitted event within the city. Some organizers have a high level of commitment to waste diversion, and others do it because they are required.

Then there are the events, in neighborhood parks, pulled together by their communities, with absolutely no budget. For anything. All food and entertainment is donated. But they call wanting help with recycling. THESE are the events that make us get up in the morning. THESE are the events we want to service.

The ROG Event Assistance Fund has been established to help us service the small community events with a high level of commitment to recycling, waste diversion and community education. With your targeted support to this fund, we can provide recycling at neighborhood movie nights, picnics, and concerts.