St. Louis Green
 

What We Do

This website is brought to you by St. Louis Green, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and your place for everything green in the St. Louis region.

Our Mission

To empower others to learn about and implement sustainable lifestyles. We accomplish this through programs that educate, support, and empower citizens and businesses of the St. Louis area to make changes in their daily living toward a greener, more sustainable world. 

Current Programs:

  • Furniture/Metal to Food: FTF diverts corporate furniture/metal waste from the landfills by reselling, recycling and reusing these items via our designated vendors and agencies. Over 5 million pounds of solid waste were reused or recycled through this program in 2012 alone.
     
  • Holiday Light Recycling Drive: Since 2009, St. Louis Green has coordinated all aspects of recycling unusable holiday lights and extension cords in the St. Louis region. This recycling drive brings together over 300 businesses and non-profits, 5 media outlets, and dozens of volunteers annually. Since the beginning of the Holiday Light Recycling Drive in 2009, St. Louis Green has recycled nearly 200,000 pounds of holiday lights.
     
  • Mattress Recycling Program: In the spring of 2013, St. Louis Green launched the Mattress Recycling Program, which collects used and unwanted mattresses from area retailers and residents and recycles all mattress and box spring core components.  St. Louis Green's Mattress Recycling program helps divert thousands of pounds of mattresses from entering the landfills while also creating sustainable employment and small business training to individuals re-entering the job market.
     
  • Pots to Planks Program: Started by the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Pots to Planks program is now managed by St. Louis Green.  The program transforms used horticultural plastic pots (think planters, trays and containers) to durable landscape timbers, which you can use for raised beds, retaining walls, and edging.
     
  • StLouisGreen.com:  This website is a hub of education and community activism for sustainability and green lifestyles.  It serves as a directory for local green non-profits/businesses, green events, educational outreach, and green jobs and volunteer opportunities. Over 300 partners/sponsors contribute to the site's long-term viability.  It averages approximately 4,000 visits and 17,000 page views per month.
     
  • St.LouisGreen Jobs program: Our newest program,St. Louis Green Jobs aims to be a complete resource for information, trainings, conferences, and advocacy related to green careers.
     
  • Community Outreach & Education: St. Louis Green reaches a wide audience on its weekly education segment on local stations KPLR-11 and Fox 2, and, in the past year, has given many presentations to local community groups and organizations.

 

Our History

St. Louis Green, Inc., was founded to address a need in the St. Louis community for information about green businesses, green products, and green events. Founder and Executive Director Craig Jung noticed that people were looking for information and education about sustainable lifestyles, so in 2007 he created StLouisGreen.com, your place for everything green in the St. Louis region. The organization has grown quickly to address other “green” issues and needs in the St. Louis community.

St. Louis Green Initiatives 2007-2013:

  • Helped the St. Louis Cardinals start a volunteer-supported recycling program at Busch Stadium, in conjunction with its “4 A Greener Game” program".  The St. Louis Cardinals expanded its program to include waste diversion, composting of food waste, and donation of edible leftovers to Operation Food Search.
     
  • Helped the St. Louis Rams start a volunteer-supported recycling program at the Edward Jones Dome,  in conjunction with its “Rams Green Team”.  
     
  • Represented green education at many events, and used its booth and presence to educate the public about sustainable lifestyles.
     
  • Started the Holiday Light Recycling Drive to keep used holiday lights out of the landfill and to promote the use of energy-efficient LED holiday light strands.
     
  • Created and distributed podcasts, videos, TV segments, and website content to educate kids and adults about sustainability at home and at work.
     
  • On October 14, 2011 StLouisGreen.com aquired the Furniture and Metal to Food Program from Operation Food Search, allowing each entity increased exposure and a vehicle with which to expand our recycling efforts. A minimum of 10% of the gross cash proceeds and 100% of all in-kind furniture and metal donations will continue to benefit Operation Food Search and their mission to feed the hungry.
     
  • Today, the StLouisGreen.com website has grown to an average of 4,000 visits and 17,000 page views per month. The website has many sponsors which contribute to the long-term viability of St. Louis Green and provides funds for its educational programs. 
     
  • In 2013, we look forward to inheriting the Pots to Planks program from the Missouri Botanical Garden, which upcycles plastic horticultural waste, as well as launching our Mattress Recycling Program. 

 

What is 'Green'?

'Green', also known as sustainability, allows a product, process, or event to meet current needs while minimizing the negative impact on the environment. Our success in implementing sustainable principles will determine the ability of our children and their children to meet these same needs.

What is Sustainability?

On an individual level, living sustainably means your everyday activites do not negatively affect the environment. It means using less of just about everything -- except reusable materials.

A few examples:

These are small steps:

  • Take cloth bags with you to the grocery store to bring your groceries home, instead of using the store's plastic bags (which end up in a landfill)
  • Use a mug at work instead of a styrofoam cup for your morning coffee
  • Ride public transportation to work if possible
  • Put a hold on your newspaper delivery during vacations
  • Use energy-efficient light bulbs in your home

 

Larger things to consider:

  • Try carpooling
  • Can you power your house through an alternative energy?

 

For a more in-depth look at sustainability, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability