Cassandra P. Hage joined St. Louis Earth Day in May of 2008 and became the Executive Director in January 2010. Prior to working with St. Louis Earth Day, she completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at Truman State University. While there, she was an active leader in environmental programming. As a graduate teaching assistant, she designed and implemented a service-learning component for an Introduction to Environmental Studies course she taught, while enriching the curriculum for the unique, team-taught class.

As a student activist, she founded the Kirksville Bike Co-op, an organization that secured space on campus for a student-run community bike shop that won administrative support for its cooperative vision. She was also a leader in coordinating Truman’s annual Earth Week events, which include a community festival, workshops, an environmental studies conference, keynote speaker, group bike ride, film viewing and more. She has spoken at several events, including the 2008 Focus the Nation conference and at a Leadership Recognition Ceremony about leadership and collaboration. She has published her creative nonfiction thesis, Roots of a Nomad, which served as the culmination of her English graduate studies.

Hage is a St. Louis native, happy to be working toward positive change in her community. She grew up in University City (attended U. City High School) and now lives with her husband, Tim and dog, Samson in South City. She likes bike riding, gardening, and (sort of) likes working on home improvement projects.

Contact her at:
director@stlouisearthday.org or (314) 616-7354

Jeanette’s passion for environmental stewardship grew as she grew up on a family livestock farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and acres of land, she has spent much of her life outside. Once corralled inside, she earned a B.A. in Communication from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and a M.A. in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex.

In addition to a long list of random jobs–including work as a painter and financial assistant–Jeanette has shared her professional energies with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Virginia as a case manager, the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center as an instructor and coordinator, and in Fiji with the United States Peace Corps.

Proud of St. Louis Earth Day’s history and its commitment to collaboration, she is thrilled to be a part of the vibrant sustainability movement in St. Louis. When not dumpster diving for recyclables, she spends her time with friends or playing the ukulele. She is also a volunteer with KEEN and a member of the Mayor Slay’s Health, Environment & Recreation Vanguard Cabinet.

Contact her at:
jeanette@stlouisearthday.org or 314. 536.0111

Recycling and the environment have been an important part of my Bill’s life since he was a kid growing up in Washington, Missouri. Bill spent a lot of time outside playing sports, fishing, exploring his grandparent’s farm and pretending to be a ninja. “I felt almost magnetized to the outdoors and grew very appreciative of the beautiful world around me. I knew I had to take care of it so everyone could enjoy it like I did.”

Bill would go with his parents to recycle empty aluminum cans (mostly from soda that he had consumed), and his folks would let Bill keep the few dollars cash from the refund to spend on whatever he wanted—usually candy and Legos. This combination proved a potent mix for fostering the energy and imagination which Bill embraced throughout his school days and into young adulthood.

Bill pursued his passion for film by earning a B.A. in Film Production at Webster University. He has since spent the past eight years working in the film and television industry, in St. Louis and Los Angeles. “I had fulfilled my passion for film, but had yet to fulfill my passion for the environment. Luckily, St. Louis Earth Day came along and here we are now. It feels really good to be working for this organization.”

Bill lives in University City with his wife, Jen and their two dogs, Ripley and Dillon.

Contact him at:
bill@stlouisearthday.org

Michael joined our team this year as the new Green Restaurant Coordinator of the Green Dining Alliance: a St. Louis Earth Day initiative. Michael is responsible for coordinating the launch of the program, which includes developing the program materials, liaising among the many stakeholders and eating lots of yummy food.

Michael hails from High Ridge, Missouri, and as a boy spent most of his time defending tree houses and exploring woods. This early bond with nature would eventually lead him to an interest in environmental preservation. Feeling as though dirty looks to litterbugs wasn’t enough, Michael has found purpose at St. Louis Earth Day.

Michael brings to the program extensive experience in restaurant management and marketing, and a passion for sustainability. Michael has an Associate’s Degree from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago, a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Webster University, and he is currently completing his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Missouri St. Louis.

Contact him at:
green.restaurants@stlouisearthday.org