For the second year, in partnership with the St. Louis Community College – Forest Park Campus, we held a collection event for hard-to-recycle items on the same day as the Festival. Last year 331 vehicles dropped off materials, this year 757 vehicles were unloaded and materials collected by 18 organizations and businesses.

The following was diverted from area landfills and dump sites:

300 CFL bulbs (3 boxes), 120 fluorescent tubes (6 boxes)
Ameren Missouri

110 bicycles, 42 computer towers, 18 computer monitors
Bicycle Works

311 lb. of pharmaceuticals
DEA Drug Take Back

40 cu/yd, 600 lb. expanded polystyrene
EPC

250 lb. of window treatments
Eye on Design

1,000 lb carpet and pad
Flooring Systems, Inc.

6 instruments, 1 amp, 20 music books (600 lb+ total)
Making Music Matters

82,000 lb. electronics/appliances or 41 tons
MRC

1 box truck full + 1 stake bed truck full
ReStore/Habitat for Humanity

512 pairs of shoes, 50 cell phones
Shoeman Water Project

2.62 tons of compostables
St. Louis Composting

275 cu/ft van full
Teacher’s Recycle Center

35×30 gal. bags = 1050 gal. plastic or 175 lb.
Trex Company

1,500 lb. mostly clothing, some misc.
USAgain

St. Louis Earth Day Festival

The 23rd annual St. Louis Earth Day Festival was held Sunday, April 22nd at Forest Park on the Muny grounds 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. with special eco-art programming starting at 10 a.m. as preparation for the All Species Parade. The 2012 event featured traditional favorites like three stages of entertainment, and brought back popular new programming that was introduced in 2011, like a collection event for hard-to-recycle items and the Green Strum Project Band Scramble. Approximately 25,000 people joined in the day’s celebration by experiencing hands-on activities for all ages and meeting the 220 local businesses and organizations that were showcasing their eco-friendly products and services.

Festival, at a glance…

25,000
Event Attendance

25
Food/Beverage Vendors

177
Vendor/Exhibitor Booths

25
Educational Exhibitors

238
Number of Volunteers

873
Total Volunteer Hours

150
Participants in OWLS

600
Eco-Art Activity Participants

211
Valet Parked Bikes

700
Earth Day Challenge Participants

Earth Day Symposium

The 12th Annual Earth Day Symposium was held April 5-6 at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Symposium provides training and tools for implementing sustainable considerations in development and conservation projects throughout the region. Local officials and planning professionals could attend one or both days of “Eco-Logical: Policy, planning and tools to support sustainable transportation, land use and resource conservation”. Day one was a conference which included four breakout blocks with 9 sessions offered on various topics ranging from Green Infrastructure Rating Systems to Fresh Approaches to Stormwater Control, and included keynotes from Novus International and Venner Consulting. Day two focused advances in GIS and tools for local application.

Symposium, at a glance…

114 participants
Day One: Conference

51 participants
Day Two: Workshop

68 Organizations/Municipalities Represented:

Arcturis
American Society of Landscape Architecture
Bryan Cave LLP
Bubbles, Environmental Educ.
CDM Smith
CH2M HILL
City of Arnold
City of Champaign
City of Fairview Heights, IL
City of Lake Saint Louis
City of Maplewood
City of Maryland Heights
City of St. Louis
City of Wentzville
CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Development Strategies
EarthWays Center
East-West Gateway Council of Governments
EcoWorks Unlimited
ESRI
Geotechnology, Inc.
Great Rivers Greenway
Green Commission, City of Hazelwood, MO
Greenway Network
HeartLands Conservancy
Horner & Shifrin, Inc.
Hort Co-op
Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC
Kuhlmann Design Group
LandWorkshop
Loomis Associates
Madison Co 9-1-1
Madison County Illinois ETSB
Madison County Information Technology
Madison County Planning & Development
Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District
Metro
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
Microgrid Energy
Midland GIS Solutions
Missouri American Water
Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Missouri Department of Conservation
Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP)
MO Department of Natural Resources
MO Department of Transportation
Novus International, Inc.
Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region
Pizzo & Associates
Planning Design Studio
Reitz & Jens, Inc.
RideFinders
RJN Group, Inc
Schlafly Beer
SCI Engineering
Sheppard, Morgan & Schwaab, Inc.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Stormwater STL
SWT Design
The Confluence Partnership
Trailnet
Trees, Forests and Landscapes, Inc.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter
Venner Consulting
Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis Earth Day has always been a big supporter of Do It Yourself (DIY) projects and initiatives, so when our friends at the local chapter of the US Green Building Council approached us with the opportunity to help promote and support a special program showcasing DIY sustainability projects, we jumped at the chance! We’ll be there and we hope you will join us!

Do It Yourselfers can take sustainability to a new level after they see multiple presentations at the next local US Green Building Council meeting on June 12. Inventors and presenters, using the Pecha Kucha format, will expose the audience to as many earth-saving sustainability projects as possible – using a maximum of 20 automated slides showing for 20 seconds each. Pecha Kucha formats have been employed mostly for social and business networking. At this meeting, preserving and sustaining natural environments will be the common thread.

Six presenters will share their do-it-yourself sustainability stories for their 400 seconds of fame (20 slides x 20 second each). Topics such as electrifying cars, home landscaping challenges, weatherizing homes, remodeling kitchens and recycling trash will be covered in a fast-paced and fun show.

Don’t forget – SLED has a DIY program of its own in which we loan recycling bins to small events so they can provide recycling easily and effectively. Common users of this program include schools, church groups, nonprofit organizations, fundraisers and community gatherings of all sorts. We also offer event greening workshops throughout the year to help train event planners of events large and small to host more sustainable events. Email rog.manager@stlouisearthday.org to receive notification when our next workshop is planned!

The June 12 USGBC-Missouri Gateway meeting will be held at the new Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 at 2319 Chouteau in St. Louis, 63103. Networking starts at 5:30 pm with refreshments and the presentations start at 6:15. The program is free and open to the public, though registrations are required. To register online, go to USGBC-MOGateway.org/events or call 314-577-0225.

Presented by the USGBC – Missouri Gateway Chapter

Website: http://www.usgbc-mogateway.org/2012/03/call-for-proposals-diy-sustainability/

Feature Articles:

23rd Annual St. Louis Earth Day Festival “Heroes for the Planet: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions”
The Healthy Planet Magazine

Recycling Extravaganza comes to Earth Day
St. Louis Beacon

It’s out with the old on Earth Day – electronics in particular
stltoday.com

Slideshows:

St. Louis Earth Day Festival Photo Gallery
CBS St. Louis/KMOX

St. Louis Earth Day 2012: The Slideshow
Riverfront Times

St. Louis Earth Day Festival Photo Slideshow
stltoday.com

Video Features:

All About Business: St. Louis Earth Day & Green Dining Alliance
KPLR 11

Green Strum Band Scramble First Place Performance
“The Trash Tones”

The Green Strum Project & Earth Day
Fox 2

Precious Earth: St. Louis Earth Day Festival
KPLR 11

*Visit the St. Louis Earth Day YouTube Channel.

Radio:

St. Louis Earth Day Festival
Earthworms with Jean Ponzi – 88.1 KDHX

Blog Articles:

St. Louis Earth Day Festival Food Preview
Riverfront Times Gut Check Blog

The Music of the Nation’s Third Largest Earth Day Festival, This Sunday in Forest Park
Riverfront Times Blog

Additional Mentions:

• Affton-Shrewsbury Patch
• Arnold Patch
• Ballwin-Ellisville Patch
• Belleville News Democrat
• Chesterfield Patch
• Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch
• Creve Coeur Patch
• Florissant Patch
• FOX 2
• Hazelwood Patch
• The Healthy Planet
• Kirkwood Patch
• The Riverfront Times
• St. Charles Patch
• St. Louis Post Dispatch
• Webster Kirkwood Times
• West End Word

In honor of this year’s Earth Day theme, which celebrates the superhero in all of us, Earth Day Director Cassandra Hage is unveiling her newly-developed Superhero Self… Orb. The inspiration for this identity is based on Orb-weavers – a fantastic and complex segment of the spider family. When spotted, their beautiful dew-dazzled webs are one of the simple, beautiful joys of nature that can remind us all to take pause to enjoy the many awe-inspiring things occurring around us. Orb’s superhero powers are derived from this special arachnid – she weaves beautiful webs that lure people in, then inspire reverence of the beauty and power of nature. In fact, she and the Earth Day team have been working on a masterpiece, which you are invited to check out – the 23^rd annual St. Louis Earth Day Festival!

In addition to Orb, the core Earth Day Team consists of Stream Siren (aka Jeanette Reynolds, Program Manager) and The Phantom Recycler (aka Bill Parmentier, ROG Manager). Perhaps you’ve seen them around – or at least the impacts of their work. Stream Siren charms the pollution out of water bodies with tunes played on her ukulele, while The Phantom Recycler is a stealthy collector of recycling… streets and events once littered with trash transform into pristine environments.

Find YOUR inner superhero at this year’s Earth Day celebration. Join us (you know you can’t resist)… no worries – Orb’s practice is catch and release! Superheroes newly discovered and old are invited to participate in St. Louis Earth Day’s long-time tradition, the All Species (and Superhero) Parade, starting at 12noon from the Main Stage. Costumes, pets, strollers and sidekicks are encouraged! Come early to prepare – starting at 10am, you can transform into your Species or Superhero identity by making masks & noisemakers with the Teacher’s Recycling Center or get your face painted by Impish Grin Face Art (free until 11am).

During the event, join Treesong and his friends at The Real Life Superhero (RLSH) booth, which will hold short workshops starting on the hour about how to develop your unique superhero persona. Discover how to determine your costume, qualities and quest. Meet Real Life Superheroes who are using their persona to inspire themselves and others to do good for the planet. See a display with examples of other RLSH from across the country and around the world, and ways you can become a Hero for the Planet!

Remember, we all have the capacity for doing great things. Start small by taking the Earth Day Challenge: bringing a bag for purchases, a water bottle to refill or use alternative transportation to get to Forest Park. Visitors who accomplish two of the three challenges will receive an eco-friendly prize at the Information Booth!

What the world needs now are 6.9 billion people who take small steps to “Be Heroes for the Planet” every day. We invite you to start your journey, pick up some new tips or help your neighbors set new goals for sustainability at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 22nd from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Muny Grounds of Forest Park.

The Earth Day Challenge is a great way for you to track your change on April 22nd. Complete one of the following three tasks, and you have met the Earth Day Challenge:

1. Bring a bottle to re-fill with water at the Festival. There will be water stations throughout the event grounds, which are also marked on our map. You won’t find bottled water for sale, but you will find freshly squeezed lemonade, organic cocktails, Schlafly’s organic rye bock, locally crafted wine, a variety of hot and iced teas and coffees, and other refreshing options.
2. Bring a bag that will be used to carry any purchases or give-a-ways that you acquire at the Festival. Plastic bags are so passe, so help us grow the re-usable bag trend. If you happen to buy more than your bag can carry–there will be vendors selling sustainable and Fair Trade bags, and also bags which have been constructed as part of local job-training programs (plus other aesthetic, functional options!). Pretty cool, huh?
3. Use alternative transport to the Festival. That means riding the Metro (bus and/or train), riding your bike, walking, or any combination of this more sustainable options. You can find out more details about getting to the Festival on our Planning Your Visit webpage, including information about bike pools.

Visitors who accomplish two of the three challenges will receive an eco-friendly prize at the Information Booth. Prizes are fist come-first serve, as supplies lasts. One prize per person.

Prizes include:

• Free burritos from Chipotle
• Kettle Korn vouchers for use at the Festival! (Kettle Korn and More)
• $20 gift certificates for Sappington Farmers Market (Farm to Family, Naturally)
• One class passes to Yoga Six.
• Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps All-One
• Home Eco goodies, including: notebooks, hemp coin purses, bamboo utensils, lip balms on carabiners
• CFLs from Metro Lighting
• water bottles from Missouri American Water
• re-usable shopping bags
• re-usable lunch bags from the Saint Louis County Department of Health
• key chains made from re-purposed bike chains from Resource Revival (Earth Day attendees also receive 10% off the online store with purchase code StLouisEarthDay)
• passes to Missouri Botanical Garden attractions
• “goodies” from Ameren Missouri to remind you to conserve energy
• tickets to the St. Louis Renaissance Faire
• books from The School of Metaphysics
• sunblock and lip balm from Verde Kids
• “dust bunnies” made with a microfiber cleaning cloth with coupon for a free Herb’n Maid Green Cleaning Starter Kit
• key chain/bottle opener, plastic sippy cups, canvas grocery bags and orange solar calculators from Brightergy Solar
• Gift Certificates for a free massage from Healthcare Complete

We are very grateful to the Earth Day vendors, sponsors and partners who have made contributions to the Earth Day Challenge incentive prizes! Check back for a complete listing of prizes, it keeps growing!

We would also like to thank the following companies who have donated products and services for our use as thank you gifts and prizes for the many individuals who make Earth Day great through their contributions of times and talents!

• Schlafly Beer: VIP brewery tour pass for 10 guests
• Kakao Chocolate: Chocolate tasting party certificate
• Origins Natural Skincare, Macy’s West Count: Basket of beauty products &  gift certificate
• Labeebees Catering: Gift certificate for dinner, catering or private party
• It Works! Global: Gift basket
• Cartridge World St. Louis: $25 gift certificates
• Off the Cuff Bracelet: Upcycled bracelet
• Grand Chiropractic: Free pair of Spenco sandles with orthopedic support (gift certificate)
• Pairabelles: Upcycled headband
• Home Eco: $50 gift certificate
• The Confluence Partnership: Confluence Note Cards
• Scentsy: Gift basket
• Missouri Nature Prints: Custom painted driftwood board
• Alpine Shop:  $50 gift card

We are excited to announce that the St. Louis Earth Day Festival is in the running for Best Festival by St. Louis Magazine! We hope that you’re as proud of this 23 year old community-led tradition as we are, which has become the 3rd largest Earth Day celebration in the country.

Every July, the St. Louis Magazine editorial staff features the A-List tribute to the exceptional in St. Louis. In 2012, they’re celebrating 10 years of honoring St. Louis` best. Voting ends April 20 (just two days before this year’s SLED Festival!). Winners will be featured in SLM`s July issue.

Follow this link, enter your email address and you’ll find us under category 15 – “Festival”, on page 5 of the poll. We love what we do and we couldn’t do it without you, and hope you’ll take a moment to share your vote for our event!

THANK YOU!!!

The Recycling Extravaganza will accept your hard-to-recycle items 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 22nd on the St. Louis Community College Forest Park campus parking lot off Oakland Ave. All are invited to load up their cars, trucks or bicycle baskets with any (or all) of the items that will be collected by one of a dozen partnering organizations or companies.

This year features the DEA Medication Take Back Initiative. The Drug Enforcement Administration will be on-site collecting expired, unwanted or unused Pharmaceutical Controlled Substances, prescription medications and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Collection is anonymous as no records are kept, and no identification is required.

In the U.S., more than 80 percent of adults take at least one medication per week, ranging from supplements and vitamins to prescription drugs, and often times leftover or expired medications are disposed of improperly – be it flushed down the toilet, thrown in the yard or dumped in the trash bin for pick up. These improper disposal practices can lead to environmental damage and health risks.

More than 250 million pounds of pills are flushed each year, which are incapable of being filtered out in sewage treatment plants and will likely end up back in the water supply. Additionally, many of the solid waste facilities that properly dispose of hazardous products will not accept pharmaceutical waste.

In 2008, a five-month Associated Press investigation determined that trace amounts of disposed pharmaceuticals are contained in our drinking water, possibly affecting both human health and aquatic life. However, flushing is still the FDA’s recommended disposal solution for some medications because the risk of unwanted ingestion is deemed greater than the potential impact on drinking water.

The FDA’s message for consumers is that immediate and permanent disposal is the best option for these pharmaceuticals. For drugs not on the list, the FDA recommends the federal guidelines for disposal, which includes mixing the drugs with an undesirable substance such as cat litter or coffee grounds. This makes the pills less appealing to someone who may find them mixed with other garbage.

In addition to protecting the waterways, animals and children from contact with medications, proper disposal of medications is important for many reasons:

• Diversion – Prescription medication abuse and/or theft are becoming more frequent, sometimes with fatal consequences. Getting it out of the medicine cabinet is the first step in prevention.
• Treatment Interference – Antibiotics can wreak havoc on your septic tank, resulting in untreated sewage passing into our natural water outlets.
• Expired pills – Pharmaceuticals have a shelf-life like most products and taking expired meds can be dangerous.

In September, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. introduced new legislation to Congress that would require pharmaceutical companies to set up a take-back program for leftover prescription drugs at no cost to the consumer. The Pharmaceutical Stewardship Act creates a nonprofit organization, financed by drug manufacturers, which would be responsible for establishing a comprehensive pharmaceutical collection programs in every state. Every county and city with more than 10,000 residents would be required to have a collection site for waste medications or, if a collection site is not feasible, a pre-paid mailer must be made available to those residents.

According to the bill, the nonprofit will publicize the take-back program to consumers, pharmacies and health care facilities through outreach materials, a toll-free hotline and a website. H.R. 2939 would also set up a commission that would develop a strategy to prevent pollution at all stages in a pharmaceutical’s lifecycle: from production to disposal.

We hope that you take advantage of this opportunity to participate in the DEA Take Back Initiative on April 22, 2012–ensuring the greater health of our drinking water, and reducing the risk of your left over or expired meds ending up somewhere unanticipated.

Sources/more information:

Federal Law Proposed for Unwanted Meds – http://earth911.com/news/2011/09/22/federal-take-back-law-proposed-for-unwanted-medications/

AP Investigates Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water – http://earth911.com/news/2008/03/10/ap-investigates-pharmaceuticals-in-drinking-water/

DEA Pushes Nationwide Medication Disposal Event – http://earth911.com/news/2010/08/26/dea-pushes-nationwide-medication-recycling-event/

FDA Recommends Some Medicines Get Flushed – http://earth911.com/news/2009/11/05/fda-recommends-some-medicines-get-flushed/

Health facilities flush estimated 250M pounds of drugs a year – http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-14-drugs-flush-water_N.htm

An AP Investigation: Pharmaceuticals Found in Drinking Water – http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/

Pharmaceutical Stewardship Act – http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr2939ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr2939ih.pdf

As appears in the March 2012 issue of The Healthy Planet Magazine…

In the past, I have used the March Healthy Planet issue to unveil the theme of the upcoming St. Louis Earth Day Festival and I see no reason to change things up this year, especially since it’s an exciting one. So here it goes, prepare yourself for….

Heroes for the Planet:
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions

I like this year’s theme because it has both serious and playful undertones. On one hand, it’s a call to action, a challenge to make big, often difficult decisions to support environmental stewardship and sustainable lifestyles. On the other, we can play with the resurgence of heroic icons, the rising popularity of graphic novels and the remastering of old classics with the addition of dramatic Hollywood special effects. Of course there is my childhood favorite – Captain Planet and the Planeteers (who seem to have had a formative influence on my career and life path). As you’ll remember, many superheroes, like Superman and Spiderman, were initially exposed to something otherworldly or had a mutation brought on by a science experiment gone wrong. Some, like Batman, are “normal” people who assume secret identities to right the wrongs in the world during a time of need. They transform into their Superhero Selves through fantastic technology (and unlimited funding).

Our theme brings light to the fact that each and every one of us has the power to be great and to do heroic, extraordinary acts that will impact the world we live in. We don’t need a genetic mutation or space dust to make us great. Sure, it would be useful if we could fly or turn bad guys into ice or grow back limbs, but we have real life models all around us of people who make a huge impact on the world through their choices and their actions.

Take local hero Dr. Peter Raven, the recently retired director of the Missouri Botanical Garden. During his long career, he fostered research that saved hundreds of plants from extinction, thus protecting the biodiversity of rainforests and many other fragile ecosystems. He managed to do this without assuming a secret identity, but what if he had? Dr. Raven is a solid superhero name. Wait – maybe that IS he secret identity – interesting….

It turns out there is a global network of Real Life Superheroes – people who have superhero identities and regularly perform heroic acts to make the world a better place. Here’s what one source has to say about the superhero transformation:

12 Steps to Superheroism

1. Make the conscious decision to change your perception of the world and your place in it.
2. Chose to be a better person and to become a force of good.
3. Explored yourself and discover the source of your inner superhero.
4. Once you understand yourself, you can begin to develop your Superhero Self.
5. Recognize your innate strengths and seek to develop potential ones.
6. Open your eyes to the environment, without shying away from injustice and despair.
7. Understanding your strengths and environment, recognized how you can best serve the world.
8. Your Superhero Self then receives a name.
9. Take action.
10. Now, exposed to the trials of superheroism, refine and improve your Superhero Self.
11. Continue superhero efforts and make your name known.
12. Continue to live your truth.

I am working on developing my own superhero identity, including the requisite costume, which I will reveal in next month’s editorial, so stay tuned. I encourage you to start working on yours too.

Plan to join us when all of the Real Life Superheros in St. Louis convene to celebrate our special day – the St. Louis Earth Day Festival in Forest Park on April 22, 2012. We’ll kick the day off with the All Species [& Superheroes] Parade, which, of course, will feature superheroes too! Continue to visit our website to see special activities announced as details unfold. You can also check out our listing of volunteer opportunities, where you can try out your Superhero Self and let your new identity and commitment to heroism unfold!

The All Species Parade was organized for the St. Louis Earth Day celebration of 1990 with the slogan “Make A Change”. It has continued to dance its way through every festival since. In recent years, the parade has kicked off the Festival, led by the Joia World Percussion Ensemble.

The All Species Parade is an opportunity to connect with the arts while renewing our commitment to the planet and all of our co-inhabitants. As the Earth Day Proclamation from the Honorable Mayor Francis G. Slay describes, “the All Species Parade, part of the Earth Day Festival in St. Louis celebrates the importance of all species of flora and fauna; and whereas, I encourage all citizens to take this opportunity to learn about respect and celebrate our connection to life on earth and to take measures to give back on Earth Day and every day.”

The St. Louis Bicycle Brigade at the 2012 Festival.

Need a costume to hide your real life identity? Starting at 10am on April 22nd, join the Teachers’ Recycle Center at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival grounds to create a musical instrument, mask or prop to carry with you in the Parade using found objects and recycled materials.

Impish Grin Face Art will also be at the Festival from 10am to 11am, helping you get ready for the Parade with FREE face painting! Impish Grin Face Art is St Louis’ premiere face painting group. Led by professionally trained, award winning face artist, Laura Hanser, Impish Grin’s whimsical designs are easily recognised at any event. Using only safe, FDA-compliant cosmetic makeup and glitters, their creative designs magically transform guests of all ages,offering an experience that lasts long after the makeup has washed off!

Visit our Festival Calendar or sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up-to-date on details for these two special events.