A Catalyst for a Bright Green Future

Sustainable St. Louis is helping to advance a region-wide sustainability movement by serving as a catalyst for change. Our mission is to serve as a resource and facilitator in the development of a more robust and holistic approach to our region’s environmental sustainability, uniting businesses, advocates and local governments to build a more sustainable future for the entire St. Louis metropolitan area.

See the September 2009 article in C3 magazine for additional information.

The Need for a New Organization

“A clear statement of environmental priorities in the St. Louis region does not currently exist, nor does a central data source for the region’s performance on commonly accepted and utilized environmental indicators.”
— Report from Environmental Funders of St. Louis Affinity Group, Gateway Center for Giving, Sept. 2008

Sustainability is the new driving factor affecting the economic well-being, quality of life, population trends, public health, environmental conditions and other measures of regional vitality. But the St. Louis region lags behind other metro areas in sustainability issues, nor is there any one entity taking a long-term, regional perspective or leadership role in this arena Sustainable St. Louis was formed in September, 2008, to fill this void.

Our Role

Sustainable St. Louis is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of a holistic and regional approach to environmental sustainability. The core elements of our mission are:

• Coordinate & Communicate – Sustainable St. Louis will help coordinate regional sustainability efforts, bringing businesses, advocacy groups, local governments and other stakeholders together to develop and communicate an overarching vision for a more sustainable region.
• Measure & Assess – Utilizing one or more broadly accepted indices, Sustainable St. Louis will help track our community’s progress toward long-term sustainability. One such index under development is the ICLEI STAR Community Index.
• Advocate & Promote – We will educate groups and individuals about the importance of sustainability and how it is achieved, and will promote organizations, initiatives, and events relating to sustainability throughout the metro region.

Our Objectives

In order to achieve the ultimate goal of building a more sustainable future for the St. Louis region, Sustainable St. Louis has identified the following objectives:

• Create Advisory Groups – Convene advisory groups comprised of key persons from the public and private sectors who have a stake in various “content areas” affecting sustainability. The focus areas (e.g., transportation, built environment, air and water quality, solid waste, energy, green economy, land use, sustainable agriculture, etc.) will align with those of proposed regional sustainability measures, such as the ICLEI STAR Community Index program. Sustainable St. Louis believes that the interaction and cooperative efforts of regional stakeholders will: a) result in the improved success of existing efforts; and b) provide the fertile ground for new sustainability initiatives.
• Measure and Assess – Utilize one or more broadly accepted indices (e.g., ICLEI STAR) to track progress on various sustainability measures and measure them against other metropolitan areas. These comparisons can be used to identify other regions that can be used to model St. Louis regional programs, and to identify and communicate key areas for improvement, which present opportunities for the St. Louis region.
• Create Resources - Create a staffed physical location (Resource Center) and a frequently updated website for use in focusing efforts aimed at achieving Mission Deliverables. The website will serve as the de facto portal for all sustainable initiatives and Stakeholders, both as an interactive communications tool and as a resource in understanding sustainability issues. Create a periodic e-newsletter to help inform about the various groups, initiatives, and events aimed at sustainability.
• Create an Education and Media Campaign – Create a substantial on-going education and media campaign directed at improving: a) understanding of sustainability and why it is important to the environmental and economic vitality of the region, and b) awareness of the St. Louis region’s current sustainability efforts and the Stakeholders’ (including the general public) involvement in this process.

Our Organization

Sustainable St. Louis is aimed at serving three target groups – Businesses, Communities, and Nonprofits. Each of these groups has a corresponding page on this website with news and resources that are relevant to their groups. And each group is represented throughout the various component groups within the organization.

Due to the breadth of the scope of our mission, we have as a goal to involve as many of the key stakeholders in the leadership of the organization as is feasible. So in addition to our Board of Directors and Staff, we have Board Committees, an Advisory Board, and Advisory Groups. For a graphic representation of the structure of the organization, see our Organizational Chart >

The role of the Advisory Board is 1) To provide advice to the Board of Directors, and 2) To work with the Advisory Groups and staff to produce a report that gives an assessment of where the region stands on the various measures of sustainability and which recommends goals for improving that standing.

The role of the Advisory Groups is to bring together stakeholders and individuals with relevant expertise in specific “content areas” affecting sustainability – i.e. transportation, built environment, air and water quality, solid waste, energy, green economy, land use, sustainable agriculture and others. The groups members are also selected with an eye towards bringing together the three target audiences – businesses, communities, and nonprofits. The Advisory Groups are tasked with 1) Developing criteria for measuring sustainability within their content area, 2) Generating current data using those measures, 3) Setting targets for improved achievement on those measures, and 4) Providing recommendations for initiatives, legislation, or other means for achieving those targets.

Board Committees are tasked with working with the staff in planning and carrying out important functions of the organization, including marketing, education, events, etc.

How Can I Get Involved?

If you are interested in being a part of our organization, please email us at info@sustainstl.org and tell us about your background and interests.

Geographical Area Served

The area which Sustainable St. Louis serves includes the seven counties surrounding the City of St. Louis, as well as the city itself. Map of Sustainable St. Louis Region >

Sustainable St. Louis is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization and is a member of Earth Share of Missouri.