Spotlight On: Perennial

Perennial – a St. Louis-based nonprofit community workshop and store dedicated to creative reuse – offers educational programming to diverse populations, turning trash into treasure and teaching the community to do the same. Located in Dutchtown, Perennial was established as a resource for area residents to discover ways to reuse objects, reduce waste, and live a sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle through the power of personal creativity. From eco-refinishing, to upholstery, to building new furniture from pallets, Perennial teaches creative classes to build a culture of sustainability in which discarded items are transformed into valued and cherished resources, and this month, the Clean Air Partnership is delighted to shine a spotlight on their green achievements having a positive eco-impact.

“Perennial enjoys being a leader in creative reuse education and a resource for anyone starting their sustainability journey,” said Katie Carpenter, executive director of Perennial. “The Challenge helps us prioritize efforts to strengthen, document, and share while connecting us to a local network of passionate partners committed to a greener region.”

As a participant in the 2023 St. Louis Green Business Challenge at the Apprentice Level, Perennial implemented several policies promoting sustainability in the workspace, including one to inform staff and customers of the organization’s commitment to sustainability and resourcefulness in both the workplace and the greater St. Louis community. Perennial also completed a Green Purchasing Policy to guide staff members in choosing environmentally conscious office supplies and class materials.

Furthering their dedication to waste diversion, Perennial scheduled an energy audit for the building to identify wasted energy and detect opportunities for energy efficiency upgrades. Additionally, the organization proudly increased the capacity of their clothing swaps, diverting more useful textiles from toxic landfills, including 2,400 pounds that were collected in a single afternoon event. The clothing swaps are a great way to build a new wardrobe with the planet and air quality in mind, allowing individuals to bring in clothes they no longer want and take home new-to-you items from the swap as a greener, economical alternative.

Perennial’s educational initiatives included installing signage showing how to properly dispose of waste in the workshop and encouraging recycling and composting to minimize landfill disposal. Moreover, the organization published an online resource guide to help people reduce, reuse or repair items when possible, as well as presented on the circularity panel for the Missouri Recycling Association Conference.

For more information about Perennial and how your company can get involved in the St. Louis Green Business Challenge, subscribe to their bi-monthly E-Newsletter or visit stlouisgreenchallenge.com. For more on the link between sustainability and air quality, explore the Clean Air Partnership’s website, like us on Facebook or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @gatewaycleanair.

Spotlight On: Pulitzer Arts Foundation

Located in the heart of St. Louis for more than 20 years, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation is an art museum devoted to presenting the art of today and works from the past within a global context. A place where ideas are freely explored, new art exhibited, and historic work reimagined, the Pulitzer’s expansive light-filled galleries host world-class art exhibitions and anchor an array of free programs, ranging from talks to concerts, literary readings, dance, performances, wellness workshops and more. The Clean Air Partnership is pleased to acknowledge the museum’s ongoing commitment to sustainability that helped earn them recognition at the Leader Level in the 2023 St. Louis Green Business Challenge.

“With our work, we want to consider environmental impact, whether through exhibitions and programs or via our building operations, properties, and day-to-day habits,” said Cara Starke, executive director of The Pulitzer Arts Foundation. “Joining the Green Business Challenge encourages us to improve our working methods while also making space for conversations about the ecological impact of our efforts.”

During the Challenge, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation hosted a Biodiversity Happy Hour for Green Business Challenge members, featuring a twilight experience of their living installation, Park-Like, which is designed to absorb rainfall from storms and reduce the impact on urban sewer systems while creating a site for both wildlife and people. Additionally, the museum featured spring exhibitions that explored how artmaking impacts the natural world and how human-environment relationships shape art, as well as led tours of their exhibitions and property with the Missouri Prairie Foundation and Missouri Department of Conservation to discuss the impact of prairies and native plants.

Other impressive accomplishments from their time participating in the Challenge include the implementation of rainscaping techniques to eliminate the need for irrigation and a system-wide HVAC evaluation to improve the museum’s environmental impact, which resulted in substantial reductions in energy use and CO2, all of which have helped benefit the region’s air quality.

Furthermore, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation instituted energy-saving and recycling initiatives, including converting all lighting systems to energy-efficient LEDs; weekly recycling of paper, paperboard and other recyclables; electronic waste collection; direct recycling of metals; increased donations of reusable building materials; and the reuse of materials from previous exhibitions to cut down on waste and reduce emissions.

For more information on the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and how your company can get involved in the St. Louis Green Business Challenge, subscribe to their bi-monthly E-Newsletter or visit stlouisgreenchallenge.com. For more on the link between sustainability and air quality, explore our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @gatewaycleanair.

Think Green for Halloween

The final countdown to Halloween is on as the day creeps closer and closer, and while it’s time to get into the spirit of frightful fun, it’s also important to recognize that the holiday can be a real nightmare for the environment. From single-use costumes to plastic decorations and mountains of candy wrappers, the significant amount of waste that Halloween generates each year is nothing short of a horror show.

However, spooky season can still be your favorite with a few eco-friendly adjustments to celebrate more sustainably with the region’s air quality in mind. Here are a few insightful tips to ensure those tricks and treats don’t add up to a hefty impact on our planet:

  • Candy – While you’re out shopping for last-minute Halloween candy, consider trying to get organic options and opt for candy with minimal or recyclable packaging. Otherwise, forget candy altogether and give the kids another sustainable, healthy pre-packaged snack to keep kids happy without the added sugar rush. Additionally, if you’re hosting a Halloween party, forget about plastic wrapped candies and instead bake up some simple, fun treats for a boo-tiful spread.
  • Costumes – Store-bought costumes are often made up of nonrecyclable, petrochemical based plastic and synthetic fibers that release harmful toxins in their creation and breakdown. With a little creativity, leftover boxes, paper bags, fabric and other items around the house can be upcycled into costumes at little or no cost and make for a much more air quality-friendly option. If you’re looking for more inspiration, consider swapping costumes with friends or exploring secondhand stores for a thrifted option that your wallet and the planet will thank you for.
  • Decorations – Make a dent in the waste by creating your own homemade decorations with recycled household items. Solar-powered or LED lights will also help to conserve energy, as will refraining from using large, inflatable ghostly creatures that require running electricity to operate. Doing so will help cut down on costs and related emissions to help keep the air clean.
  • Pumpkins – Don’t let your jack-o’-lantern end up in a landfill once Halloween is over. Remember to compost your pumpkins to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions that result from rotting in landfills. Once you’ve carved your pumpkin, save the pulp from inside for pies, muffins, soup and other tasty recipes, as well as the seeds that make for a sustainable fall snack when roasted with a bit of oil and salt.
  • Trick-or-Treat  Rather than drive to other neighborhoods to take the kids trick-or-treating, stick close to home this Halloween and walk from house to house to reduce fuel consumption and air pollution. If traveling by car is really the only way to join in the Halloween fun, try carpooling with friends or family to do your share for cleaner air. And don’t forget to re-purpose a tote bag, bucket or pillowcase to collect candies and further reduce environmental impact.

Keep green in mind for Halloween and continue to lead an eco-conscious lifestyle to help St. Louis area residents breathe easier. To learn more about the link between living greener and our air quality, visit the tips section of our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @gatewaycleanair.