Month: September 2025

Tarlton Corporation continues to prove that its commitment to making the St. Louis region a better place to live is more than just a mission statement — it’s a guiding principle that drives sustainable and environmentally conscious innovation across the industry.

Tarlton is a general contracting and construction management firm with a prolific presence in the region. With nearly 80 years of experience, the company has played a pivotal role in shaping iconic St. Louis landmarks, including Busch Stadium, The Muny and the Saint Louis Zoo. In appreciation for Tarlton’s role as a proud participant in the St. Louis Green Business Challenge at the Leader Level, the Clean Air Partnership is delighted to recognize the firm for its outstanding green achievements, which reflect the company’s enduring commitment to making the St. Louis region a better place to live and work through sustainable innovation and environmental leadership.

“In the St. Louis Green Business Challenge, each firm competes with their own best self,” said Tracy Hart, president of Tarlton. “Tarlton has continued to advance sustainability practices, and each year it’s exciting to see the ways we can further improve our efforts.”

During the 2024 Challenge, Tarlton demonstrated leadership through a series of impactful initiatives. When a key Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D) service provider ceased operations, Tarlton took swift action by alerting regional recycling leaders and initiating a collaborative effort to address waste conversion challenges. The company also organized a Challenge team site visit and meeting with Eco Recycling, a C&D specialist, to explore solutions for sorting, hauling and documenting diversion efforts to support LEED certifications for client projects.

Tarlton’s sustainability efforts extend beyond external projects. Internally, the company updated its Sustainability-ESG statement to reinforce its commitment to environmental stewardship and community well-being. It also revised its Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Plan to promote healthier work environments and hosted a staff Lunch & Learn session titled “Sustainable Gardens: Native Plants,” further embedding sustainability into its workplace culture.

From job sites to the boardroom, Tarlton embodies its “Let’s Build” motto, continually strengthening its environmental legacy while setting a high standard for sustainable business practices across the region. Through these impressive initiatives and countless others, the company is not only shaping a greener, healthier St. Louis today but also laying the foundation for a more resilient future for generations to come.

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

Seed St. Louis has been cultivating environmentally friendly roots in the St. Louis community for decades, and in 2024, the organization took its commitment to sustainability even further. Founded in 1984, the nonprofit supports a thriving network of more than 250 neighborhood gardens, school gardens and urban orchards across the region. Through education, resources and empowerment, Seed St. Louis helps communities grow their own food and foster healthier, greener neighborhoods.

As Seed St. Louis continues its mission to promote both human and ecological well-being, the Clean Air Partnership is proud to spotlight the organization for its outstanding green achievements. These efforts earned Seed St. Louis recognition in the 2024 St. Louis Green Business Challenge, where it participated at the Apprentice Level.

“Seed St. Louis is a longtime champion of sustainability in our promotion of local farming and greening of vacant lots,” said Joe Jovanovich, Chief Operating Officer of Seed St. Louis. “The Green Business Challenge has helped us become more eco-friendly in our office by focusing us on simple yet meaningful changes in practice that add up to a big impact.”

During last year’s Challenge, Seed St. Louis implemented a range of operational improvements to reduce its carbon footprint. The organization transitioned to fully digital accounting procedures, eliminating paper invoices and payment records, and replaced most printed checks with electronic transfers. When printing is necessary, the team now uses 30% recycled content paper sourced locally from Office Essentials, reducing reliance on large online retailers like Amazon.

Staff volunteers also embraced creative, grassroots solutions to sustainability challenges. Because the building lacks commercial recycling, employees established a mobile recycling bin system, taking turns bringing recyclables home to ensure proper disposal. This inventive workaround reflects the team’s dedication to environmental responsibility, even in the face of logistical hurdles.

Beyond the office, Seed St. Louis extended its green practices to events by adopting compostable cups, plates and utensils. The organization also partnered with New Earth Farms and Total Organics Recycling to divert food-service waste from landfills. Additionally, plastic bottles were eliminated from company events, with staff encouraged to use refillable water bottles instead.

Through its hands-on gardening programs, internal initiatives and sustainable event practices, Seed St. Louis continues to build on its decades-long commitment to a greener future. By integrating sustainability into every layer of its operations, the organization proves that environmental stewardship truly can grow from the ground up.

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

As summer winds down, the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership and Citizens for Modern Transit’s joint “No Red Day” campaign has officially wrapped with nearly 500 sign-ups for free Metro Adventure Day Passes. The campaign aimed to prevent a “red” air quality day from happening by encouraging area residents to take transit instead of driving, especially during peak ozone season when heat and emissions can combine to create unhealthy levels of ozone air pollution.  

Thanks to strong community engagement and creative outreach efforts, campaign organizers and participants played an important role in helping the region avoid any red air quality days this season. However, the return of warmer weather late last week and into this week has brought with it five additional orange air quality days, a reminder that poor air quality can persist even outside the traditional forecasting window, underscoring transit matters throughout the year.  

Ozone pollution remains a concern for everyone, especially children, seniors and those with respiratory conditions. Even as the campaign concludes, the need to reduce emissions continues. Choosing transit over personal vehicles – even if just occasionally – can make a meaningful impact on air quality. Taking MetroLink or MetroBus to get to school, work, appointments, sports and entertainment venues, and everywhere else you need to go helps keep emissions down and air quality in healthier ranges.  

Planning ahead for high ozone days by checking the daily air quality forecast and encouraging others to make the switch to try transit are simple but powerful steps we can all take. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue doing our part for cleaner air – because every ride counts. 

To learn more about the summerlong campaign efforts, visit NoRedDay.com. 

When we think about summer hazards, sunburns and heat waves may come to mind first. But there’s another invisible danger that can take a serious toll on our health — air pollution. Ozone and particle pollution are more than just environmental concerns; they affect how we breathe, how our bodies function and even how long we live. While everyone is impacted to some degree, certain groups are far more vulnerable to the harmful effects of polluted air.

Data from the American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of the Air” report shows that 156.1 million people — about 46% of the U.S. population — are living in places that get failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. This is nearly 25 million more people breathing unhealthy air compared to last year’s report and more than in any other “State of the Air” report in the last 10 years.

Children and older adults remain among the most physically vulnerable, with 34.6 million children under the age of 18 and some 25.2 million adults over 65 living in counties that received an “F” grade for at least one pollutant. People living with asthma, COPD, cardiovascular disease and even lung cancer survivors also face heightened risks. Pregnant individuals are not immune either, as more than 1.7 million pregnancies in 2023 occurred in counties that failed at least one measure. Of those, close to 453,000 were in counties that received failing grades for all three measures.

The report also makes clear that the burden is not evenly shared. People living in poverty often reside closer to pollution sources and have fewer options for relocation or access to health care. Approximately 19 million people with incomes at or below the federal poverty level live in counties with at least one failing grade, and nearly 5.7 million live in areas failing all three. Racial disparities are equally troubling with people of color making up just over 41% of the U.S. population, yet 78.3 million live in counties with at least one failing grade for ozone and/or particle pollution, and more than 26 million live where all three measures received failing grades.

To help residents safeguard their health, the Clean Air Partnership issues color-coded daily air quality forecasts throughout the summer months and into the fall so people can know ahead of time if the next day’s air quality calls for limiting outdoor activity. Staying informed is important as unhealthy air days can still occur during the cooler months, making continued awareness crucial for protecting your health.

By checking the forecast, making small adjustments to daily routines and supporting local clean air initiatives, we can protect our most vulnerable neighbors — and ourselves. For more tips to help clear the air this summer and beyond, visit CleanAir-StLouis.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on X @gatewaycleanair.