Based in Edwardsville, Ill., the Madison County Building & Zoning Department enables the County Board to plan and prioritize policies and programs related to land use and development for unincorporated areas. The Clean Air Partnership is pleased to recognize Madison County Building & Zoning Department’s air quality-friendly efforts that earned them the esteemed title of St. Louis Green Business Challenge Champion last year for completing work with the Leader scorecard and committing to continued implementation of deeper sustainability strategies.
“The Green Business Challenge has once again been of great value to Madison County’s sustainability efforts, enhancing our ability to share ideas and collaborate with like-minded organizations,” said Brandon Banks, Resource Management Coordinator for Madison County Building & Zoning. “We continue to improve efforts in environmental education and stewardship, providing resources and building trust with the residents we serve. Working with Challenge partners, we are able to increase our impact in keeping our community strong and prosperous for future generations.”
During the 2022 Challenge, Madison County Building & Zoning Department led two sustainable action initiatives – Madison County Green Schools Program and the Clean Communities program. The Green Schools Program worked directly with 41 schools and impacted nearly 25,000 students through recycling programs, county-wide competitions, professional development opportunities and educational resources. Additionally, the Clean Communities program focused on cleaning up litter in Madison County and successfully distributed over 1,600 resource kits to residents, each including a safety vest, litter grabber, gloves and trash bags.
To further reduce environmental impact, Madison County Building & Zoning hosted four electronics collection events over the course of the year, serving more than 1,400 households, and recovering more than 120,000 lbs. of electronics for recycling that otherwise might have ended up in landfills and created harmful CO2 emissions. Through a partnership with Madison County Building & Zoning and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), a newly established Household Hazardous Waste site in Wood River doubled the amount of toxic household chemicals collected last year, including paints, chemicals, batteries, and other hazardous materials that are harmful to the environment and air quality. Another collection event with the IEPA allowed residents of Venice Township, Olive Township and Foster Township to dispose of bulky items not accepted in their residential trash.
Last but certainly not least, Madison County Building & Zoning awarded more than $142,000 in grant funds to 11 local government agencies for environmental projects, in addition to granting $21,343 to 12 Madison County schools.
For more on how your organization can get involved in the Challenge, subscribe to their weekly 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 Twitter at @gatewaycleanair.
