The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station is making waves with its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. The St. Louis Aquarium is a 120,000-square-foot facility, filled with more than 13,000 aquatic animals across 44 exhibits, including a 250,000-gallon shark habitat. As a proud participant in the 2024 St. Louis Green Business Challenge, the Aquarium has embraced a hands-on approach to reducing its environmental footprint while inspiring guests to live more sustainably.
“Here at the St. Louis Aquarium, we aim to educate and inspire our guests by bringing them surprisingly close to nature,” said Connor Murray, guest experience supervisor and green team chair member for the St. Louis Aquarium. “We humans share this water planet with some incredible plants and animals, and being a better neighbor with them is surprisingly easy — and intuitive! We’re grateful to the Challenge for helping us explore new ways to engage our guests around living sustainably.”
Throughout the 2024 Challenge, the Aquarium initiated several impactful projects across its operations. It revitalized its Rain Garden, earning certification as a National Wildlife Habitat. The organization also switched to recyclable receipt paper in its ticketing offices and responsibly recycled more than 1,000 pounds of materials over the past year. Additionally, internal systems saw sustainable upgrades, including a reorganized and streamlined staff recycling area to improve access and participation.
The Aquarium’s dedication to innovation even extended to guest-focused sustainability efforts. The Guest Experience team launched a crayon melting initiative, repurposing used crayons to help reduce landfill waste and create fun, eco-conscious souvenirs. In another creative reuse project, retired Team Member shirts were transformed into t-shirt bags during a Friends and Family event. Furthermore, the Life Sciences’ water reclamation process has saved millions of gallons of water per year for future reuse, aiding in the organization’s commitment to responsible water and air quality stewardship.
Through all its endeavors and with every initiative, the St. Louis Aquarium reinforces its three guiding principles: Education, Conservation and Imagination. From habitat restoration to recycling and creative reuse strategies, the Aquarium continues to show how small, intentional changes can spark meaningful environmental impact.
For more information about Saint Louis Aquarium at Union Station 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.
