On a vacant lot in the Old North neighborhood in St. Louis, bright yellow sunflowers bloom against a backdrop of brick buildings and a distant view of the Gateway Arch. Years ago, this picturesque scene was a bit bleaker, with construction debris and weeds filling the lot instead of flowers. In stepped the the Sunflower+…
Tag: Sustainability
Storm Drains are for Rain
This year, many of us have been cooped up at home and are looking for new and interesting ways to get outside and help our communities. One Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) project, coordinated by the EarthWays Center, is providing scouts, families, municipalities, and just about anyone in the area with just such an…
Keep Green and Carry On
The Garden’s Sustainability Staff Maintain Significant Achievements During COVID-19 Despite the current pandemic, the EarthWays Center has been resilient as ever when sharing sustainable solutions with the St. Louis region. All programs and projects continued, and staff learned many new systems to maintain virtual contact while working remotely. This period of remote work has allowed the Garden’s sustainability division to…
Preventing Food Waste at Home
As many of us stay at home in an effort to practice social distancing due to COVID-19, the only trip out of the house is to the grocery store. A priority for many is how to make the food in the kitchen stretch as far as possible before the next trip to the store. Learning…
The Garden Events Green Team
Zero Waste Ambassador volunteers help reduce the “waste line” of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s signature events. You can join this movement as a volunteer. It’s educational, impactful, shady and fun! Signature events like Japanese Festival and Best of Missouri Market are among the most popular activities at the Missouri Botanical Garden, offering thousands of visitors…
Grow a Reusable Bag Habit This Earth Day
Reusable bags are beautiful, functional, and a really impactful way to help halt plastic pollution. So why don’t we all use ‘em? The EarthWays Center staff poses this question whenever we educate companies, classes, or visitors about recycling. The #1 answer we hear is: I can’t remember to take my bags when I go to…
Veg Out for the Holidays
With the holidays upon us, many families and friends are planning gatherings and celebratory meals—most of them likely centering on meat. To help make this holiday season more sustainable, the EarthWays Center suggests adding some vegetarian and vegan alternatives to your dinner table. Why Eat Less Meat? Vegetarians and vegans are familiar with the question—why…
Insider’s Guide to a Cool Summer Visit
Our water lilies love St. Louis summers, but the rest of us probably wilt at the idea of spending too much time outside on a hot day. Don’t let the heat keep you from stopping by your favorite botanical garden to experience beautiful summer blooms. Here’s our insider’s guide to keeping cool during your next…
Bloomsday: The Sunflower+ Project: STL
This summer welcomes the sixth consecutive season of blooming sunflowers to the corner of Warren and 14th Streets in Old North St. Louis, a plot of land that until not long ago was nothing more than a weedy, vacant lot. Today the site not only offers a stunning seasonal display, but also a striking example…
Making Sustainability Work | The Green Business Challenge
Experts from the Garden’s EarthWays Center are cultivating a culture of sustainable thinking and practice across the St. Louis region’s business sector through its leadership of the St. Louis Green Business Challenge. Launched in 2010 by the St. Louis Regional Chamber, the Challenge was delivered as a Chamber-Garden partnership through 2017, and is now managed…
Answers to Your Recycling Questions
If the approach of Earth Day has recycling on your mind, you may be pondering some common questions. What exactly can be recycled? What do I do with items that can’t be recycled? Do I need to take any steps before recycling an item? Here are a few answers from the Garden’s EarthWays Center that…
Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day—And Every Day
This year, don’t just wear green; take your St. Patrick’s Day spirit a little further by being green. Being “green” means looking for ways to lessen potentially harmful effects on the environment by altering your everyday life. That may sound like a big commitment, but being green can be easy, despite what you might have…