On a sunny Tuesday morning, elected officials and staff from eleven municipalities gathered in the council chambers in Webster Groves City Hall. The room was filled with curiosity and the sweet smell of beignets and coffee. Aaron Young, Sustainability Planning Manager at East-West Gateway Council of Governments, got us started with a presentation to explain how climate change is impacting our region. The conversation was robust, the graphs and images informative, and the case made was clear: that the time for decision makers to take action to protect people and property is now.
Following the presentation we invited Webster Groves Mayor Laura Arnold, City Manager Dr. Marie Peoples, and Sustainability Coordinator Shawn Finnegan up to share insights about the process Webster has used to focus on sustainability. Jean Ponzi, Green Resources Specialist with EarthWays Center of Missouri Botanical Garden, dug into the benefits of having a sustainability coordinator on staff, questioned where there were lessons to share, and highlighted the areas of opportunity for future sustainability and collaboration.
We have so much to learn from sharing with one another, and little time to waste reinventing the wheel. Working together will help our region mitigate the flow of greenhouse gases and build stronger bonds as we adapt to a changing climate.
The region will be flush with information in the coming year; East-West Gateway Council of Government will have completed a Climate Action Plan for the region early next year, the City of St. Louis will have an updated Sustainability Plan, and St. Louis County is incorporating a Climate Action Plan as a part of the comprehensive plan process. Preparing elected officials to be ready to act on the information received will be a critical piece of how our region responds to the challenges ahead.
Please join the next Cool Cities STL Pop Up on Thursday, April 3, 4-5:30 at Clayton City Hall to discuss Data Tools for a Healthier City, where we will be discussing benchmarking with Emily Andrews, Executive Director of Missouri Gateway Green Building Council.