Anna Chott, Sustainability Planner, East-West Gateway Council of Governments
Missouri Gateway Green Building Council Member since 2023
Description of your work in green building: In my role at East-West Gateway Council of Governments, I assist with OneSTL, which is a collaborative sustainability effort for the St. Louis region. This effort covers many aspects of sustainability, but some of the most relevant to green building include the OneSTL Energy & Emissions Working Group, which helps coordinate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings; and also sharing resources and information such as codes and ordinances related to solar-ready, EV-ready, and efficient buildings.
Recent Green Building recognition: I become certified as a LEED Green Associate in 2023.
Sustainability passion: I’m passionate about how sustainability practices can help improve quality of life, especially for those with limited resources. For example, weatherizing buildings can decrease utility costs and reduce energy burdens. Another example would be incorporating access to transit when selecting a location and designing a building, to ensure it is accessible for those who can’t drive.
Most meaningful experience with MGGBC Chapter: I really admire MGGBC’s advocacy for green building practices and policies, including through their Advocacy Committee. Policy is an important way to have a major impact. But I can’t help but mention that MGGBC’s Emerging Professional Happy Hours are a blast and a great way to meet people and connect about topics you care about, while supporting local Green Dining Alliance certified businesses.
What will most impact the future of green building: I think the funding and tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act will (hopefully) result in an increase in building energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy for existing and new buildings.
Favorite LEED (or sustainability) Project: I think the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food Agriculture Nutrition Innovation Center in East St. Louis has a really impressive campus and is doing awesome work. They incorporate a lot of LEED priorities, such as building on brownfields, rainwater management through gardens, and solar energy on part of their campus. Not to mention they do fantastic work with youth, improving food access, and educating about sustainable agriculture.
Favorite place in the St. Louis region or Missouri Gateway GBC territory: This is a really hard choice, but I’m going to have to go with the Missouri Botanical Garden. My aunts and I love visiting the garden, especially exploring the demonstration gardens for home gardening. We get really jealous because we can never get fruits and vegetables to grow quite as well in our own gardens. And of course the Botanical Garden has the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center (which is pursuing LEED certification at the Gold level).