Archive for September, 2011

State of Construction & Demolition Recycling in St. Louis

A free seminar presented by USGBC-Missouri Gateway and Associated General Contractors – St. Louis and hosted by St. Louis County Department of Health

The St. Louis Region and the Midwest are blessed with much open space, which means that it is easy to overlook where our generated residential and commercial waste ends up. Our landfill tipping fees, i.e. “the cost to dump”, are relatively low compared to other parts of the United States as a result of the abundance of landfill areas. Many consumers, businesses and contractors think nothing of throwing things “away and out of sight.” However, it is not environmentally responsible to dispose of items that could be salvaged, recycled or reused. It is also irresponsible to think of our landfill space as unlimited. One day there will not be an “away” for our waste disposal.

With support from St. Louis Jefferson Solid Waste Management, USGBC-Missouri Gateway, ReSource St. Louis and Missouri Enterprise have partnered to address the need to better understand C&D waste resources in the St. Louis area and build a business case for increasing waste reduction with the ultimate goal of reducing waste in our landfills and preserving the environment for future generations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Acquire a comprehensive background on the present “lay of the landfill” as it relates to common and existing practices for dealing with C&D end of project materials.
  • Identify current best alternative practices for dealing with C&D materials in the greater St. Louis area, encouraging a shift away from current dead-end strategies.
  • Examine the recycling needs of the building community, as they relate to LEED requirements and personal best choices.
  • Capture and expand upon possible business case options as they relate to LEED requirements and personal best choices.
  • Explore barriers to C& D recycling, dispelling the myths and offering sound metrics to encourage an embracing of recycling as opposed to dumping.
  • Recognize national case studies of technologies and approaches already in place elsewhere which provide significant monetary and environmental savings to communities and states.

Thanks to the Project Team who managed the focus groups and developed the C&D Toolkit and this Education Session!
Gary Steps – Butterfly Energy Works – Instructor
Jay Swoboda – EcoUrban – Instructor
Jen Loui – Butterfly Energy Works – Project Manager

CONTINUING EDUCATION
2 GBCI CE Hours
2 AIA/CES Learning Units


WHEN

Monday, November 7, 2011
3:30 – 5:30 pm

WHERE
St. Louis County South County Health Clinic,
4580 South Lindbergh Blvd, Sunset Hills, MO 63127

Please park in the back of the building and enter the Auditorium from the parking lot.

FEE
Free!

REGISTER
Click here to visit USGBC-Missouri Gateway’s Event Registration Page.  Then scroll down and click on the “Register” button under the State of Construction & Demolition Recycling in St. Louis event listing.

Click here to visit AGC-St. Louis’ Event Registration page.




LEED EB:O&M Project Kicks-Off for CBEC

USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter & Missouri Botanical Garden held a kick off meeting on Thursday, September 15 for the Commerce Bank Center for Science Education’s LEED EB: O&M process. Also known as CBEC, this building is home to the Garden’s EarthWays Center and the Chapter offices.

22 Chapter members – pictured in the photo below – attended the meeting and committed their time and talent to assist with CBEC’s LEED certification process. Chapter Volunteers will assist with credit research, calculations and performance tracking as well as project administration. We plan to start the performance period in January 2012.

We are excited to kick-off this unique community LEED EB: O&M project in cooperation with the Missouri Botanical Garden and hope to create a model for pursuing similar projects in the future. Not only will this project help the Garden pursue LEED certification, it will provide volunteers with valuable experience on a LEED project and exposure to LEED EB: O&M.

Stay tuned for progress reports!




Green Homes Great Health Festival!

Help your family live green and live healthier

Check out all the opportunities at this year’s
Green Homes & Great Health Festival! 
-
Local foods & live music
- 100 green product & service exhibitors
- Yoga, Tai Chi, and solar car races
- Free health screenings
- Shop the Green Marketplace
- Help paint a Metro Bus with a green theme!
- Workshops on green and healthy living topics

Learn more at www.greenhomesstl.org

WHEN:
September 24, 2011
9am – 5pm

WHERE:
Missouri Botanical Garden

COST:
$8 adults; St. Louis City/County residents;
$4 adults and free before noon;
free children (12 and under) and Garden members.   


USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter
is

a Gold sponsor of this event – be sure to visit our booth!