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Ways to go green while you spring clean
After a very long, cold winter, spring is now in full swing in the St. Louis area. And now that warmer temperatures have arrived, many of us are beginning to tackle those spring cleaning chores that we put off during the cold weather months. Unfortunately, all this house work can take a significant toll on the environment. From cleaners made with harsh chemicals to the many rolls of paper towels used to wipe down surfaces, cleaning can be far from earth-friendly. But there are a variety of ways to freshen up the home in a greener way.
One easy way to green your spring cleaning is to make the switch to natural cleaning products. In recent years, a number of environmentally friendly products have come on the market from companies such as Seventh Generation, Method, Biokleen and St. Louis-based Better Life. Said to work just as well as their conventional counterparts, these products are available in virtually any store, making it easy and convenient to clean in a greener way.
There are also a number of household items that can be used to create homemade cleaners. For example, the combination of distilled white vinegar and water serves as an excellent glass and floor cleaning solution, while vinegar, baking soda and water can be mixed to clean countertops and bathroom tile. Numerous homemade cleaning "recipes" can be found online, making it simple to create a complete homemade cleaning kit.
Another easy way to reduce our impact on the environment as we clean is to use more earth-friendly cleaning tools. Instead of wiping down surfaces with paper towels, try using biodegradable, washable natural fabric towels or microfiber cleaning cloths, or repurpose old shirts or pillowcases into towels. If paper towels are preferred, consider purchasing ones made from recycled paper. You can also trade in your traditional cleaning sponges for plant-based cellulose sponges, opt for a reusable mop instead of single-use mop pads and purchase a recycled plastic bucket to transport your homemade cleaning solutions.
For many of us, spring cleaning time is also a perfect time to clear the clutter from our homes. Instead of throwing out unwanted items this year, go green by donating gently used clothing and household items to your local Salvation Army or Goodwill store, or another charity of your choice. A garage sale can be another great way to get rid of clutter and make some extra money. Unwanted electronics can easily be disposed of at an electronics recycling facility or event. In addition, spring is a good time to recycle any old junk mail and magazines that may be lying around and to remove your name from junk mail lists.
All of these ideas are simple, easy steps we can all take, and they can have a very positive impact on the environment and our air quality. To learn about additional ways you can live greener and do your share for cleaner air, visit our website at www.cleanair-stlouis.com, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. |
Mark your calendar - Clean Air Festival set for May 19
The Partnership will celebrate the start of summer air quality forecasting with its annual Clean Air Festival in Kiener Plaza on May 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. After a disappointing rainout last year, we're working to make this year's event bigger and better than ever, so be sure to mark your calendar so you can attend!
The event will feature a variety of interactive exhibits designed to educate individuals on the health effects of poor air quality and demonstrate how the steps we take to live greener can reduce the emissions that lead to poor air quality and improve the health of residents across the region.
This year's festival will feature live music from the Soulard Blues Band and the Green Strum Project, complementary Ted Drewes frozen custard, prize giveaways and the chance to win St. Louis Cardinals tickets! Participating exhibitors will include the American Lung Association of the Plains-Gulf Region, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation - St. Louis Chapter, Citizens for Modern Transit, Earthways Center, Laclede Gas, Madison County Transit, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Air Pollution Program, the Missouri Department of Transportation, RideFinders, the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership, Sustainable St. Louis, Trailnet, the U.S. Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter, WeCar and White Caps, Green Collars, LLC.
We're hosting the event on a Cardinals afternoon game day, so we're expecting a great crowd. If your worksite is downtown, please share the date with your co-workers so they can make plans to join the fun. We'd love to see you there! |
CMT Ten Toe Express expands into St. Clair County, Ill.
Metro East residents now have the opportunity take advantage of Citizens for Modern Transit's successful Ten Toe Express program, following the recent announcement of the program's expansion into St. Clair County, Ill.
Created to help area residents increase their independence, accessibility and overall health by demonstrating how easy it is to utilize the MetroBus Routes and the MetroLink alignment to get around town, the program is provided free to participants as a public service. Currently, more than 6,800 individuals, many over age 60, are active participants in the program, which offers a variety of guided walk tours, walk maps and online tools designed to help area residents use transit and their own ten toes to get to a countless number of St. Louis destinations.
Registration for the spring Ten Toe program is now underway. Those from the Metro East and across the St. Louis region who are interested in taking part can register online at
www.tentoes.cmt-stl.org or attend one of the many upcoming registration events, which are detailed on the Ten Toe website. All program participants receive a free Ten Toe tote bag, pedometer, weekly walk logs and food diaries, St. Louis maps, a list of safety tips and more.
Funding for this project is provided by the Missouri Foundation for Health and the St. Clair Country Transit District as a part of an Illinois Congestion Mitigation and Quality Improvement grant.
With walking and transit use playing such an important role in reducing emissions, the program represents a great way to help you do your share for cleaner air. We encourage you to get involved! |
Join us on Facebook and Twitter!
With the start of summer air quality forecasting just around the corner, there's no better time than now to find The Partnership on  Facebook and begin following us on Twitter.
In the days leading up to our Clean Air Festival, we'll be using social media to provide event updates and other useful information. And, once air quality forecasting begins, we'll be posting the forecast daily and providing helpful tips on how area residents can do their share for cleaner air as the weather heats up.
We'll also continue to bring you all the latest air quality news and information, and links to green-themed events and activities happening across the St. Louis area. Check us out today, and encourage your friends, family members and co-workers to do the same! |
Metro's Forest Park Trolley service to help relieve traffic congestion
If you've been to Forest Park on a nice spring or summer day, or during a big event like the Forest Park Balloon Race, it's likely that you've gotten stuck in traffic entering or leaving the park. All that idling is not only frustrating for commuters, it's also bad for our air quality. To help relieve some of the traffic congestion at the park, Metro has partnered with Forest Park Forever to provide the  Forest Park Trolley service.
The trolley service operates daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week from now through Oct. 31, with extended summer hours from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Commuters can park in the Forest Park Visitors Center parking lot or in the upper Muny parking lot and board the trolley for a ride to their desired destinations around the park. The service connects all park attractions and also links to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink station. The cost is just $2 for adults and $1 for children ages 6-12, seniors and disabled passengers.
The trolley service is part of an overall traffic reduction plan that also features a new traffic relief route, which will operate from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week from now through Oct. 31.
The traffic relief route and Forest Park Trolley are designed to help manage and alleviate extreme congestion at the Hampton/I-64 exit and inside Forest Park during the peak times of the day from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. seven days a week. Traffic entering the park from Hampton will be diverted east through the park where motorists can park in lots and then catch the trolley to the zoo and other destinations in the park. The plan was the result of a collaborative effort between Forest Park Forever, MoDOT, the City of St. Louis, Metro and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.
For more information on the Forest Park Trolley, visit www.metrostlouis.org. To learn more about the Forest Park Traffic Relief Route, visit www.forestparkforever.org. |
Clean Air Partnership to participate in SWIC Earth Day event
For the second year in a row, The Partnership will host a table at Southwestern Illinois College's (SWIC) Earth Day Celebration. The event will take place outdoors in SWIC's Quad on April 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will be one of 25 green vendors that will be onsite for the celebration, which will also feature food, music, kids' activities and more. If you're in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by
and see us! |
Area residents to get final chance to provide input on regional bike plan
During May, Great Rivers Greenway will give area residents a final opportunity to weigh in on the large-scale, long-range regional bicycle plan that is being developed to enhance on-road connectivity throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County over the next two decades.
On May 10th, 11th, 17th, and 19th, the organization will host four public open house events that will give residents the chan ce to learn more about existing routes in their communities, view maps, comment on the proposed network of regional on-road routes, review what it will take to implement the new system and learn about the performance measures needed to ensure the successful expansion of an interconnected on-road system of bicycle routes in the region.
The open houses will take place from 4:30 - 7 p.m. on May 10th at the Webster Groves Recreation Center (33 East Glendale Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119), May 11th at the Forest Park Visitor's Center (5595 Grand Dr., St. Louis, MO 63112), May 17th at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Millennium Student Center (1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121) and on May 19th at St. Peters City Hall (1 St. Peters Centre Blvd., St Peters, MO 63376). Attendees can choose to come to any of the four open houses, as they will be identical, and arrive anytime during the designated 4:30 - 7 p.m. timeframe.
Those unable to attend the upcoming open house events are invited to provide their input via the project's website at www.stlbikeplan.com. The site will give visitors the opportunity to view information from the open houses and participate in an online survey through June 3rd.
The regional bike plan aims to make commuting by bike a more viable option, which is great news for our regional air quality. We encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to provide your input on the plan as it takes shape. |
We need your input!
As we continue our work to improve the air quality in the St. Louis region, we remain on the lookout for new partners to join us in our efforts. If you have friends or colleagues at companies or organizations that you think would be interested in serving as Clean Air Coordinators or Employee Transportation Coordinators, please ask them to call (314) 645-5505, ext. 1007 or send an e-mail to sfuchs@breathehealthy.org for information on how they can get involved.
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