Sustainable Holidays, Events and Volunteer Opportunities
Klondike Park overlook. Photo by Louise Bullock.
Dear Friend,
Thanks for being a part of the Eastern Missouri Group (EMG) of the Missouri Sierra Club. Whether your interest is conservation, policy, trail maintenance, activism or enjoying our outings, everyone with a love for the outdoors is welcome here.
You're invited to the EMG Holiday Party on December 2 Please join us for an evening of good tidings and holiday cheer. Please bring a favorite dish to share to feed at least 8.
WHEN: Saturday, December 2nd from 6:00pm to 9:30pm
WHERE: Kirkwood Community Center (Room 300), 111 S. Geyer Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122
To find the room, go through the doors to the right after entering the Community Center to find the elevator and stairs. To help reduce our impact, please bring your reusable cup/glass to enjoy the provided coffee and tea. If you would like to bring another beverage to share, please do! Alcohol is allowed. If you bring wine, please share.
Please RSVP by clicking the button below or call Barbara Wall at 636 529 0477 between 1 and 9 pm.
How to Entertain Sustainably During The Holiday Season From Earth 911 As the days get shorter and the nights longer, it’s a joy to invite friends and family into our homes to share meals, gifts, and stories. But our holiday parties can take a severe toll on the planet if we’re not careful. FULL STORY
St. Louis celebrates Food Waste Awareness Day on November 17 Following in the footsteps of cities like Nashville and Denver, earthday365 and the Green Dining Alliance established the Food Waste Awareness Day to St. Louis. The celebration culminated with an inaugural Food Waste Challenge. See the results HERE
How to build a home for the future — the real future. From The Verge As the frequency and devastation of disasters increase, we’re starting to realize how infrastructure, climate, and longtime institutions interconnect. And as the climate changes, our housing is uniquely vulnerable. FULL ARTICLE
Florida Republican wants to ban lab-grown meat From Politico
A proposed legislation would make it a criminal offense to sell ”cultivated” meat in Florida, claiming that it’s an “affront to nature and creation” and the latest front in the “ESG agenda” FULL STORY
Meet the SWEEP Standard, A Path To Improved Waste Management From Earth 911
A new initiative to promote sustainable waste management practices, SWEEP, or the Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Performance Standard, can transform the 20th-century garbage-centered waste system. FULL STORY
Outing at Castlewood State Park. Photo by Matt Self.
EMG Holiday Party - December 2
You're invited to the EMG Holiday Party! Please join us for an evening of good tidings and holiday cheer. All are welcome! MORE INFO
Virtual Event: "Scenes from Our Mighty Mississippi" - December 5 Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience a magical journey of song, storytelling, and visual imagery featuring America’s greatest river, hosted by Mississippi River Network. TICKETS HERE
Hawn State Park Trail Maintenance - December 7 We will be performing trail maintenance on the existing hiking trails at Hawn. We will be using loppers, hand saws, trail marking tools, and hand shovels to clean out the fire pits at the backpacking campsites. RSVP HERE
Hiking the Meramec State Park Natural Areas - December 9 We'll explore the two Natural Areas within Meramec State Park: Meramec Mosaic and Meramec Upland Forest. SIGN UP
Backpacking the John Muir Trail Presentation by Louise Bullock - December 13 Join us for a presentation from EMG Outings Leader Louise Bullock about her backpacking adventure on the John Muir Trail! RSVP required. Event will be held in the Grove Room at the Urban Chestnut Brewery located in St. Louis's The Grove neighborhood. Please RSVP here
Celebrate Clean Energy with the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter - December 14
Join Clean Energy Advocates in the St. Louis region at the Sierra Club office for a celebration of clean energy wins we accomplished together in 2023! Over free food, drinks, and games, we will have a fun night dedicated to uplifting one another's hard work for moving Missouri towards 100% clean, renewable energy! Learn more and sign-up here.
December Volunteering at Don Robinson State Park - December 15 We will be working on various activities, such as removal of yucca plants, pulling invasive sweet clover, burning cut cedar branches, removal of bush honeysuckle and autumn olive, and other projects that the superintendent deems necessary. SIGN UP HERE
EMG Monthly Ex Com Meeting - December 18
All are welcome to join the monthly Executive Committee Meeting to hear updates and progress on all things EMG! Contact Caitlin Zera for more info.
EMG Outings Welcome to All - Join Us! Sierra Club Outings are open to the public. A dollar per person donation is requested. Firearms are not allowed on outings. Participants must sign a liability release. Outings Leaders are volunteers. Outings officially start at the trailhead or river access. Carpooling is encouraged but not the responsibility of the Leader. For more information, Click Here.
Bluffs above Al Foster Trail. Photo by Louise Bullock
Join the EMG Conservation Committee! If you are ready to engage in outreach, education, research and action on the variety of conservation topics in our region contact Caroline Puffalt, Conservation Committee Chair, at cpufalt@sbcglobal.net.
Volunteers Needed for the Outings Committee! Join the Sierra Club, Outings Committee! This is a very active and exciting group within the Sierra Club. We coordinate and run all the hikes, bike and canoe/kayak trips. We do trail maintenance and new trail construction at different parks. This is a great way to meet new people. We have a need for Outings Leaders. When you become an Outings Leader, you will receive free leader training, first aid and CPR courses. Outings Leader training is either online or in person on Saturday, February 17, 9:00-2:00 at the Forest Park Visitor’s Center. Please join us. We can use YOUR help! Contact Dave Campbell, Outings Committee Co-Chair, at davecampbell9009@gmail.com or 217-553-9009.
Send us your hiking photos! Email it to emg.missouri.sierraclub@gmail.com and we might feature you in our next newsletter. We're always looking for photos from our members! By submitting a photo, you agree to allow EMG Sierra Club to use your photo for promotional purposes only.
CALL FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE VOLUNTEERS: We're seeing more EVs on the road than ever from Teslas to Nissans! Even though this is a great step forward for our green energy economy--we are lacking places to charge away from home, not only on the highway but in town, and at apartment buildings. Together, we can push for infrastructure to make Missouri EV Ready! If you own an EV — or even if you don’t but want to help — let’s make it happen. Let's start the campaign together to find the best policies for making charging more available, equitable and affordable. Contact our Energy Chair Henry Robertson to get involved: henryr874@gmail.com or 314-402-1756.
Laumeier Sculpture Park - EMG Outing. Photo by Jim Rhodes.
