Photo courtesy Mo Department of Agriculture.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced up to $100,000 for the Urban and Non-Traditional Agriculture Matching Grant Program. The department will award grants of up to $7,500 for reimbursement of expenses associated with urban and non-traditional agriculture. Applications must be received by Oct. 1, 2016.
Photo by Diana Linsley, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
Carl Campbell, retired petroleum investment advisor, spends every morning searching for climate and environmental information. By early afternoon, he releases an analysis on his most important finds in a daily newsletter called “Carl’s Climate Letters.”
Carl’s analysis for a Reuters article entitled “Pope urges Christians to save the planet from ‘debris, desolation and filth.‘”
The Valley Park Levee height controversy, as reported by Don Corrigan here on August 18, has been drawing attention from local media.
The South County Times article “Critics Say Valley Park Levee Was Built Too High,” highlighted reports that the Valley Park levee was built above the maximum allowed height. Keep an eye on Environmental Echo for more breaking information about the Valley Park Levee issue.
Read Corrigan’s article, Aug. 18, 2016 – CLICK HERE.
Here is a look at the local news from this week about the Valley Park Levee.
Local environmentalists say there are more sewage spills, property damage and flood cleanups in our future because of construction in floodplains, loss of wetlands and new levees. They say the Valley Park levee was built anywhere from five to eight feet higher than authorized and is the culprit in unprecedented flooding along the Meramec River in late 2015 and 2016 in Kirkwood, Sunset Hills, Fenton and farther downstream.
Dat Le and Joe Van Betuw harvest zucchini squash at Gateway Greening’s urban farm. Photo by Ursula Ruhl, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
A new article from the West End Word newspaper shows how local farming in an urban area can offer more than just veggies to a few families.
Organizations involved with urban gardening in St. Louis, such as Gateway Greening, Global Farms, and the Sweet Potato Project, are providing social enterprise training to the underprivileged, as well as, fresh produce to local schools.
“The program serves the City Garden and Biome charter schools, Lafayette Preparatory School, and also provides after-school snacks for New City School – that’s breakfast, lunch and snacks for around 400 kids a day.”
To read the full story by Brian Ruth, Webster-Kirkwood Times Intern and Webster University Journalism student, CLICK HERE.
The Rev. Mitch Hescox, Presidnet and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, is the guest with Don Corrigan’s podcast series this week.
Hescox explains what the Evangelical Environmental Network is all about and how evangelicals can help find conservative solutions to the pollution and environmental issues that harm God’s creation, the earth, and our children.
Photo Courtesy Webster-Kirkwood Times.
by Don Corrigan (Webster-Kirkwood Times)
I used to think that zoos were a place to get away from it all; a refuge from all the madness outside the zoo walls; a quiet place on a warm weekday afternoon to contemplate, while watching animals sun themselves.
Maybe this was actually in another lifetime, before my reincarnation as a news guy. Zoos seem to be in the middle of everything now — making headlines, filling the blogosphere.
Photo Courtesy Webster-Kirkwood Times.
By Don Corrigan (Webster-Kirkwood Times)
On the west side of Berry Road in Glendale, residents are anti-environment and not worried about climate change. On the east side of Berry Road in Webster Groves, residents are pro-environment and care about climate change and pollution.
How can this be? What explains these vast differences in people who actually live only a few doors down from each other? It’s mind-boggling.
Nature programs at Forest Park utilize the park’s many unique natural areas to help teach kids about wildlife and sustainable nature practices. Photo courtesy Forest Park Forever/Cassi Lundeen.
By Don Corrigan (West End Word)
Did you get a cupcake? I didn’t either, but it was my fault for showing up late at Forest Park’s 140th birthday party celebration. I promise to be on time for the sesquicentennial birthday slated for June 24, 2026.
Bob Criss inside a flood gate at Valley Park. Outside the gate, MSD’s sewage treatment plant was disabled by flood water. photos by Ursula Ruhl, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
Six months after a Meramec River flood left millions of dollars in damage to cities along its banks, the finger-pointing continues – with much of it directed at Valley Park’s levee.
Critics contend the levee is built beyond its authorized height. The extra height resulted in flood waters of unprecedented volume and speed, causing destruction in Fenton, Sunset Hills, Kirkwood, Arnold and more.
Environmental Echo 