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Representatives from the School District of University City and Missouri Green Schools AmeriCorps VISTA Parker pose in Forest Park after award presentation.

Congratulations to the winners! Read about the Earth Day awardees from the Missouri Green Schools Press release.

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School awardees, local conservation champions honored at annual festival’s return to Forest Park

Thousands of visitors attended earthday365’s 2022 Earth Day Festival at Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, April 23, 2022. This year, for the first time, earthday365 honored local conservation champions with a Sustainability Awards Ceremony.

Following a keynote speech from Rep. Cori Bush, The School District of University City and Principia School in St. Louis, MO were honored as awardees for the U.S. Department of Education’s 2022 Green Ribbon Honorees.

Across the country, only 27 schools, five districts, and four postsecondary institutions were honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education in 2022. These honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 19 states.

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Pictured: Patrick Fleming and his wife, Suzanne Lauber-Fleming.

By Don Corrigan

April is now known for Earth Day and green lifestyles. Author Patrick Fleming thinks it’s time for a good “cli-fi” read, but as a psychotherapist he also counsels for hope in a time of climate crisis.

Fleming, a familiar figure in Kirkwood after 25 years of counseling at his office on Clay Avenue, is doing presentations on his novel, “Gaia’s Revenge.” He laces his talks with advice on coping with climate crisis.

“Medical research shows startling rates of pessimism over wildfires, floods, mega-storms,” said Fleming. “A recent survey by The Lancet found 75% of people are frightened for the future and 56% agree with the statement: ‘humanity is doomed.’

“Young people are especially discouraged,” added Fleming. “Almost 40% report being hesitant about the idea of bearing children because of threats to the future presented by a warming planet.”

Fleming’s upbeat response is a psychological counselor’s talk entitled, “Keep Your Brain Cool, Your Heart Warm, and Set Your Soul on Fire.” He offers a seven-point program for staying positive.

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Webster Groves Nature Study Society and Webster University Sustainability Studies Committee will join together at 7 p.m., April 7, to host a presentation by Don Corrigan on his book, American Roadkill: Animal Victims of Our Busy Highways. The event is free and open to the public.

American Roadkill chronicles the one million animals lost to traffic mishaps every day in America and new efforts to reduce the carnage. More than $300 million dollars has been allocated in the 2022 Infrastructure Bill passed by Congress to address such wildlife loss.

In light of current world events, author Corrigan said he plans to focus on “thought leaders who have made the point that if we care more about the fate of wildlife, we will care more about each other.”

Those thought leaders include: Rachel Carson, Joseph Grinnell, Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis, Gary L. Francione, Timothy Findlay and a growing number of self-proclaimed roadkill artists.

The event is slated for 7 p.m., Thursday, April 7, in the Conference Room of Webster University’s Emerson Library on Edgar Road across from the Loretto Hilton Theatre. Parking is available at the university garage on Garden Avenue just east of Edgar Road.

Webster Groves Nature Study Society recently celebrated 100 years of studying and advocating for the region’s flora and fauna. Webster University Sustainability Studies Committee is a group of faculty who teach about nature, environmental sciences and sustainable lifestyles.