Environmental Echo

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.

Photo: MDC

Missouri Stream Teams and Dome Life are organizing a large-scale cleanup event, followed by a festival with food and live music.

The Meramec River is an aquatic gem in the St. Louis region—a great river for floating, fishing, and recreation.  Part of what makes a great river great is the watershed that surrounds it and feeds it.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Missouri Stream Teams, and Dome Life invite the public to be part of an epic cleanup event to help make the Meramec and its watershed a better place, and to a festival after to celebrate the success.

The Dome Life Stream Team Mid-Meramec River Cleanup will take place Saturday, March 19 starting at 8 a.m.  The public is invited to join in this effort that includes both land and water trash cleanups, and invasive plant removal projects along 26 miles of the Meramec River.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for all of us to improve the Meramec watershed and its natural communities, and to make the area a better place to recreate, enjoy, and live in,” said MDC Resource Science Aid, Brian Waldrop.

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Missourians are reminded to prepare and plan for severe weather and participate in Statewide Tornado Drill on Tuesday, March 8

On Dec. 10, 2021, severe storms and six confirmed tornadoes in Missouri killed two people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, as well as 20 large transmission towers and lines that move power between Missouri and Arkansas. The storm system serves as another reminder that deadly tornadoes can strike any time of year.

To prepare, from March 7 to 11, the National Weather Service, State Emergency Management Agency and local emergency managers encourage Missourians to learn more about severe weather and how to protect themselves during Missouri Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Missouri’s annual Statewide Tornado Drill will also be held on Tuesday, March 8 at 10 a.m. (Some Missouri communities may choose to conduct the drill on a different day due to conflicting local events.)

“Although many Missourians associate severe weather with the spring and summer months, there is no tornado season,” State Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Remillard said. “Dangerous and sometimes deadly tornadoes, thunderstorms and flooding can happen year-round. That’s why it’s incredibly important to have an emergency plan in place and talk to your family about when to take action before severe weather strikes your area.”

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West Lake Landfill

By Don Corrigan

Co-Founder of Just Moms STL Dawn Chapman is expressing anger that there is no clear schedule to clean up radioactive waste in a Bridgeton landfill. She is joined by state lawmakers who are tired of years of the EPA dragging its feet.

The landfill could be releasing radioactive pollution due to an underground fire in the area landfill. Environmental experts fear that if the fire mixes with the contamination, North County residents could face more woes and possible evacuation.

The radioactive waste was generated in St. Louis when weapons-grade uranium was refined for use in the top-secret Manhattan project. St. Louis is increasingly known around the country as “Atomic City” for its problems from careless procedures used in producing the first atomic bomb.

Radioactive byproducts from producing yellow cake for bombs was shipped away from riverfront operations in open trucks. It was simply dumped haphazardly in sites around North St. Louis County.

Just Moms STL launched the campaign for the long overdue cleanup in 2013. In 2019, the EPA agreed to remediate the site after Chapman, Karen Nichol and their group campaigned to protect their community from radiation placed in the landfill nearly 50 years ago.

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