Greening Your Small Business
Discussion will help problem-solve sustainable practices for YOUR business. Topics include recycling, indoor air quality, purchasing policies, building energy efficiency, and generating a positive marketing message. Discover many ways that small business owners and employees can go green at work!

Thursday, February 5, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Jean Ponzi
$12 member, $15 non-member

Cashing In on Home Comfort
Learn how to make your existing home energy efficient, healthy, and comfortable while saving money at the same time! We’ll discuss simple things you can do as well as the benefits of a comprehensive whole-house energy assessment. The Greater St. Louis Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program will also be explained. Pizza and drinks provided. Program is offered multiple times, need only attend one. (Class formerly called Improving Energy & Comfort at Home.)

Tuesday, January 20; 2009, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 19, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Thursday, May 21, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, August 20, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Korey Hart
$12 member, $15 non-member

Planning Your New Green Home – No “Greenwashing” Allowed!
Ready to build your dream home? Maximize your investment by building green! You will leave this intensive workshop an informed consumer of nationally-established rating systems, able to apply eco-logic to your planning and construction processes, and avoid unsubstantiated green claims. Print resources cover many specific homebuilding elements. Pizza and beverages provided. Program is offered three times, need only attend one. (Class formerly called Greening Your New Home – No “Greenwashing” Allowed!)

Thursday, January 29, 2009; 5:30 to 9 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Thursday, March 26, 2009; 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 14, 2009; 5:30 to 9 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Jean Ponzi
$16 member, $20 non-member (includes pizza)

What Makes a Home Green?
This overview of sustainable homebuilding and home improvement options will focus on integrating high performance building elements and balancing the “triple bottom line” of people-planet-profit – with a brief introduction to green home certification systems. A must for anyone considering a major home investment! Program is offered two times, need only attend one.

Thursday, April 9, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, June 18, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Jean Ponzi
$12 member, $15 non-member

Small-Scale Renewable Energy for Homeowners
Want to power your home with sun, earth, or wind? Local experts will answer your questions about requirements and costs in addition to currently-available and newly-developing technologies to integrate renewable energy systems into your home.

Thursday, May 28, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.  FULL
Jean Ponzi and guest speakers
$12 member, $15 nonmember

Great Green Gizmos and Gadgets
Do you know what works better than a compact fluorescent light bulb? What gadget can help save up to $0.12 per gallon of gasoline? Discover the newest and future gadgets designed to help you save energy and go green in and around your home. Each participant will receive a few samples to take home!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Korey Hart and Kim Petzing
$16 member, $20 non-member

Cordwood Building Hands-On Workshop
The Missouri Botanical Garden is proud to co-host Rob and Jaki Roy, renowned instructors and innovators in the field of cordwood construction, for a four-day intensive course. This particular type of construction encourages the creative process, community involvement, and innovative reuse of materials. According to Roy, “if properly built, a cordwood structure provides a natural, fire-retardant, mortgage-free shelter, is easy to build and will last at least a hundred years.

In addition to the basic principles of this ancient building technique, participants will learn about the possible kinds of wood and mortar mixes, as well as the details of installing windows, doors, and masonry special effects. Half of the day will be spent on cordwood theory, slide presentations, and discussion of different styles, while the other half will be spent outside building a studio space 20 miles southwest of Fenton.

Please contact the EarthWays Center for more information about this unique opportunity. Lodging, scholarship, and extended learning opportunities may be available. Lunch, gloves, tools, and instructional materials will be provided.

NEW DATES!
Thursday, August 13 through Sunday, August 16, 2009; 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Rob and Jaki Roy, Melanie Daniels, and Katy Mike Smaistrla
$400 member, $450 non-member
Download flyer and registration form.

Rain Water Harvesting
Capturing rain water for re-use is not only good for the environment, but will also save you money! Learn how simple tricks around the yard, such as rain barrels and rain gardens, will reduce your consumption of treated water (shrinking your water bills!), decrease flow into stormwater drains, and cut back on potential pollutants getting into the water table. This class will take place at the Kemper Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Monday, May 4, 2009; 7 to 9 p.m.
Kim Petzing
$12 member, $15 non-member

Preserving the Harvest
Deliver the healthful wealth of your garden to your family’s table all year long! Leasburg, Missouri Master Gardener, teacher, and veteran preserver Laura Friz will demonstrate basics and share expert tips covering canning, drying, and freezing all types of fresh produce — and she’ll whip up a batch of microwave pickles! This class will take place at the Kemper Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Program is offered two times, choose one.

Thursday, July 9, 2009; 7 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, August 6, 2009; 7 to 9 p.m.
Jean Ponzi and Laura Friz
$20 member, $25 non-member

Environmentally Ever After…
Bring the family for an eco-friendly cookout in the EarthWays Center backyard. Afterwards, we’ll settle in for some environmentally-themed stories around the fire and cap off the evening with roasting marshmallows and making s’mores!

Friday, July 31, 2009; 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Kim Petzing
$12 member, $15 non-member (each adult or child)

Green Kitchens
Your kitchen is often the hub of activity, but did you know it is also one of the most energy-intensive rooms? Participants will be treated to supper and some “kitchen talk” while we learn about energy-saving appliances, non-toxic cleaners, and suggestions for a variety of eco-friendly kitchenware. Each participant will make their own clean-air all-purpose cleaner to take home.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009; 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Kim Petzing
$20 member, $25 non-member

Composting Completely
If you’ve ever considered composting, but weren’t sure where to start, this is the workshop! We’ll begin with the very first step: picking a bin that works for you. Covering a complete assortment of bin types and structures, we’ll discuss pros and cons as well as the basics. Each participant will leave with a simple outdoor bin and enough information to begin composting right away. Program is offered twice, need only attend once.

Saturday, March 28, 2009; 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11, 2009; 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Katy Mike Smaistrla and Hwei-Yiing Johnson, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension
$24 member, $30 non-member

Upcycling: Materials & Fabrication
Take “reuse” to another level and embark on “upcycling.” Using art processes to give objects more value than their original meaning, we will construct something completely new out of trash and found items. Explore a variety of reused materials, such as “plarn,” with a focus on fabrication and assembly techniques, including spinning, weaving, quilting, and felting. Materials will be provided, although participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies and ideas. Although each session will be similar in nature, participants are welcome to attend one or all.

Thursday, May 7, 2009; 6 to 8 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Wednesday, May 13, 2009; 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009; 6 to 8 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Katy Mike Smaistrla and South City Open Studio & Art Gallery instructors
$16 member, $20 non-member

Field Trip: Where Is “Away”: Leaving for the Landfill
In this popular adult outing, we’ll take a trip to see where it actually goes when you throw your trash “Away.” We’ll tour a local landfill and see one of the biggest compost heaps in town. Morning munchies will be provided.

Saturday, March 28, 2009; 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.  FULL 
Katy Mike Smaistrla
$12 member, $15 non-member

Field Trip: Small-Scale Renewable Energy Systems
See local installations of solar and wind power and talk with building owners about the capability and maintenance needs of their systems.

Saturday, April 4, 2009; 9:30 a.m. to noon  FULL 
Jean Ponzi
$12 member, $15 non-member

Field Trip: MRF
Curious about where your recyclables actually go? If you’ve ever wondered if they really do get recycled, this is the tour for you! We’ll tour a “MRF” — materials recovery facility — and see for ourselves how the recycling is sorted, stored, and then shipped off to be made in to useful items again. Munchies will be provided.

Friday, May 22, 2009; 2 to 4 p.m.  FULL
Katy Mike Smaistrla
$12 member, $15 non-member

Field Trip: Biomass Generation Plant
How can energy production coexist within a residential area? It can if it’s clean and green! We’ll meet at the EarthWays Center and carpool to the Kirkwood Green Generation Facility to tour this self-contained energy generation facility fueled by biomass from local yard waste.

Saturday, June 13, 2009; 9 to 11 a.m. CANCELLED
Kim Petzing
$12 member, $15 non-member

Field Trip: Let’s Go Out to Dinner and See a Farm
Urban farms are helping revitalize neighborhoods throughout the country. We will tour a local farm and learn more about community supported agriculture and local farmers markets. Following the tour, we’ll eat dinner on the farm, featuring fresh, seasonal fare.

Monday, August 3, 2009; 6 to 9 p.m.
Kim Petzing
$40 member, $45 non-member

Water Conservation — Even with Spring Rains
Conservation and efficiency aren’t associated only with energy — we need to conserve water, too. Even with spring rains! Considerable work goes into drinking water and systems to carry waste water away. Some areas struggle to have enough drinking/cooking water, much less water for lawns and pools. Let’s talk water conservation!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009; 6 to 8 p.m.
Glenda Abney and guest speaker
$12 members, $15 non-member

Green Bins in St. Louis?
You’ve heard about blue bins, but what about green bins? “Green bin” programs provide residents with a way to compost without setting up a real bin — they simply put their food scraps out on the curb with their recyclables! Join local composting & recycling experts as we discuss what a program might look like and if such a thing is possible in St. Louis.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009; 6 to 7:30 p.m.  CANCELLED 
Katy Mike Smaistrla and guest speakers
Free

Sustainability: Hot Topics and Trends
Participants in this quarterly class will discuss recent topics, trends, and updates on sustainability issues. We’ll talk legislative updates; what’s new in sustainable business; new benefits for homeowners and communities; national trends towards sustainability, and more. Come prepared to share — together we’ll keep up-to-date on Sustainability 101!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009; 6 to 8 p.m. CANCELLED
Glenda Abney
$12 members, $15 non-members

Green Living 101
Adult audiences will receive a basic overview of the “what” and “why” of green living. We’ll cover a varying combination of energy conservation, reduce-reuse-recycle and composting, water conservation, landscaping, green building and home improvement, and indoor air quality protection.

Business Greening
With a problem-solving emphasis for businesses, attendees will discuss an overview of relevant topics, addressing building energy efficiency, reduce-reuse-recycle, green cleaning, environmentally preferable purchasing, avoiding “greenwashing,” and effectively marketing green practices.