tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27307819375282978562024-03-12T21:46:49.057-07:00Greening08This blog is dedicated to informing readers about the Greening the Heartland Conference, held in St. Louis, from June 22-24, 2008. For registration info and schedules, see www.greeningtheheartland.org.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-27927220194655329812008-06-24T12:24:00.000-07:002008-06-25T07:34:30.777-07:00Da MayorWe're slightly remiss in noting this later in the day... <a href="http://www.mayorslay.com/about/">Mayor Francis G. Slay</a> of the City of St. Louis made an unscheduled appearance at the GTH conference this morning, with some remarks for those assembled for the morning's kick-off. Usually, the <a href="http://www.mayorslay.com/">Mayor's site</a> follows up with some comments, or two, on his appearances and we'll track those mentions over the next day/two.<br /><br />========<br /><br />Sure enough, here's a link to comments on the <a href="http://www.mayorslay.com/desk/display.asp?deskID=1008">Mayor's site</a>.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-35466806931810894182008-06-24T12:09:00.000-07:002008-06-24T12:12:14.374-07:00A quality moment's restThanks to <a href="http://www.hermanmiller.com/">Herman Miller</a> for the additional seating options, scattered through the America's Center for the past few days.<br /><br />After a nice, long walk from Point A to Point B... a Herman Miller moment is most enjoyable.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-67045893510400302082008-06-24T11:32:00.000-07:002008-06-24T11:39:25.796-07:00Video: GTH 2008 Highlights<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwOgpmGs1TGuGgCshDstV0LikoE0WVNyosjX4DoCvIW-zMmlaHJqGq9hfjRhORvyXyO75LM6qKxkWdk4Zr4og' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-70085102586910144582008-06-24T11:26:00.000-07:002008-06-24T11:30:55.410-07:00Video: David Bertorelli<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxnnSd7bictInKJdBCarbh12eDTw03kKToIxwnJF286ivQ3e7j2h_KHuiE5osyKh2M4x-b_yrG8cdP8rXbdiQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-85001187189157354382008-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:002008-06-24T10:49:58.898-07:00MTV @ the ExpoThe trade show is being covered by blogger Steven Smith of MTV, who is using Arcturis' Chrissy Hill, the chair of GTH's communications committee, as guest host and interviewer.<br /><br />You can find the video blog of this effort online in about a week's time, at MTV's Think sub-channel. Here's a link to the <a href="http://think.mtv.com/profile/theroyale/User/Blog/BlogView.aspx">Missouri page</a> there, and to an <a href="http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF00989E1200080098FE57/User/Blog/BlogPostDetail.aspx">article about</a> Chrissy from earlier this summer.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-52351338218460148262008-06-24T10:22:00.000-07:002008-06-24T10:33:24.534-07:00Wal*Mart: Diamond SponsorThe Diamond Sponsor for GTH 2008 is Wal*Mart, a company represented through the conference's three days in the exposition hall.<br /><br />Wal*Mart's online presence offers a variety of information about the corporation's work in the field of sustainability.<br /><br />In fact, one of the sub-channels of the site is decidate to just that phrase, and here's <a href="http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/7990.aspx">the link</a> to Wal*Mart's Sustainability efforts.<br /><br />At the expo, Wal*Mart was showing off its reusable bags, which are currently in play throughout the company's stores.<br /><br />Here's a blip about the impact they're having:<br /><br /><em>Every year, nearly one trillion plastic shopping and grocery bags are used around the world. The vast majority are then sent to a landfill. To help reduce the number of plastic bags that are wasted each year, and to engage our customers in helping us reach our sustainability goals, we introduced reusable shopping bags in October 2007.</em><br /><br /><em>Made from 85-percent-recycled content, the bags hold more than twice the amount of an average plastic bag. Customers can find the black reusable bags in Wal-Mart stores and purchase them for $1 each. At the end of their life-span, Wal-Mart will recycle the bags.</em><br /><br /><em>Our estimates show that during its average five year lifetime, a reusable bag can eliminate the need for at least 100 disposable plastic bags. To date we have sold enough bags to eliminate the need for at least 400 million disposable plastic bags. In April 2008, as part of Earth Month, Wal-Mart gave away 1 million reusable bags, reducing the need for another 100 million disposable bags.</em>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-61325007624754043092008-06-24T09:23:00.001-07:002008-12-11T17:43:53.949-08:00Q/A with Pat Justis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqe4R5YQd3fzauDoLaNO6ybHg2wGz54axPpdZP3qh4tzT8QuA47fhYmNIURNAPfh7mLzyDRyrXoSkV5cMJsQvKPDchnntLRI5-tjWIlvpQ4cb_XysIfUcvzz1slGekx9QL-QQzUe5dOg/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+037.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215492688314767698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqe4R5YQd3fzauDoLaNO6ybHg2wGz54axPpdZP3qh4tzT8QuA47fhYmNIURNAPfh7mLzyDRyrXoSkV5cMJsQvKPDchnntLRI5-tjWIlvpQ4cb_XysIfUcvzz1slGekx9QL-QQzUe5dOg/s320/Last+Roll+-+037.jpg" border="0" /></a>The chair of GTH was found in the expo hall during the morning hours of Tuesday, attending to various tasks, greeting the passing parade of attendees and generally taking in the overall feel of the conference from as many vantage points as possible. We grabbed a few moments of his time between those tasks, to get a state of the conference, with the afternoon sessions the only remaining elements of GTH.<br /><div></div><br /><div>GTH: How would you categorize the success of the conference to this point?</div><div>Justis: Very successful. I'm very happy. I've talked to a lot of exhibitors that are happy, to a lot of speakers and attendees. I've been to workshops and sessions and could not be more pleased. Maybe a <em>little</em> bit more pleased, but not <em>very</em> much more pleased.</div><br /><div></div><div>GTH: What did you learn from prior conferences - either attending, or just hearing from people - that helped you try to adapt and improve this one?</div><div>Justis: A few things. Greening the conference as much as we can. The other thing was making sure that people had time to take in the exhibits and take in the new technologies and existing businesses, what they offer to help get the job done. And just logistically, not being too spread out, so that people have time to get to exhibits and workshops and food and events. All those kinds of things, I think, we've addressed pretty well.</div><br /><div></div><div>GTH: The flipside is that I'm sure people from Detroit are intrigued by what's happening and what works. What are you telling those folks?</div><div>Justis: We've been telling them that as soon as we're finished paying the bills, we'll be happy to talk to them and to pass that along. We haven't really talked a lot about details and lessons learned, yet. We have talked about speakers and things that they might bring back. Like the Greensburg, KS, group, having them come each year to give an update.</div><br /><div></div><div>GTH: Any personal highlights?</div><div>Justis: The City Museum was my favorite place. Second would be tied, between Ray Anderson and the Greensburg, KS, folks who were so inspiring in their message. I wouldn't have wanted to miss those, they were fantastic. Really balanced approaches, but visionary in moving us in the right direction. You don't always get the visionary, soul-searching stuff and they definitely hit the target on that. </div><div> </div><div>GTH: Last thought, then. What would you like people to take out of all this, other than just the three days in the convention hall. </div><div>Justis: I'd like them to take away the imperative of what we have to do, that we have to change the way we are doing business. We can't do business as usual. And, hopefully, we can connect them with techniques on how to follow that imperative, how to get it done. </div>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-14996620234185873122008-06-24T08:34:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:54.655-08:00Greensburg GreenTown<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhWsjIHxeJKZwGqDzQw-RDFqrD7pYbloVSNX6nfHH9FccSeJHXKqu2Qq5hX3yIIL0oKNlG1Y1cGoA2UzHvfP_h40OQP4Mbl3d712HNh5emhcy9T8k_dM1mH4El7H9ILp74u7Bgza51uc/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhWsjIHxeJKZwGqDzQw-RDFqrD7pYbloVSNX6nfHH9FccSeJHXKqu2Qq5hX3yIIL0oKNlG1Y1cGoA2UzHvfP_h40OQP4Mbl3d712HNh5emhcy9T8k_dM1mH4El7H9ILp74u7Bgza51uc/s200/Last+Roll+-+03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215477487928003346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">B</span>efore May 4th, 2007, Greensburg, Kansas was home to 1400 people, a handful of schools, numerous farms, shops and amenities. After a tornado ravaged the town, destroying 90% of its structures, Greensburg (located 2 hours west of Wichita) decided to rebuild--only this time, they decided to do it green.<br /><br />At Tuesday morning's session, Daniel Wallach, founding Director of Greensburg GreenTown, hosted a panel made up of Greensburg's former Mayor, John Janssen; the school's Superintendant, Darin Headrick; and the City Administrator, Steve Hewitt. Speaking to a large, captive audience in Ferrara Theatre, the panel discussed their initiatives, challenges, hopes and decisions that have all played a crucial part in the LEED-certified reformation of a ruined town.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkQVOsPddZIEkARfHYB0WLti00qRApcdjlPfFK4A5Bry1zq_6aFWX8eUVQxZ8o3IoKBSyl9p5tEDxBvrh3oRdIjA1xvpdDEGFEbPI49mrmcCuAABVBCV0mXgU4l4dl-nLULooept6U_g/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkQVOsPddZIEkARfHYB0WLti00qRApcdjlPfFK4A5Bry1zq_6aFWX8eUVQxZ8o3IoKBSyl9p5tEDxBvrh3oRdIjA1xvpdDEGFEbPI49mrmcCuAABVBCV0mXgU4l4dl-nLULooept6U_g/s200/Last+Roll+-+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215479857072445362" border="0" /></a>Most of the townspeople fled after the natural disaster, but many have returned, becoming completely involved in the rebuilding of the place they once called home. Not quite at the end of the school year last May, children were displaced from their classrooms, but the town built temporary facilities after considering the effect bussing them to other cities could have on the community as a whole.<br /><br />The panelists also discussed the great cost at which LEED buildings are built. "It's not $.5 for Coke or a quarter for a candy bar--Middle America is expensive." Greensburg hopes to have 4 or 5 certified green structures, including its city hall, museum and a business incubator. The in-depth website, <a href="http://www.greensburggreentown.org/">www.greensburggreentown.org,</a> offers thorough information on the plans, its staff, its history, and ways to donate.<br /><br />"You didn't hear the word 'LEED' a lot in Middle America," joked Steve Hewitt, "but you do now."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5_Fpg-vdYA1zW272a9YnTi2vOyYHxxut9U81qsEsCVvaixMSfBNBek2KrCr-5rLkE0MAeShPmTwL5WB9XVSoe47sUTp4g3cW5BoUAgL_sdtrXJCpDK7ddaAlUUFaWo1B1t1EQl1Di9s/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5_Fpg-vdYA1zW272a9YnTi2vOyYHxxut9U81qsEsCVvaixMSfBNBek2KrCr-5rLkE0MAeShPmTwL5WB9XVSoe47sUTp4g3cW5BoUAgL_sdtrXJCpDK7ddaAlUUFaWo1B1t1EQl1Di9s/s200/Last+Roll+-+08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215482244814964338" border="0" /></a>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-36964916603638674552008-06-24T08:16:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:54.812-08:00Q/A with Dan Kopman (Schlafly Brewery)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b7yjIz0coO7F82DcS6IUDeKSwVExxhzzQBtggkwK4CfA_D8Mh_wBKTWtNE2feDnYPTd78f1A65fe0fieq4syUOHOaUgRRxSP5LmaWdKxdV1eEcTrQPKOFqJM-4Czc7zXI8IA4O8ZgLg/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+091.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b7yjIz0coO7F82DcS6IUDeKSwVExxhzzQBtggkwK4CfA_D8Mh_wBKTWtNE2feDnYPTd78f1A65fe0fieq4syUOHOaUgRRxSP5LmaWdKxdV1eEcTrQPKOFqJM-4Czc7zXI8IA4O8ZgLg/s320/Last+Roll+-+091.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215483253287963570" border="0" /></a><br />During the City Museum "dessert party," you couldn't miss the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Schlafly</span> Brewery stand, just inside the main doorway. There, co-founder Dan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Kopman</span> greeted people with: a) beer; and b) information about his company's intriguing role in St. Louis, along with a commitment to consistently greening its brewing operations. We stole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kopman</span> away from the taps long enough to get a few minutes' of conversation.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">GTH</span>: We posted something up the other day about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Schlafly</span> and your environmental practices. Tell us about your philosophy in that vein, as a company.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Kopman</span>: Local. It wasn't by design. Ten years ago when we were planning our new building, or you planning what we wanted to be as a brewer, we weren't thinking, "oh, we need to be green." We were thinking "how many nights do we want to be in a Super 8 in Omaha?" Let's just sell our beer locally, not other parts of the country. There's good beer all over the place in this country. Our long-term plan was to focus on our market. And <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">everything</span> we've done to this point has really been in the spirit of that mission. If we support other local food companies by buying their products and selling them at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Bottleworks</span> or if we have our farmer's market, where we tie farmers to consumers, it's all about <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">encouraging</span> people to consume locally. It's not about spending a lot of money to be green, it's just about doing it. Does that make sense?<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">GTH</span>: But there are extra efforts like the garden at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Bottleworks</span> that seem to dovetail into that effort, too.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Kopman</span>: When you're growing it next to where you're serving it, that takes the lowest amount of fuel necessary to get it to the restaurant. It was a bad parking lot that needed repaving. It was cheaper to tear it up and do a garden, than to repave it. And we had plenty of parking spaces, so we didn't need more.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">GTH</span>: To what degree does your clientele understand this philosophy, as opposed to simply liking the food and the beer?<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Kopman</span>: They wouldn't come back if they didn't like the food and the beer. You can be as green as you want to be, but at the end of the day, you have to produce a certain level of quality that people want to come back for. We've always done that. That's always our mission: to brew some of the nation's greatest beer, right here in St. Louis. That hasn't changed. It's really pretty simple from that perspective. We're not trying to be something we're not.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">GTH</span>: Can you give us a sense of the conversations you've had with people tonight?<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Kopman</span>: They're impressed to see there's another local brewery. A lot of people come not expecting to find another brewery. That doesn't take away from what the city's largest brewery is doing; they do so much for the city, as everyone has heard about recently. But we're very comfortable in our role as St. Louis' other brewery. So there's been a lot of that discussion, explaining to people what our role is, and that we're not aspiring to be anything more. That's really important: to be comfortable in the clothes that you wear. And try not to wear someone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">else's</span> clothing. And buying fewer new clothes is environmentally sound.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-58731311638061685952008-06-24T07:48:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:55.032-08:00Q/A with Mike Roberts Jr.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFu3Uj6XC8-u56elzPuvfLZNa8KOAq5wlvuozB48Kbe8-YiLN47lehy4_1IKM0TCkkIzHRxDDKZvVjdYW1QENdolsRNbw2kKIjZoRdn7UzssZffGkxtqOc0X-88PTkXkMV_2ezbx6V9Wo/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+131.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215467852708693730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFu3Uj6XC8-u56elzPuvfLZNa8KOAq5wlvuozB48Kbe8-YiLN47lehy4_1IKM0TCkkIzHRxDDKZvVjdYW1QENdolsRNbw2kKIjZoRdn7UzssZffGkxtqOc0X-88PTkXkMV_2ezbx6V9Wo/s320/Last+Roll+-+131.jpg" border="0" /></a>We ran into Mike Roberts Jr., a developer and political candidate, at the City Museum. Roberts, 29, was more than willing to talk about his work and the inspiration he's gotten from attending <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GTH</span> and we were happy to get those perspectives.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">GTH</span>: Tell us about your interest in green issues, generally, and where it began.<br />Roberts: It began with a concern with the environment. We have a lot of issues with greenhouse gases and people who are generally not educated enough about how they can benefit by recycling. As a developer with the Roberts Companies, we've decided to go green. We built the first single-family subdivision in St. Louis, called Roberts Place using insulated concrete forms, geothermal heating/cooling systems, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">energy</span> sustainable building materials. We're also building Roberts Tower, which is the first Gold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">LEED</span> certified mixed-use tower in Downtown St. Louis <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">history</span>. And we're building future buildings to at least be energy sustainable.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">GTH</span>: In terms of environmental efforts also being good business, can you address that a touch?<br />Roberts: There was a time when it was too expensive to build green, if you will, but because of the demand, manufacturers in the world are starting to mass produce energy sustainable materials that are cost effective for the business developer. But what's also great about it is that you'll recover your cost through lower utility bills and tax credits that you may get through legislation passed recently. And it's great for PR. It's good PR for developers, which is a good thing.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">GTH</span>: Do you think younger candidates and officeholders will come around to this way of thinking in the next couple years?<br />Roberts: I'm running for State Representative in the 64<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span> District here in the City of St. Louis and my number one initiative is green tax credits. I want to incentivize the state and the City of St. Louis, to where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">everyone's</span> home, their residential and commercial buildings, are energy sustainable. I believe the younger generations to come, those even behind me, will be aware that we need to do something right now. Our environment is suffering. We have to offset high fuel prices, so that people can continue to live a high-quality life.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">GTH</span>: What your take on the conference? Have you picked up anything new? Or has anything been confirmed in your mind?<br />Roberts: Yes to both. I did pick up a few new items today. I'm intrigued by a way to waterproof insulated concrete forms with a material that is recycled. It creates a film that is waterproof. And the new cork flooring. I remember when it was the regular tan color. Now it's every color you could imagine. And they're really doing some fun things with cork flooring. In terms of confirmation... is this a fad? Or it is something that's moving throughout the country? People are excited about these green initiatives. They're good, clean ways to help the environment, to save money and it's neutral. You don't have to be a Republican or a Democrat. It's right down the middle. It's just a good thing for us.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-43597222397387797152008-06-23T13:30:00.000-07:002008-06-23T14:18:51.278-07:00Video: Recycling Run<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzg0AqU4wqD_aQUjhxRd_SndSQcrbAhlK8pRBKNQGvFS9q3U9jN-iM_ccGrSNDunbH1dVJErHNHf6mfsBpMPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-35243248703804538422008-06-23T12:29:00.000-07:002008-06-23T12:42:05.462-07:00Hotel greeningOne of the tasks undertaken by volunteers at the Greening the Heartland Conference was making recycling a greater component at the America's Center and at neighboring hotels. That's been an interesting process, for members of the local Earth Day organization and the EarthWays Center. Earlier, during the lunch break, we accompanied a trio of volunteers on their recycling run to a nearby hotel and it was fascinating and entertaining, both.<br /><br />We'll have some video on this effort by tomorrow afternoon.<br /><br />By the by: props to the people making that effort happen, as it requires equal measures of diligence and patience.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-76283010495335459792008-06-23T12:22:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:55.237-08:00St. Louis Community College Tour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BLCCGCbjopNcS5fqW7Btebe3k1ALQC2ZdS0lLuxoASLbm4ViOe_BXvsXKLAOH0O49jI9m3UBnFmMOOAEhtb-KwjDEMw92xgejavpLK2YPqN_6lq1CTdrF6DJWkZc7o_jJQm3bfRJ0yI/s1600-h/IMG_4646.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BLCCGCbjopNcS5fqW7Btebe3k1ALQC2ZdS0lLuxoASLbm4ViOe_BXvsXKLAOH0O49jI9m3UBnFmMOOAEhtb-KwjDEMw92xgejavpLK2YPqN_6lq1CTdrF6DJWkZc7o_jJQm3bfRJ0yI/s320/IMG_4646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215161385842140482" border="0" /></a><br />Though we were unable to attend the 3.5 hour <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">round trip</span> to the newest St. Louis Community College campus in suburban <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wildwood</span>, we at least want to note that tour taking place today. As one of the exhibitors at the trade show, we spoke briefly to a member of the college's staff and she said that the registration at the new campus was exceptional, with a number of the students making note of the green construction of the building. So much so, in some cases, that they were bringing back their folks, just to show off the designs and concepts.<br /><br />Here's a link to the <a href="http://www.stlcc.edu/WW/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wildwood</span> campus</a> of St. Louis Community College.<br /><br />And, if anyone on the tour is reading this, we'd invite their comments below.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-51586059146896849842008-06-23T11:48:00.001-07:002008-06-23T11:57:20.455-07:00Neal Peirce on St. LouisNationally-syndicated online and print columnist Neal Peirce, a member of the Washington Post's stable of writers, has penned a piece about St. Louis. The article, which boosts our city's revival, is slated to run in print editions of the Wash Post and other pubs this coming weekend, apparently. The online version of the story, though, is accessible today.<br /><br />Here's a link to "<a href="http://www.postwritersgroup.com/archives/peir080622.htm">St. Louis: After 52 Years, 'All America City' Again</a>."Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-14193156497105659122008-06-23T11:45:00.000-07:002008-06-23T11:55:53.947-07:00Video: Brandyn Jones, Vice Chair of GTH<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dysA0qUoRDTjgr8wAGhk2GDgINv6oGdZ_HDd0sG0HAnVubW8aErgEB-4S4UuG55uZ9BQ7XqPEzewgSHrf3evw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-83226503981374564792008-06-23T11:09:00.000-07:002008-06-23T11:46:16.396-07:00Earthworms on KDHX 88.1 fmSeeing Jean Ponzi of KDHX today reminded us to pop up a note about Earthworms. A staple of Tuesday night programming on KDHX in St. Louis, Earthworms is one of the nation's longest-running environmental radio shows.<br /><br />Those of you not from St. Louis - or those of you otherwise occupied on Tuesday nights - can access the last four episodes of this show at the <a href="http://www.kdhx.org/index.php?option=com_kdhxradio&task=playlist&dothis=latest&show=Earthworms&Itemid=268">program page</a> for Earthworms at KDHX.org.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-31903129206192155392008-06-23T09:56:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:55.565-08:00Q/A with John O'Brien<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo_NM9XZvn4TtSzQV5Gigilh-2G0mEdG9qqLP870630uQtLK-JTm7iZyKYz4KsoBM443OaqPsy1IaQJVi-qvG5MYiwZ3hBDTXwMVAWwCjoYzVarlLHJjTcZRdyo_J5NMwqeCqmQKnDco/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+06.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215126725394522370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAo_NM9XZvn4TtSzQV5Gigilh-2G0mEdG9qqLP870630uQtLK-JTm7iZyKYz4KsoBM443OaqPsy1IaQJVi-qvG5MYiwZ3hBDTXwMVAWwCjoYzVarlLHJjTcZRdyo_J5NMwqeCqmQKnDco/s320/Last+Roll+-+06.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GTH</span> attendee John O'Brien is a St. Louis native, working for a Chicago firm. Interested in the products and services offered at the expo hall, we caught up with him between the aisles and chatted about some of his goals at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">GTH</span>.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GTH</span>08: Tell us about Grace Associates.<br />O'Brien: I'm a project manager for a real estate developer based out of Chicago. Currently, I manage the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Blu</span> City Spaces project in Downtown St. Louis. It's a 13-story, residential high rise. It's a rehabbed building. Other than that, I'm out looking for the next project.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">GTH</span>08: What's of interest at the conference? What brought you here today?<br />O'Brien: I'm currently in the process of getting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">LEED</span> certified, that's what got me the entree with the US Green <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Building</span> Council. I decided this would be a good thing to attend because we're thinking about doing some similar, high rise projects and we'd like to change a couple things if we replicate that building with some other buildings.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">GTH</span>08: What's been of interest to you at the trade show?<br />O'Brien: I was surprised to see the amount of general contractors here, getting a foothold into sustainable design and green building. That's awesome. There are some very innovative plumbing products that I didn't know were out there, yet. Those are very applicable to what I'm doing.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">GTH</span>08: There are still "a-ha" moments then, with products and services that you didn't know about?<br />O'Brien: Yeah, yeah. There's this innovative pipe that I was talking about that works in new construction and rehabs. It's pretty energy-efficient. There are a couple other ones that I've seen. There's some solar panel design over here that I haven't seen yet, and I'm a newbie to solar panel design. They're using them in ways (and at prices) that I didn't know were possible. That's been interesting.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">GTH</span>08: As a St. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Louisan</span>, tell us your impressions of the importance of this event and all the people that are coming into town?<br />O'Brien: Yeah, it's nice to have here. It's quite an honor to be the host city for such a thing. It's nice to be outside the box, a little bit. We can be egocentric in a lot of ways and it's nice to have some people come in to tell us how things are going right in other places.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-80021657581285485032008-06-23T09:36:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:55.863-08:00Q/A with Matt Sepic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RFa8jZyq9G2jmjVNy5L8yDUj5AQviAv2IXYYebT1Ddi8p7ouWHUmh14CEkZsOR5sx6D35P8130-Akd9oOL_OXUh0VJgXxDVk9godg5FMTDjuuXkV3aEqp_vuH-P20uLkTN3-ECmA2iI/s1600-h/Last+Roll+-+10.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215122700288261202" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RFa8jZyq9G2jmjVNy5L8yDUj5AQviAv2IXYYebT1Ddi8p7ouWHUmh14CEkZsOR5sx6D35P8130-Akd9oOL_OXUh0VJgXxDVk9godg5FMTDjuuXkV3aEqp_vuH-P20uLkTN3-ECmA2iI/s320/Last+Roll+-+10.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">KWMU</span> reporter Matt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sepic</span> was a participant in today's proceedings, as emcee for the morning welcome session. We caught up with the young newshound in the exhibition hall and touched on a variety of topics.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GTH</span>08: Can you tell about your involvement in the conference?<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sepic</span>: Well, Brandyn Jones asked me to be the emcee and I was glad to do it, because green building is the future. Look at the price of everything, from fuel to building materials. I'm rehabbing a building in the Shaw neighborhood in South St. Louis and everybody that's done any kind of construction knows it's getting more expensive to do it. Going green and reducing waste is going to be a necessity, in just the economics of the situation.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">GTH</span>08: So this has a direct, personal appeal, then?<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Sepic</span>: Somewhat. Yeah, I'm not an architect. I'm doing this on the margins and learning as I go, but I've been interested in construction and this crowd's certainly public radio-friendly, so I'm glad to do it.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">GTH</span>08: Tell us about this morning's event.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sepic</span>: I was really interested to hear from Ray Anderson from Interface, a carpet company. It's a really resource-based industry, with lots of resource needs for carpet fibers. This guy has figured out ways to reduce the environmental impact of his operation. And he's making money at the same time. If you can do that in the carpet business, then any large corporation can follow his lead. I'm really impressed by that.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">GTH</span>08: What about the impact of this taking place in St. Louis? What's it mean to the town?<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Sepic</span>: I think it's great. This is a city that - and I don't know this as a fact - as far as rehabbing, it's one of the leaders, especially with the state tax credits. It's a natural fit for St. Louis, which is recycling buildings, essentially. It's important for us to talk about sustainability, waste and reusing buildings again.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">GTH</span>08: For people from outside St. Louis, would you like to give a plug about <a href="http://www.kwmu.org/">90.7</a>?<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Sepic</span>: I would. It's the NPR station here. Looking around, I think that we have many members here.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-37309183001738622332008-06-23T08:41:00.000-07:002008-06-24T09:22:52.442-07:00Urbanreviewstl.comOne of St. Louis' blogs dedicated to the built environment is <a href="http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/">urbanreviewstl.com</a>. Blogger Steve Patterson is at the Conference, as referenced in a quick post yesterday. Smart and tart, the blog seldom pulls punches, so we look forward to reading Patterson's comments in the next few days.<br /><br />Patterson says of his site, "It's basically my take on the city and development. I don't hold anything back. I put everything out there and people are free to disagree with me in comments, and they often do. It's a good discussion."Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-44418459985959350362008-06-22T17:39:00.000-07:002008-06-22T17:46:58.945-07:00Green Building Bike Tour<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzFzoS38yu7b76uvVIqR2KsB2lbmwPNciAMBrjY7TE4xP0u4bepEeCfiI-ia1ttgY_ncZF4RRZEXc_50c0TPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-88423243648421587592008-06-22T14:48:00.000-07:002008-12-11T17:43:55.903-08:00Q/A with Joyce Gorrell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGPAQszTmp-qtK6_J8nxJZ6V9ORdhsD1DjZEOrjruaQSU2KyEjHZetDFcwkajkjBBT7y27DJm_SzlWqBfrhK7ccMg1XWzo3mobDnSiUt7q2Txonx60XeLj4DOMgr-sWv99NEKfYjsyDs/s1600-h/joyce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGPAQszTmp-qtK6_J8nxJZ6V9ORdhsD1DjZEOrjruaQSU2KyEjHZetDFcwkajkjBBT7y27DJm_SzlWqBfrhK7ccMg1XWzo3mobDnSiUt7q2Txonx60XeLj4DOMgr-sWv99NEKfYjsyDs/s320/joyce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214864329148224034" border="0" /></a>One of the folks you might meet upon your arrival at the registration desk, or someone you'll meet as she's simply jetting around the convention hall, is Joyce Gorrell, administrative coordinator for the EarthWays Center and one of the key volunteers at GTH.<br /><br />GTH08: So, Joyce, what's your involvement over the next few days?<br />Gorrell: My exact involvement is volunteering in administrative coordination. I'm excited to see people arrive and get details.<br /><br />GTH08: You've been working the desk for a little while now...<br />Gorrell: I have been working the desk and it's a bit slow right now, but tomorrow morning things will pick up, when all the workshops start. Some pretty big speakers are on-hand in the morning and the exhibit hall will be set up.<br /><br />GTH08: What's your sense of what's exciting people right now?<br />Gorrell: I know for a fact that at 850 registrants confirmed prior to on-site registration... this is the largest number any Greening the Heartland has brought in. I think it's great that St. Louis can be such a destination point for all the great Midwest chapters.<br /><br />GTH08: As someone who's certainly a great advocate for St. Louis, is there anything you'd like for people to take away about this town?<br />Gorrell: I'd like them to take away a sense of pride in a city that's got a leg up on a lot of coastal cities, when it comes to green building. We've got the Alberici headquarters, which is world-reknowned, and other institutions that are popping up left-and-right. It's beyond a lot of people's realizations of what is going on here. Hopefully, it'll get people revved up, to continue on a course of green building.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-73781024333107855192008-06-22T14:34:00.000-07:002008-06-22T15:06:27.790-07:00Green Building Bike TourWith the number of LEED-certified and green buildings in St. Louis on the rise, Tim Montgomery thought a bicycle tour of such establishments would be an ideal intro to this year's Greening the Heartland Conference.<br /><br />Montgomery, an architect with TMA Architects, LLC, and Dr. John Sweet, trustee of the Wm. A. Kerr Foundation, lead 30 bikers from the St. Louis riverfront (now mostly under water) 11 miles west to University City, stopping at numerous sustainable buildings along the way.<br /><br />They began their tour at the <a href="http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/08/13/daily21.html?surro">Kerr Foundation building</a>, a former bathhouse built in 1895, that has been converted into a Platinum LEED-certified space, one of only two in St. Louis. With a rooftop garden, skylights, bamboo flooring and St. Louis' first wind turbine, this multi-use building is set in the city's industrial area, just north of the casinos and east of Highway 70.<br /><br />After a lunch and some drinks, the group headed west to Grandel Square where they received a short tour of the <a href="http://http//www.earthwayscenter.org/home-performance.html">EarthWays Center</a>, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental education. It is located in one of the city's rapidly developing urban areas, Grand Center. At Earthways the group was shown more application for green living, from energy-efficient lightbulbs to recycled flooring to composting capabilities.<br /><br />Next stop: <a href="http://www.bowoodfarms.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.home/index.htm">Bowood Farms</a>, an urban greenhouse and farm that grows its own vegetables and plants on site and in Pike County, Missouri. Formerly an auto repair warehouse, Bowood, located in the Central West End, also sells its own grass-fed bison.<br /><br />Then onto the <a href="http://www.solae.com/">Solae</a> and <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/11/27/editorial3.html?jst=s_cn_hl">Cortex</a> buildings, set in the middle of the Barnes Jewish hospital complex just south of the Central West End. All sides of both buildings are covered in windows, thus supplying natural light to nearly every work space.<br /><br />After a quick break for some locally-brewed Budweiser, the tour rode north to the Roberts Place Homes, a gated housing development with high-efficiency windows, bamboo flooring, and geothermal heating and cooling.<br /><br />Final stop: The Loop's <a href="http://bigshark.com/index.cfm?display=homepage">Big Shark Bicycle Company</a>, one of St. Louis' largest and most active bike shops.<span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"></span>Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-17894185839677786462008-06-22T14:31:00.000-07:002008-06-22T19:52:25.269-07:00Q/A with Spencer FinchThe Director of Sustainable Development for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Spencer Finch will facilitate questions with Jaime Lerner on Monday, June 23. In the halls of the America's Center, we grabbed a few moments with Spencer to discuss this unique opportunity to hear from Jaime Lerner. He'll not be able to attend to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">GTH</span> 08, but we'll now have his presence.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GTH</span>08: Tell us about your involvement with the proceedings tomorrow.<br />Finch: I'm a little bit of a last-minute guest. Jaime Lerner, one of the main speakers, couldn't make it. We've made arrangements to have him here, at least virtually, if not here in reality. I'll give a little intro, then we'll play one of his lectures, which he gave in Philadelphia two years ago. Then, in the afternoon, we'll catch up with Jaime; we'll call him on the phone and we'll do an audience Q-and-A with him directly.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">GTH</span>08: Our understanding is that there was a lot of excitement about his attendance, so to have him in even this form is a positive.<br />Finch: I think it is, I know that it's always a coup when someone gets him to speak. I know that two years ago we brought him to Philly. And in the clip we'll show, he got a standing ovation and really helped spark some changes that have changed the city in the past two years.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">GTH</span>08: Can you give us a sense of what energized, or motivated people so much?<br />Finch: I guess if you show up, you'll see why. My easy way to describe it is that he looks like Santa Claus without the beard. For some reason, you see him and right away you like him. He really knows what he's talking about and he's accomplished something that attendees are hoping to accomplish. With very limited resources, he was able to build what people say is the world's most-sustainable city, in a developing country like Brazil. I think it's really amazing what he helped make happen in his hometown.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">GTH</span>08: What would be a best-case scenario for what happens tomorrow?<br />Finch: I hope people get a sense of how difficult some things are, but also how easy some things are to do. One piece of advice that Jaime likes to repeat to everyone is "just start." The first step is always the toughest. Once we get started, we all kind of know what we want our cities to be, what we want our world to be. If we just take the first step, things will get much easier.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-79118277896019168892008-06-22T12:42:00.001-07:002008-06-22T12:44:20.675-07:00FlickrYou'll notice a new badge at the right side of the screen, featuring our most recent flickr photos. We'll be adding bits of content all during the conference, so be sure to click on that button, which will take you to the flickr site. Up now are some pics from today's bike tour.<br /><br />Being edited right now: our first piece of original video. Be on the lookout for that shortly.Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730781937528297856.post-87359308473312841152008-06-22T12:29:00.000-07:002008-06-22T12:42:33.694-07:00STL Spotlight: The Good Stuff, v. 3If you're interested in mid-century modern design in St. Louis - and there's no small amount of it, particularly in St. Louis County - Toby Weiss has a site for you. Lots of pics, lots of anecdotal material, lots of calls for keeping this architecture standing and appreciated. It's tobybelt and you can find it <a href="http://tobybelt.blogspot.com/">right here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://stl.prettywar.com/">Prettywarstl</a> is the alias of Tom Lampe, a St. Louis photographer who is a prolific flickr user, but sorts down the really intriguing stuff into a stand-alone site dedicated to the rare, the lovely, the curious, the quirky.<br /><br />If you're looking for information and news on St. Louis' GLBT community, you could do a lot worse than first checking into the Vital Voice. Though the paper's moved into a different, more all-inclusive (yet still progressive) direction in recent months, the GLBT focus is still there. The paper's distributed around town, including pockets of Downtown, but you can also get all of the <a href="http://www.thevitalvoice.com/">info online</a>.<br /><br />Speaking of newspapers...: A couple days ago, we highlighted the St. Louis photographer and all-around visual artist Bill Keaggy. Well, the Riverfront Times, STL's alt-weekly, just wrote up an <a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-06-18/news/the-collector-st-louis-artist-bill-keaggy-takes-the-ordinary-and-makes-it-extraordinary/">entire cover story</a> on the fella. How's about that?Greening08http://www.blogger.com/profile/02871918694312333355noreply@blogger.com0