Sustainability Efforts

Sustainability Efforts rev

Sustainability efforts

No Mow April

No Mow April

This Spring, the City of Richmond Heights is participating in a new initiative to support pollinators in our community called No Mow April. The campaign encourages Richmond Heights homeowners to not mow their lawns through the month, allowing bees and other early season pollinators access to nutrient-rich wildflowers like violets and clover.  

In full support, Mayor Jim Thomson and the City Council have lifted the city requirement that grass not exceed seven inches from April 1—30.  

The Importance of Pollinators

Pollinators are essential to our environment. The ecological service they provide is necessary for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species. Beyond agriculture, pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems. Fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25% of all birds and mammals. 

Unfortunately, in many places, 30 to 40 percent of native insect pollinator species are in serious decline from habitat loss, pesticide use, and introduced diseases. But, there are many ways YOU can help! 

  • Minimize Mowing in April: The goal of No Mow April is to allow your yard to grow unmown for the month. This allows flowers like violets and clover to bloom, creating habitat and forage for early-season pollinators. 
  • Grow Pollinator-Friendly Plants: Native plants provide the nectar and pollen resources that pollinators feed on. Growing the right flowers, shrubs, and trees with overlapping bloom times will support pollinators, spring through fall. 
  • Provide Nest Sites: It is important to support all pollinator life stages, including eggs and larvae. For bees, you can leave patches of bare ground and brush piles or install nesting blocks, and for butterflies and moths, plant caterpillar host plants. 
  • Avoid Pesticides: Pesticides, especially insecticides, are harmful to pollinators. Herbicides reduce food sources by removing flowers from the landscape. Fungicides can also have detrimental effects on bees.

Join Us By Participating in No Mow April!

By leaving your property unmown for the month of April, you’ll create the habitat pollinators and other wildlife need as they emerge in spring! 

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Get a printable version of this sign here.

Electronics Recycling + Document Shredding Drive-Thru Event
We've begun partnering with the City of Maplewood to offer our community one event where they can recycle electronics AND shred documents. Both cities were awarded grants separately from Saint Louis County Department of Health utilizing County landfill surcharge funds to help subsidize the costs and reduce waste.

This year's free* drive-thru event will take place on Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Maplewood Family Aquatic Center.  
* Due to limited funding, there is a cap on the number of items that can be recycled for free. Proof of residency is required.

-- Spectrum Ecycle is our recycler. Residents of St. Louis County will be allowed to recycle up to two (2) TVs and/or computer monitors free of charge while funding is available. Additional items can be recycled - many are free, some others have a fee.

-- Pro-Shred is the document shredding company. Residents of St. Louis County can shred up to two (2) bankers boxes per vehicle. Participants should ONLY shred items with personally identifiable information. Items that DO NOT contain personally identifiable information should be recycled directly in your curbside recycling cart. 

The event is made possible by a grant from St. Louis County's Department of Health utilizing County landfill surcharge funds.

2022 Backyard Composting Program
The City of Richmond Heights was awarded a grant from the St. Louis County Department of Health (utilizing County landfill surcharge funds) to supplement the cost of 100 compost bin kits for residents of Richmond Heights. The cost to residents was $20 (an $80 value!). The kits were purchased by interested residents in early Spring 2022 and picked up locally. Compost bins are no longer available. 

The program was a big success!  

The kits included the following:
  • One (1) "Home Composting Handbook" - a comprehensive booklet describing unnamedthe latest in backyard composting techniques. Assembly instructions are also illustrated in the handbook.
  • Four (4) screws/anchor pegs to secure to the ground.
  • One (1) lid
  • One (1) top
  • One (1) bottom
  • One (1) harvest door
  • One (1) rodent screen/base
  • One (1) kitchen scrap pail with lid
  • One (1) Rottwheeler ( another helpful guide on how to use your compost bin)
You can learn all about the compost bins and about composting here.

The event was made possible by a grant from St. Louis County's Department of Health utilizing County landfill surcharge funds.

Contact Mary Binns, Community Relations Coordinator, at mbinns@richmondheights.org for questions.
Climate Action Plan
The City is committed to doing its part to take care of the environment. About every four years and/or as budget allows, we analyze the data available to determine areas we excel and those which need improvement.  You can view these reports below. 
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       2012 Climate Action Plan

Electric Vehicle Charging Station at THE HEIGHTS
The City of Richmond Heights applied for and received approval for an Ameren Charge Ahead Program grant for the installation of a dual-port Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station at THE HEIGHTS: Community Center and Memorial Library. The EV Charging station was installed in April 2020 along the east driveway of THE HEIGHTS parking lot. It is available for charging electric vehicles between the hours of 6:00am - 9:00pm. The EV Charging Station is listed on plugshare.com.

The City of Richmond Heights is the first municipality in the State of Missouri to apply for, receive approval, and install an EV Charging Station through the grant program. The City will be reimbursed for the costs involved to acquire and install the EV Charging Station up to $10,000 per the grant agreement. A representative from Ameren will present the City with the reimbursement check formally at an upcoming in-person City Council meeting.

Richmond Heights Mayor Jim Thomson, a key player in getting the new charging station project off the ground, states, “I’m proud to see Richmond Heights take a progressive step forward, helping to conserve our planet and our City for future generations.”

EV Charging station pic 2
Outdoor Classroom
The Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom opened in April of 2012. It is attached to the colorful playground on the western side of THE HEIGHTS Community Center and Memorial Library located at 8001 Dale Avenue, Richmond Heights, MO 63117. It is free and open to the public from dawn until dusk. The Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom gives an opportunity for play in a nature-based setting in an urban community. It is geared to children ages 2 through 12 and features different areas like Music and Movement, Building Blocks, and more.

Learn more about it here.

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Recycle Wizard