Transcript Title
St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project Climate Prosperity Project National Leadership Meeting February 21, 2009 St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) > Chamber of Commerce for 16-county bi-state metropolitan region > Region’s lead Economic Development Organization > Mission is to unite the region's business community and to engage dynamic business and civic leadership to develop and sustain a world-class economy and community. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 2 Involved Stakeholders > Sustainable St. Louis > Area Utilities: Ameren and Laclede Gas > U.S. Green Building Council – St. Louis Chapter > Local City & County Governments > Corporations: Anheuser-Busch, Enterprise Rent-ACar, HOK, Monsanto, Peabody Coal, etc. > Institutions: Danforth Plant Science Center, Center for Evergreen Energy, Missouri Botanical Garden National Corn-to-Ethanol Center, Washington University St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 3 St. Louis Project Leadership > Dick Fleming, President/CEO - St. Louis RCGA > Tracy Hart, President - Tarlton Corporation > Daniel Jay, Managing Principal – Christner, Inc. > Mary Ann Lazarus, Director of Sustainable Design - HOK > Steve Poplawski, Partner - Bryan Cave > Eric Schneider, Director of Public Policy Research, St. Louis RCGA St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 4 St. Louis Region Opportunities Challenges Home to BioBelt concentration of plant and life science companies; Battelle Assessment Fragmented government 8th Fastest growing region for high tech jobs; St. Louis is home of 20 Fortune 1000 HQs Two states; two federal regions Higher % of 4-yr college graduates than US and Midwest Large carbon footprint due to density and reliance on coal for electricity Proportion of scientists and engineers double the U.S. average Air quality non-attainment area; old sewer and water systems Advanced Manufacturing and IT growth makes up for lost manufacturing jobs Transit system in financial distress St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 5 Vision To Be Nationally Recognized as a Top Ten Green Region by December 31, 2012 > Improved Air and Water Quality > BioBelt Home to Renowned Bioenergy Research and Innovative Applications > Attractive to Young Professionals and “Green and Clean” Tech Businesses St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 6 Green Savings Moving to Sustainable Business Practices: > Increase energy audits and energy efficiency improvements by area businesses. > Region-wide recycling and waste management by business. > Region-wide municipal adoption of U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Change goals. > Region-wide stormwater and wastewater management programs. > Expand use of transit, carpooling, and bike to work programs. > Public Policy Advocacy agenda for: – Funding for water improvement programs – Transit and transit oriented development – High-speed rail St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 7 Green Opportunities Creating Sustainable Industries: > Become clean coal technology and bioenergy research hub. – Pursue FutureGen as St. Louis’ “SEMITech” > Expand Center for Evergreen Energy (CE2) as national clearinghouse for bioenergy research and public adoption of alternative energy solutions. > Create “S-Prize” to attract entrepreneurs and new inventions to St. Louis. > Expand Region-wide Green Purchasing Network. > Promote the use of bioenergy and alternative energy. > Public Policy Advocacy Agenda for: – R&D funding for bioenergy research – Fuel incentives St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 8 Green Talent Growing The Workforce: > Inventory the St. Louis area “green workforce”. > Foster strong relationships among “green industry” cluster of companies to attract, share and develop talent. > Connect K-20 curriculum with math, science, and engineering jobs in environmental industries. > Engage area unions to retrain to “green” manufacturing jobs. > Public Policy Advocacy Agenda for: – Increased job training funds for “green building trades” – Green building tax credits and construction incentives St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 9 Strategic Planning Process > Engage RCGA Board of Directors and Energy and Environmental Council members in 2009 to identify measurable outcomes of Climate Prosperity Project Objectives. > Expand stakeholder group to small businesses, education institutions, governments, unions, and trade associations and other civic organizations. > Implement MIT Sloan School of Management students’ project development framework and systems thinking. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 10 Future Planning Process for 2009 > RCGA Board of Directors sessions focused on St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project and sustainability 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr > Development of Measurable Objectives by Energy and Environment Council. 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 Qtr st nd rd th > Roll out of Energy Savings Plan for RCGA members in partnership with area utilities. 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 Qtr st nd rd > Expand communications of RCGA member’s activities on sustainability. 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 Qtr st nd rd St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 11 th th Regional Competitive Advantages > Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization and International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability at Washington University > Strong plant and life sciences industry cluster “BioBelt” > Missouri Brownfield Tax Credit first in the nation; IL Brownfield Municipal Grant Fund. > Missouri Historic Preservation Tax Credit is the most robust historic preservation incentive in nation. > $5 billion in investment and 10,000 residents new to downtown St. Louis in past seven years. > MO Quality Jobs Program attracts companies with high paying jobs. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 12 Key Obstacles > St. Louis traditionally perceived as “Rust Belt” – manufacturing city. New regional branding strategy repositions region. > Lack of state or local government resources to stimulate green economy. > Fragmentation. > St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project is an “emerging start-up” civic initiative. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 13 Financing and In-Kind Resources Available > Local foundation potential funding. > National foundation potential funding. > In-Kind resources from collaboration with FOCUS St. Louis, Sustainable St. Louis, Missouri Botanical Gardens, and U.S. Green Building Council – St. Louis Chapter, and from 4,000+ RCGA members. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 14 Broad-Based Participation > Establish RCGA as a “nest” and catalyst for participation on sustainability initiatives. > Communicate with 4,000 RCGA member companies through RCGA publications, web sites, and e-newsletters. > Engage the public through stakeholder partnerships and media collaborations. > Organize public policy advocacy agenda across the region and attract large groups interested in sustainability. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 15 Advice and Assistance Needed > Identification of national resources and organizations willing to impact new pilot region. > Strategy development assistance from Climate Prosperity Project Network (Doug Henton). > Learning from fellow Climate Prosperity Project Pilots. > Learning from the Feb. 20 San Jose Strategy. St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project 16