St. Louis, MO (KMOX) - It's a plan that could cut greenhouse gasses, save people money, and drive economic growth. The East-West Gateway Council of Governments is at the center of the effort, launched in the fall of 2023, and supported through an EPA grant.
"The long-term goal is to reduce greenhouse gasses," explains Aaron Young, East-West Gateway's Sustainability Planning Manager, "the short-term goal is to find the most economical ways to do that and to come up with the projects that have the greatest impacts on us locally."
Some examples of projects include committing to more infrastructure for electric vehicles drivers to encourage EV purchases and encouraging solar panel installation through grants. Young points out, both of those could boost the economy. "If we want to put more solar panels on people's houses and put in more chargers, we need more people to do that, so there's a huge opportunity to create jobs training activities and get people into new jobs."
A study by East-West Gateway discovered that more than half of greenhouse gas emissions in the St. Louis region come from building energy use and another third from transportation. Young says the agency has already been working with partners to improve energy efficiency in buildings.
For more information on the plan and provide input click here to find the East-West Gateway Pollution Reduction Plan and a community survey.
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