Choosing our Environment: Confluence, Climate & Community in the St. Louis Region
Date/Time
Date(s) - March 23, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Registration for this event is now closed. If registered, you should have received your unique log-in link from the FOCUS Virtual Campus. Be sure to check your junk/spam/promotions folder! If you do not see it, please contact Becky Rasmussen at beckyr@focus-stl.org or (314) 933-4424.
The choices we make as a region with respect to our environment create the reality that all of our communities live in. This forum will provide an overview of some of the main environmental issues, choices, and futures facing the St. Louis region. Some of the question addressed will include:
- How do we understand and address climate change in the context of the Midwest?
- How have divisions based on race, political ideology, and/or rural vs. urban communities shaped our environmental future?
- How have we managed the rivers that are our regional heritage?
- What choices do we face right now that will affect our future?
Hear from environmental experts, community representatives, and organizers about current challenges and efforts on environmental issues in the region.
Panelists
- Moderator: Louise Bradshaw (LSL 2000), Director of Education, Saint Louis Zoo
- Leah Clyburn, Senior Training Partner, Sierra Club Missouri Chapter
- Dr. Bob Criss, Professor, Washington University, Hydrogeologist and Expert on Flooding and Floodplain Management
- Heather Navarro, Executive Director, Midwest Climate Collaborative, and former St. Louis City Alderperson
- Erica Williams (Emerging Leaders 2014/YLSL 2002), Executive Director, A Red Circle
Cost
This event is free to attend, but registration is required.
Accessing This Event
The forum will be held on the FOCUS Virtual Campus. Your unique log-in details will be sent a few days prior – be sure to check your junk/spam/promotions folder if you don’t see it. If you have any questions regarding your registration, please contact Kayla Dix at kaylad@focus-stl.org or (314) 657-4020.
Presented with support from
About Our Panelists
Louise Bradshaw has worked in the fields of conservation and conservation education for over 30 years. Her areas of interest include developing teacher training programs in partnership with conservation field projects in Kenya and Nicaragua, effective approaches to audience research at zoos and aquariums and models for increasing scientific, environmental and climate change literacy and most recently community-centered design for conservation programs.
An employee of the Saint Louis Zoo since 1984, Louise is currently a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and has served on various committees supporting conservation education, research, climate change literacy and professional development programs. Louise serves as an Advisory Board Member for Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience-a St. Louis Public Schools magnet high school, on the Leadership Council for Harris Center of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and on the Leadership Team for BiodiverseCity St. Louis and the OneSTL Biodiversity Working Group. Louise holds a B.S. in Biology from Saint Louis University and a M.S.Ed. in Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Leah Clyburn is a Senior Training Partner for the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter, rooted in Just Transition and Holistic Transformation of Self and Systems.
Leah has been organizing in Missouri for almost 11 years while applying their education in Occupational Therapy and vast training/application in Restorative Justice. She believes that a call-out is an invitation to be called into authentic and transformational relationships in order to obtain Environmental Justice for all. She believes that a call-out is an invitation to be called into authentic and transformational relationships in order to obtain Environmental Justice for all.
Professor Bob Criss‘ research spans many disciplines and has appeared in 50 different scientific journals, several government series, and several books. Recent papers describe his diffusive theory of flash floods, explain geochemical variations in deep formation waters and the Missouri River, predict the levels of alluvial groundwaters, provide new statistical equations for flood risk, document man’s aggravation of recent floods, and explain the dynamics and geomorphology of landslides and karst landscapes in China. Recent papers coauthored with Prof. Anne Hofmeister provide a new interpretation of the Virial theorem, quantify the moments of inertia of polytropic stars, provide new equations for Earth’s heat flow, and quantitatively explain galactic rotation without resort to hypothetical dark matter.
Criss frequently applies his knowledge of Missouri hydrogeology to local environmental problems. He has testified at many public hearings on flooding, floodplain development, landfill problems, and groundwater contamination. His op-eds on these and other issues have appeared in several newspapers.
The Missouri Climate Collaborative welcomed Heather Navarro as the new director in January 2022. Heather most recently served as an Alderperson in the City of St. Louis where she spearheaded a host of climate-forward legislation, including the first building energy performance standard in the Midwest, solar-ready requirements, and an EV-ready building code, among many other accomplishments. Heather previously served from 2013-2020 as the Executive Director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, a state-wide environmental advocacy organization. In that role, she was actively engaged with the Mississippi River Collaborative, the Missouri Clean Energy Coalition, and many other collaborative efforts.
A Washington University graduate, Navarro earned both a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in Arts & Sciences in 2001 and a JD from the School of Law in 2008. Her legal practice was primarily with a public interest law firm representing clients in racial and disability discrimination matters. In addition to this experience, Heather was a fellow with the Public Leaders for Inclusion Council in 2021 and has served on the Missouri Municipal League Board as well as a variety of other local, state, and national boards.
Erica R. Williams holds a B.A. in Paralegal Studies and an MBA, both from Maryville University. She is working on her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University, with a concentration on policy analysis. When not working for A Red Circle, Erica is on the Board of Directors for Kids Win Missouri and Propel Kitchens, and on the Community Advisory Board for Refuge and Restoration Nonprofit Organization in Ferguson, Missouri.
She is a member of the Nine Network Community Advisory Board, sits on the Youth Ed & Development committee of Kids Win Missouri, participates in HomeGrown Stl, and led a Peer Circle for Executive Directors of Color for Winrock International’s Food Systems Leadership Network. Erica is a Past Chair for MOCAN – Missouri Council on Activity and Nutrition and is a member of their Food Systems Work Group. She is a St. Louis Master Garden and the recipient of several awards from local entities, including a FOCUS What’s Right with the Region Award.