In the Fall of 2021, St. Louis County formed an interdepartmental Sustainability Workgroup to address the question of what the County is doing to address issues of sustainability and climate change. The workgroup, which is composed of at least one county employee from each department, meets semi-monthly to provide a forum at which departments learn from each other and coordinate actions to mitigate and prepare for potential impacts of climate change.
One of the workgroup's goals is to position St. Louis County to make use of related funding opportunities that address energy efficiency, climate resilience, air pollution reduction and waste reduction, among others.
The Workgroup defined Sustainability as "operating in a manner that promotes economic vitality and healthy communities while protecting the natural environment to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."
The Workgroup's definition of sustainability aligns with the key concepts of St. Louis County values which are "People-Focused, Stewardship, Integrity, Fairness and Innovation" as well as the County's mission which is "to promote health and safety, ensure sound infrastructure, embrace our natural resources, and support an environment where communities prosper."