I thought I'd share another picture from my garden today. This time it's the native Swamp Milkweed starring a pollinator. I love this plant because it brings so many pollinators of all types to my yard. Plus it's a lovely pink color and supports monarchs. It also support aphids (at least in my yard) and it doesn't actually require a swamp to survive.

Enjoy the picture and some of the upcoming events and opportunities below.

1) The United Nations Association of St. Louis is hosting it first Sustainable Development Goal Summit this Saturday, August 29 from 10 am - 1 pm. During the summit, attendees will use the signature priority areas (Youth at the Center, Opportunity to Thrive and Racial Equity) of the Forward through Ferguson report to work towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more or register here.

2) USGBC Middle Atlantic Region is hosting a free webinar on "Navigating Back to School Challenges" on September 2 featuring speaker Kenneth Filarski. Ken is an AIA Fellow, LEED Fellow and a co-author of the AIA "Re-occupancy Assessment Tool." We were pleased to host him for our first coffee break in May. Stay tuned for a similarly themed coffee break topic (school challenges) on September 11!

3) Greenbuild Virtual Scholarships are available for this year's conference! Like everything else, this year's Greenbuild conference will be virtual on November 10 - 12. Learn more or apply for a scholarship! (Note that the deadline for the scholarship is listed as August 26, but the application is still open, so apply if you are eligible or interested!)

4) Our friends at Built Environment Plus (formerly USGBC Massachusetts) held a Conversation Series on New Perspectives on Health & Well-Being, featuring guest speaker Dr. Joseph Allen, the Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard. Topics covered include air filtration, fresh air, humidity control cleaning practices and more! They have compiled a series of white papers with lots of great information here! Note that Dr. Allen is also speaking at an Urban Green event on September 17 on Balancing Health & Energy During COVID-19.

5) Speaking of COVID-19 Resources, a few former USGBC staffers put together some great resources (and cartoons) under the nomiker Team Face it and Figure it Out. Check out their weekly blogs and cartoons here. And the COVID-19 resources for Commercial Real Estate here.

6) "Living Two Pandemics, COVID-19 and Racism" is the focus of SLACO's Regional Annual Neighborhoods Conference. Featured speakers are Rev. Traci Blackmon, Senior Pastor, Christ the King United Church of Christ; Dr Kelvin Adams, Superintendent, St Louis Public Schools; and Dr. Fredrick Echols, Director of the City of St. Louis Department of Health. The four day conference kicks off on Saturday, September 12 @ 9 am. Breakout sessions will be September 26, 30 and October 3. The opening session is free and open to the public. Learn more or register.

7) Are you looking for LEED specific continuing education hours? Look no further than two LEED Technical Workshops on September 8 & 9. Both webinars are from 1 - 5 pm and only $45 for USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter members!

Finally, a few other Chapter events and opportunities to quickly highlight:

Be Well and Be Compassionate.
Emily

Emily Andrews, Executive Director, 314-577-0854
Hope Gribble, Education & Green Schools Manager, 314-577-0225
Fredericka Brandt, Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator, 314-577-0884