We are located close to the New Madrid Fault line, and if and when there was a Seismic even there would be major disruptions to the sewer system in and round the City of St. Louis. Students from the Sustainability Exchange led by Professor Froggi Van Riper partnered with the City Emergency Management Agency, to explore what areas of the sewer system were most vulnerable. Students used GIS to asses and evaluate the vulnerabilities of the sewer system, and future groups of students will continue to evaluate possible vulnerabilities and develop recommendations for a more resilient St. Louis.

On April 5, 2017 OneSTL Sustainability Summit partners held an inaugural St. Louis region-wide sustainability conference. The theme for the 2017 Sustainability Summit was “Setting Targets for our Shared Future”. A Regional Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Inventory is an essential tool that can be used by stakeholders for reducing area wide carbon related emissions. Over several semesters, Sustainability Exchange students worked with Professor Ray Ehrhard in Engineering and Aaron Young from OneSTL to develop a framework and baseline data points for this Regional GHG Emission inventory. Subsequent groups of students continued the project, using the framework and baseline data to run CO2 reduction scenarios for various emission categories to meet goals established by the partnership group. The OneSTL Climate Action Committee is using student work to support development of action plans to meet a 2050 goal of 80% reduction in CO2 levels.