The climate crisis is the greatest existential threat to humanity and requires bold action from local and national leaders. In St. Louis City, environmental racism in the form of air pollution, high energy costs, illegal trash dumping, and contaminated housing has created unsafe living conditions especially for Black children and families. Megan is committed to combating environmental racism in all its forms and making St. Louis a more sustainable place to live in the face of a warming world. She proposes the following solutions:
Requiring green building standards: Megan supports instituting requirements for developers to meet sustainable building standards in order to receive tax incentives for proposed buildings. Standards may include requirements for a building’s stormwater infrastructure, construction materials, or lighting and appliances.This is a key step to ensuring that new developments will help our community thrive in the long-run.
Improving infrastructure: Megan supports the formation of a comprehensive city-wide streets plan, the creation of Rapid Bus Transit, and the creation of the North-South Metrolink to cut down on carbon emissions created by our car-centric City. By improving public transportation and making the City more walkable, St. Louis can reduce its reliance on cars while making it easier for people to live and work in the City.
Creating local green jobs: Megan recognizes that fighting climate change gives us the unique opportunity to bring more jobs to the region in the renewable energy sector. Megan supports dedicating federal-appropriated resources to a local Civilian Climate Corps to train and employ St. Louisans in conservation and resilience efforts.
