If you can't solve problems at home, how can you solve problems abroad?  EWB WashU helps communities around the St. Louis Area because we are more than travel addicts that happen to be engineers.

Outside of the WashU bubble, St. Louis is a very mixed patchwork of communities ranging from the abandoned areas reverting to urban prarie to the private, gated communities of the privileged and wealthy.

Current Projects

• Cool Roofs

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu knows the benefits of changing dark surfaces to light surfaces.  The science is clear cut: dark surfaces like asphalt roofs and asphalt pavement absorb more energy from the sun than light surfaces.  Heat radiated from dark surfaces makes for very uncool urban areas and uncool heat islands. 

EWB WashU is working to promote the use of cool roofs by publicizing their benefits and connecting property owners with cool roofing professionals.  It's getting hot in here! so make your roof into a cool roof!

 Project Lead: Brent Sherman

Check out the project page!

• Designers with a Conscience

EWB provides website design skills for local communities and non-profit organizations.  In the Spring of 2009, EWB members completed the website for the Spanish Lake Community Association.

Project Lead: Cory Flanagin 

Check out the project page! 

•  Green Model School                                    

This year we are teaming up with teachers and staff at the Patrick Henry Downtown Academy to teach students various aspects of sustainability. The school is PreK-6th grade, and each grade level will learn about a different aspect of sustainable living, from recycling to alternative energy. Additionally, we will be finding ways to make the school itself more energy efficient and teach students how they can apply these ideas to their home and community.

 Project Lead: Will Swanson

Check out the project page!

• Operation Brightside
  

The folks at Operation Brightside plant lovely flowers along highways and host St. Louis' biggest annual alleyway cleanup, Project Blitz.  EWB WashU has partnered with Operation Brightside to create a demonstration garden for property owners to visit and get ideas on how to make their land more life friendly.  In the 09' Spring EWB WashU completed a rain barrel collection system for the Operation Brightside office.This collects rain water from the roof and uses it to water the plants outside the building. This year we will continue this project by building a cistern for reserve rain water storage.

 Project Lead: Bethany McDearmon

Check out the project page!

• Solomon Project

Working with Pastor Father Gary of Saints Teresa and Bridget Parish and North Grand Neighborhood Services, EWB WashU helps out periodically with rehabbing homes in the North Grand Neighborhood to create homes for low income residents to own a home for the first time.

 Project Lead: Brad Pelz

• World Aquarium: Journey to the Center of the Earth

The World Aquarium at the City Musuem is getting its own campus at Hanley and US-40, and will be an international center for conservation research and environmentalism. We have the opportunity to design one of two rides: a rollin' rapids water ride or a "Journey to the Center of the Earth" educational tour of the site.

 Project Lead: Wesley Chan

check out the project page!

•  Burning Kumquat Wind Turbine

EWB has teamed up with the Burning Kumquat to build a wind turbine on the Kumquat farm! 

Project Lead: Amanda Wolff

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Past Local Projects