Power Profile: Catherine Werner, St. Louis City Sustainability Director

To Catherine Werner, sustainability is not about being “less bad,” it is about being regenerative and restorative, leaving the world better than she found it. The sustainability director for the City of St. Louis views sustainability less as “a thing, and more as a process.”

The trick, Werner hypothesized, is to be grounded in the present while striving toward the ideal. Sustainability often is not the easy path forward, but when it works out, it is a powerful confirmation of the pioneering ways people can help each other, and everything that they touch. She added that sustainability also offers a result that is much more than the sum of individual parts.

“I feel urban sustainability has to be people-centric, respecting the environment while valuing people - their well-being and prosperity. We call this a "triple-bottom-line sustainability approach" that seeks to balance economic, environmental, and social needs, opportunities, and outcomes,” Werner explained. 

Werner also uses the “triple-bottom-line sustainability approach” to describe Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan. “It has goals that consider the balancing act of people-profit-planet.”

“My favorite sustainability projects with [Ameren Missouri] are when we are able to remove the 'either/or' construct, and embrace the possibility that mutually beneficial outcomes exist for the company, people, the community and the environment,” Werner said. “The reality is, one weak link threatens the stability of the others, so a 'both/and' perspective is actually the prudent one.”

Ameren Missouri, she said, is one of the “most important partners” in the city’s sustainability efforts. Werner has also been impressed with the city departments and community organizations, noting “they serve as critically important champions and partners in sustainability implementation.”

Werner’s broad-ranging professional background has proven to be incredibly valuable as the City of St. Louis’ sustainability director. She has worked in environmental law, natural resource protection, prairie ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, green building practices, green infrastructure, and sustainable development. She has worked in the private sector, for nonprofits, and for both local and federal government in St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Reno, Nevada.

“What would have been viewed as a random assortment of professional experiences back in the day, now is often the purview of a sustainability practitioner,” Werner said.

Werner has always had an appreciation for the natural world and drawn strength from being outdoors. Self-described as having a “strong wanderlust,” she has traveled with her son to spectacular ecosystems and jaw-dropping biophilic cities.

“We've searched for koalas in eucalyptus trees of Australia, snorkeled with sea turtles in Hawaii, and experienced the sheer majesty of millions of overwintering monarch butterflies in the pine forest of Mexico,” Werner said. “There is so much people can get from being in nature; inspiration, healing, respite, awe. And while I pursue these things in my free time as much as possible, it is particularly gratifying in my job when I find ways to improve the quality of urban natural resources so that others can find meaningful connections to nature right here in St. Louis.”