Sustainable Backyard Network

The Sustainable Backyard Tour is an all-inclusive free event throughout the region helping individuals overcome perceived and practical barriers to living healthy green lives caring for the Earth and each other.

The Sustainable Backyard Network has produced the annual Sustainable Backyard Tour for over a decade, fueled by donations. This free event draws thousands of individuals from throughout the St. Louis region interested in living lightly on the earth, each year on a Sunday afternoon in June. Set for June 11th this year, the Sustainable Backyard Tour showcases green living and homesteading practices, including low-impact lawn care, composting, organic gardening, chicken and beekeeping, renewable energy, rain gardens and native landscaping, home orcharding, and much more. Hosts open their yards from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and interact with visitors to help us imagine a better world and see how we can get started. More than 2000 people have attended in a single year, taking home lessons learned first hand and changing the way they look at the little piece of Earth under their stewardship. Yards are distributed throughout the region, crossing municipal and neighborhood lines, underscoring the interconnectedness of communities and watersheds.

We Strive to:
REDUCE: energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, HHHW, organics in landfills, water waste, the use of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers and to
ENCOURAGE: renewable energy production on a home scale, personal connection to healthy food, site-appropriate landscaping, composting, the use of native plants adapted to the locale and to
INCREASE our understanding of the cycle of life, the connections between people, communities and the Earth and to increase biodiversity and diversity of all kinds.

Members of our network--sponsors and hosts--participate in year-round outreach programs in partnership with other non-profits and schools. NOW we are reaching for the stars and undertaking the first Earth Care Summit in Missouri to be presented virtually!

We invite you to join us in the adventure in whatever way rings true for you! We are a network of planet protectors eager to meet you and learn from you as we grow more resilient and transition to a greener world starting in our own backyards.