COMO | March 2021

MA RCH 2021 | T HE ENVI R O NMENT ISSU E | A PU B L ICATION OF TH E B U SIN E SS TIM E S COM PAN Y

The Environment Issue O N T H E FA R M W I T H

Liz Graznak PG 59

+

LO O K I N G AT T H E

City's Climate Plan P G 93

What Is Going on with Curbside Trash and Recycling Pickup?

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MARCH 2021

Did you know?

Volunteers support the City’s effort to fulfill our mission, vision and values.

• Volunteers average over 7,000 hours annually picking up litter along Columbia’s streets, trails, and streams and in our parks.

• Each year over 5,600 bags of litter are collected by volunteers.

• 350 volunteer litter pickups are conducted each year along with Cleanup Columbia, a city wide cleanup that averages 1,500 volunteers working in 145 locations city-wide.

• The ARC and Stephens Lake parking lots have solar lights?

These lights meet our Climate Action Plan energy reduction goals while providing secure lighting. They are designed to reduce urban light pollution, too!

• We have over 25 miles of multi-use trails that allow for non-motorized transportation helping reduce our carbon footprint.

Did you know?

In 2019 YOU recycled: • 131,630 pounds of aluminum cans.

• 556,880 pounds of # 1 plastic.

Did you know?

The City’s Parks and Recreation Department protects more than 1,500 acres of green space and natural areas.

• The Parks Adopt-A-Trail program has 67 active volunteer groups who put in over 1,100 hours removing honeysuckle along 20.6 miles of adopted trail.

• An additional 1630 volunteer hours were contributed on other invasive removal projects in our parks and on City owned properties.

• The Parks Department recycles water by irrigating from lakes on park properties to avoid wasting drinking water.

• The 3M Flat Branch-Hinkson Creek Wetlands filters an estimated 10,000,000 gallons of stormwater. Slowing stormwater runoff which reduces erosion and creating habitat for local wildlife.

• 386,220 pounds of # 2 plastic.

• 473,200 pounds of # 3-7 plastic.

• 10,762,440 pounds of cardboard.

• 2,722,980 pounds of newspaper.

• 835,100 pounds of mixed paper.

• 395,780 pounds of office paper.

Did you know?

In 2020 Columbia’s Residential Household Hazardous Waste dropoff facility collected: • Collected 26,200 pounds of pesticides, fertilizers, poisons, corrosives, medications, and household cleaners.

• Collected 3,683 gallons of motor oil.

• Collected 724 gallons of antifreeze and gasoline.

• Collected 1,730 gallons of oil based paints.

• That 3,040 gallons of latex paint were consolidated by volunteers and available to the public at no cost.

For more information, please visit CoMo.gov or call 573.874.CITY (2489).

Think differently.

Think sustainably.

Think parks.

Think volunteer.

Think community.

What’s at the end of

YOUR RAINBOW? This.

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Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

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Helps the vehicle maintain a speed and distance from the car in front of you.

Senses if you start to drift into another lane without using the turn signal.

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Letter from the Publisher

I

Branching Out

have to be honest. When it came to planning this issue, I was not very hyped over it. Oh . . . yay. The environment issue.

What new things were left to say? Recycling . . . good. Wastefulness and fossil fuels . . . bad. However, as we went deeper into our planning meeting, it was clear this had the potential to be a pretty dang good issue. Then, as the photos and articles came rolling in, I was convinced. This was shaping up to be an issue we could be proud of with fresh, new content that hasn’t been covered anywhere else. As we are sending it off to the printer, many of us even count it among our favorites.

Besides, all you have to do is bring up roll carts in Columbia, and everyone gets riled up!

Putting this issue together required us all to be curious. There were about 10 of us around a table asking “What about bees?” (page 32) and “What about roll carts and all the mountains of trash at the dumpsters?” (page 98). I found myself getting very defensive of my beloved honeysuckle (page 53) only to discover that it’s an intruder. This was quite disturbing, as my favorite smell is honeysuckle on a warm summer night.

I often find that merely being curious and following that feeling leads to learning about things that can enrich our lives in ways that we would never have imagined. I consider myself to have quite the green thumb, but I have nothing on Becca De La Paz (page 49).

A houseplant worth $1,000? What?! She even has a book about houseplants that I’m excited to read.

What is it that you were last curious about?

Did you call someone you don’t know to ask

ART DIRECTOR'S MUSINGS

What is it that you were last curious about?

Anything but Honeysuckle.

My childhood playground was a small forest filled with redbuds, maples, and a dry creek bed. I made forts under black locust trees, stained my fingers with pokeberries, and gathered buckbrush berries for my pretend kitchen. My mom gathered pine boughs to decorate with at Christmas and black raspberries in the summer. If you went down to the creek you could see an old stone bridge, covered in moss. Snake sightings were common, and once my dad even saw a fox on the edge of the woods.

I went back this year to show my younger brother where I used to play, and found the landscape changed.

Instead of a diverse range of native plants, there was a monocrop of bush honeysuckle. It was 10-feet tall and dominating everything. A fence held it at bay and there was a narrow path that led to the bottom of the hill. It was a single-file path. I had to duck and hold my arms tight to my body to keep the honeysuckle branches from pulling at my clothing and hair.

We made it to the bridge, but the overgrowth prevented us from getting to the creek. We turned around and walked back out single file.

The playground had been consumed.

ON THE COVER questions? Do you go places you’ve never been just to see how they do something?

People love to talk about the things they are passionate about. Make new connections.

Shop at a new store for your stir fry recipe (page 85). And, for sure, don’t miss Liz Graznak at the farmer’s market. I remember the early days of her dream of Happy Hollow Farms and am so proud of what she has grown it to be.

I hope you enjoy reading this, and as usual, if you have any feedback, I’d love to hear from you.

ERICA PEFFERMAN PUBLISHER

Liz Graznak, owner of Happy Hollow Farms, brings fresh produce and flowers to Columbia. Read more on page 59.

Photo by Keith Borgmeyer

M A R C H 202 1 | T H E E NVI R ON M E N T I S S U E | A PU B L I CATI O N O F TH E B U S I N E S S TI M E S CO M PA N Y

The Environment Issue O N T H E FA R M W I T H

Liz Graznak PG 59

+

LO O K I N G AT T H E

City's Climate Plan P G 93

What Is Going on with Curbside Trash and Recycling Pickup?

COMOMAG.COM

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We understand local businesses because

we are one.

Let us help you reach your goals this year with our full-stack of services.

Erica Pefferman President & Co-Owner

• Digital Advertising

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• SEO/Paid Search • Email Marketing • Content Creation • Photography/Videography • Graphic Design • Web Design/Development • Promotional Items • Custom Publishing • Brand Management • Social Media Management • Full-scale Ticketing Platform • Event Management • Printing Services

2019 Tribune Readers’ Choice Awards Best Advertising Agency 573.499.1830 columbiamarketinggroup.com 18 S. 9th St. Ste 201 | Columbia, MO 65201 14

MARCH 2021

President Erica Pefferman

Erica@comomag.com

Senior Vice President Fran Patrick Fran@comomag.com

EDITORIAL Publisher Erica Pefferman Erica@comomag.com

Editor Fran Patrick

Fran@comomag.com

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DESIGN Art Director Cassidy Shearrer

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Senior Graphic Designer Jordan Watts Jordan@comomag.com

Director of Photography Sadie Thibodeaux Sadie@comomag.com

Graphic Designer Kate Morrow Kate@comomag.com

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Account Executive Charles Bruce Charles@comomag.com

Account Executive Kendall Lappe Kendall@comomag.com

Director of Operations Amy Ferrari Amy@comomag.com

OUR MISSION

To inspire, educate, and entertain the citizens of Columbia with quality, relevant content that reflects Columbia’s business environment, lifestyle, and community spirit.

CONTACT

Business Times Holdings, LLC 18 S. 9th St. Ste 201 Columbia, MO 65201 (573-499-1830) • comomag.com @wearecomomag /wearecomomag @wearecomomag

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COMO is published every month by Business Times Holdings, LLC. Copyright Business Times Holdings, LLC 2021. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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Specializing in:

ON T H EM E

What do you think can be done to tackle climate change?

Leslie Douglas Design Intern

Vivian Kolks Editorial Intern

Alaysia Taylor Marketing Intern

Kaitlyn Bailey Editorial Intern

I believe one of the easiest ways we can make an impact is by reducing the amount of waste we produce. I recently moved to using bar shampoo and conditioner and it's been a game changer.

Bigger corporations need to do more to reduce their carbon footprint and to set a better example. On our part, we can do small things like using reusable grocery bags.

I think that we should be using energy wisely: Unplugging when something isn’t in use and thinking before we buy.

By investing in energyefficient appliances, walking to and from destinations, and reducing food waste, individuals can limit their contribution to climate change in their own homes.

• • • • • • • • • •

Master Bedroom Closets Pantries Home Offices Murphy Beds Laundry Rooms Mudrooms Linen Closets Craft Centers Garages Much More...

Columbia: (573) 474-1072 Jefferson City: (573) 659-9000 OrganizeThatSpace.com

IN THIS ISSUE

32 GOURMET From Culinary to Apiary: How Jacques Laboile transitioned from chef to beekeeper and owner of Bonne Femme Honey Farm.

MARCH 2021 | The Environment Issue

13 Publisher’s Letter

LIVING 21

ART & CULTURE Renewing History

23

49

FRIENDS & FAMILY Turning Over a New Leaf

65

COUPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW Carrie Hargrove and Billy Polansky

PET FRIENDLY A Home Away from Home

WORKING

24

CLOSER LOOK

WELLNESS Bridging the Gap

27

HOMES This Isn’t HGTV

32

GOURMET Busy Bee

46

FAVORITE FINDS Going Greener

69 70

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

73

MOVERS & SHAKERS

75

LOCAL GOVERNMENT Welcome Back, Josh Hawley

77 GUEST VOICES

FEATURES

REDI

53

80

INVASIVE TO NATIVE IN COMO

GROWING WILD: FROM

CELEBRATIONS

How to identify invasive plants and

Dogwood Solar

restore a natural habitat.

82

59

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT Renew Missouri

BRINGING HOME THE GREENS Liz Graznak is pursuing her passion from the ground up with Happy

85

Hollow Farm.

BUSINESS

93

UPDATE Hong Kong Market

89

CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES Columbia makes progress through the city’s Climate Action and

PERSON YOU

Adaptability Plan.

SHOULD KNOW

98

Sara Parker Pauley

106

SOMETHING TO (TRASH) TALK ABOUT The city of Columbia launches a

THIS OR THAT

new trash and recycling program

Barbara Buffaloe

amid roll cart controversy.

Machens Dealerships is honored to give back to our community by investing in education.

Every month, we award a deserving high school senior with a $2,500 scholarship.

ALEXIS JOHNSON of Harrisburg High School is the scholarships’ March recipient.

She plans to study Business and hopes to one day run a successful event business.

“I’m very fortunate to receive the Machens Drives Education Scholarship! Winning this scholarship will help me jump start my college career. My goals post college will be more easily obtained, because I won’t experience as much financial distress. Also, earning this scholarship has given me more confidence in myself as a student, which I hope to carry throughout the rest of my education. I can’t wait to get to college and experience the next chapter in my life!”

- Alexis Johnson

Do you know a Mid-Missouri high school senior preparing for their future?

Seniors can apply at MachensDrivesEducation.com

Living

27 THIS ISN’T HGTV The city’s Home Rehab and Energy Efficiency program is here to help homeowners make needed repairs.

59

49

BRINGING HOME THE GREENS

TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF

Liz Graznak is pursuing her passion from the ground up with Happy Hollow Farm.

Plant YouTuber Becca De La Paz and her collection of houseplants are making COMO home.

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MARCH 2021

Living

ART & CULTURE

Renewing History Henna artist Siham Nour brings an ancient tradition to Columbia.

BY MA RY KATE HAF N ER

A

potential bridal disaster became the advent of Siham Nour’s henna career.

“When I was 14, my sister was getting married,” Siham says. “We had booked a lady to do henna, but she didn’t show the night before the wedding. That night, even with the anger and frustration we had for the henna lady, I said, ‘Just give me the henna and let me draw something so it’ll look okay on camera.’”

Siham’s after-school art classes paid off, and she was able to save the wedding tradition. Three years later, Siham mastered the art of henna and started sharing her talents during school festivals and community events.

Today, Siham has launched a side hustle for her henna designs.

ROOTED HISTORY The art of henna is an ancient tradition that can be traced back over 5,000 years worldwide, having been practiced throughout Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Henna has been used to dye skin and hair as well as fabrics, including silk and leather.

Henna paint is a natural paste made from the powdered, dried leaves of the henna plant. It comes in two colors, a natural red and black. (Black henna is red henna infused with color additives.)

Siham’s earliest memories of henna are from childhood. She recounts the anticipation of having henna applied the night before weddings and Muslim religious celebrations, like Eid.

“In Columbia, I want to introduce people to the beauty of the culture because henna was a way for women to beautify themselves before makeup or hair color ever existed,” says Siham. “But I want people to understand the background and how it beautifies someone.”

While henna art is more prevalent in South Asia, many cultural communities share a rich history of henna design. Different cultures often use different methods and symbols in their henna art. Henna designs and symbols must be used respectfully and knowledgeably, as many communities consider the practice to be sacred.

Siham is from Somalia and was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. She says that her community’s Somali style of henna is not as detailed as a Hindi style, which someone may see during an Indian or Pakistani celebration.

SHARING CULTURE THROUGH ART When Siham maps out a henna design, she first looks at the body part she will be adorning.

Her free-handed style fills in the natural curve of the body. When creating many designs at once, Siham often zones out into a meditative state where she lets go of stress and becomes especially attuned to her surroundings.

“Henna is for everybody. It’s a piece of art.

It’s like makeup, and makeup is for everybody,” says Siham. “Yes, it was developed in other cultures, other than America, but it is something

“In Columbia, I want to introduce people to the beauty of the culture because henna was a way for women to beautify themselves before makeup or hair color ever existed. But I want people to understand the background and how it beautifies someone.” to beautify a woman. It was part of the beauty industry like makeup is here.”

Siham’s business goals go past the occasional wedding and festival. She plans to expand her offerings to include henna classes, both in-person and online, where she can teach individuals how to do henna and introduce them to her culture. She is also dreaming up a line of her own henna products.

“Henna is something that someone should try once to at least to see what it’s like,” says Siham, “to know a different way to beautify yourself, especially as a woman. If there’s something out of the ordinary that you want to get done, then henna should definitely be something that you try.”

COMOMAG.COM

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From building

to buying.

Visit our Bakery

Our treat bar offers a Mastiff-sized selection for every good dog!

With a background in the building industry, Kris has a solid understanding of building standards, along with the latest techniques, decor and staging for existing and new homes.

Whether building or buying an existing home, contact her today!

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22

MARCH 2021

Living

PET FRIENDLY

A Home Away from Home Dogs in Creekside Pet Center’s indoor play area.

Finding the perfect boarding house for your furry f riend isn’t as hard it may seem. Here are some things to consider before your next vacation.

BY JE S S I CA JA I NC HI L L

W

hen people go out of town, they often like to leave their pets with someone they know. However, since this isn’t always possible, animal boarding houses provide great alternative options. But how does one make a wise choice and leave their furry friend with a boarding house that will give The outdoor play area at Dog Daze Playcare. their pet the attention they need?

Becky Henson, owner of Dog Daze Playcare, says, “There’s no one size fits all . . . it’s just what fits for your dog.”

Though her dog-centered business started in 2012, Becky has extensive experience with boarding multiple dogs and dealing with their various needs and personalities. She believes that the best thing for her clients is that their dogs “are socialized, which means when they’re young, they’re taken off the home property and interact with strange placPet rooms at es, strange people, Creekside Pet strange dogs . . .

Center.

They just learn how to deal with new [situations].”

Becky emphasizes — Becky Henson, owner of Dog Daze Playcare that dogs who haven’t been anywhere or haven’t been heavily socialized with people and other dogs can be stressed in a new place.

“We encourage that, if they’re going to board for any length of time, you bring them and have them look around,” she says.

When a customer goes to a boarding house, they should look for certain signs of quality.

Jacob Brummet, co-owner of Creekside Pet Outdoor time at Creekside Pet Center.

Center, says, “When you come into our lobby,

“There’s no one size fits all . . . it’s just what fits for your dog.”

you can see almost everything. There are windows everywhere. We will do a tour at the drop of a hat. A lot of places won’t show where the dog goes, and to me, that’s huge.”

In addition to being able to see everything, Jacob believes that cleanliness is an essential element in a boarding house. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, sanitation can be a concern to pet owners. When the virus fi rst hit, Jacob’s facility already had stringent policies in place to slow the spread of any bacteria pets may bring in.

Jacob says: “Think of [our business] as a kid’s daycare. They’re always nose-to-nose and sharing everything, so bacteria and viruses have always been our big [concern]. When all this started, we didn’t have to scramble for anything. Our air is fi ltered — it’s like a hospital.”

With great pleasure, Jacob adds, “While everyone is scrambling to buy and start using [cleaners], we’ve been cleaning for five years.”

However, pets with extreme medical needs may need more than just cleanliness. When this is the case, Dr. Elizabeth Hussey, owner of Horton Animal Hospital, offers options for pet owners.

“I think where veterinarian boarding is especially good is if you have an older dog who is not actively sick, but they may not eat very well and get themselves dehydrated,” Elizabeth says. “In the veterinarian situation, our technicians are trained to monitor the health of the animal . . . We have the opportunity to intervene. We can do a lot of things other boarders would not have available to them.”

There’s usually an option for whatever a pet needs. With a little research, an owner can find the perfect boarding house that can meet their animal friend’s needs. Since Columbia contains a plethora of animal boarding houses, going out of town isn’t as hard as it may seem.

COMOMAG.COM

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Bridging the Gap The MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders helps support people with autism, families, and the community.

BY J U L E S N. GR AE BNE R PHOTO S PR OVI D ED BY M U T HO M P S O N C E NT E R FOR AUT IS M & NE U R O D EVE LO PME NTAL D IS ORD E RS

A

ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2016, nearly 1 in 54 children has been diagnosed as autistic. Th is number has almost tripled since 2000, which is likely due to increasing awareness and research in the field.

An important part of that research has been done at the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

The Thompson Center’s Dr. Kerri Nowell explains that autism is not a one-size-fitsall diagnosis. “There’s a saying that we have — when you meet one person with autism, you have met one person with autism,” she says. “There is so much variability in terms of the strengths and weaknesses. We work with children who may have no language at all, don’t make eye contact, or have learning difficulties, but then, on the other end of the spectrum, we work with children who appear very social and intelligent. Both of these individuals have autism — they just look very different.”

Because autism has so many variables that may be overlooked or unaccounted for, it’s important that support facilities offer a wide range of resources for their patients.

“The Thompson Center itself offers an incredible breadth of services for families who are impacted by neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism,” says Kerri.

24

MARCH 2021

Living

Though its patients are mainly younger people, the Thompson Center works across the board to serve people with autism, their families, and the Columbia community. Services start at the very beginning with diagnostic tests if someone is questioning whether or not their child may be autistic. They also offer intervention services, training and education, research, consultation in schools, and a medical division, where developmental pediatricians will follow families every step of the way, monitoring for co-occurring conditions like seizures or eating difficulties.

Kerri sums it up by saying, “Really, the overarching goal is to support families in all aspects of life, making sure that they have a one-stop-shop where they can get access to all those different services.”

Additionally, the Thompson Center has an autism-friendly business program where local businesses can get the education they need to make their shops and storefronts

“There’s a saying that we have — when you meet one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.”

— DR. KERRI NOWELL

WELLNESS

more accessible for autistic people. The program provides psychoeducation to business owners about what autism is and what it may look like in different people. Th is education helps the community better understand autism and what supports can be put into place to help people with autism navigate local businesses.

“Being different or not typically developing is not a bad thing,” Kerri stresses. “You may not know someone has autism,” which is why it is important to recognize that there are many neurodiverse people in the Columbia community.

THE THOMPSON CENTER FOR AUTISM AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS UNIVERSIT Y OF MISSOURI 205 PORTL AND ST. 573-884-6052

COMOMAG.COM

25

Quality in every aspect.

With roots conveniently close to home, Superior Garden Center is mid-Missouri’s most complete garden center with seven greenhouses and over six acres of trees, shrubs, and perennials.

2450 Trails W Ave, Columbia, MO 65202 • (573) 442-9499 • rostlandscaping.com

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN Submit your nomination on comomag.com by 3.15.2021

26

MARCH 2021

Living

HOMES

The City’s Home Rehab and Energy Efficiency program is here to help homeowners make needed repairs.

BY JEN N I F ER TR UES DA L E

COMOMAG.COM

27

Living

HOMES

omeownership in the U.S. continues to be one of the best ways to build personal wealth, but this part of the American dream has become increasingly out of reach for many — a decades-long affordable housing crisis has affected communities from coast to coast, including Columbia.

The City of Columbia’s Housing Programs Division strives to ameliorate Columbia’s shortage of affordable housing through a variety of programs, including its Home Rehab and Energy Efficiency Program. The program is designed to bring existing homes up to code, making them more livable and efficient, thereby strengthening neighborhoods.

It’s Not a TV Home Makeover Show The program is focused on encouraging repairs that are manageable and practical, using federal HUD funding and Community Development Block Grants to offer homeowners a zero-interest loan of up to $50,000 to complete eligible repairs. Those include roof repair or replacement, HVAC repair or replacement, plumbing and electrical upgrades, accessibility modifications such as wheelchair ramps, and energy improvements like attic insulation and window or door replacement. The program began in the early 1980s, and despite the pandemic, the program stayed busy in 2020, facilitating the rehab of six homes.

28

MARCH 2021

“We serve low- to moderate-income homeowners that are at less than 80% of the area median income,” says Randall Cole, the housing programs manager who oversees the program. “We serve a lot of elderly and people with disabilities, but also a lot of the general public fits into that category, so we serve a broad cross-section of households in our community.”

Eligible homeowners can apply for the program through the City’s community development website, though so many applications have been received that the city is not accepting more until this fall. If the application is approved, the homeowner can choose a contractor from a pre-approved list to work on the project.

“We really put the homeowner in the driver’s seat.

We work with them to draw up what they want to

Living

do with the home [repairs], what’s eligible,” Randall says. “One important note is that this isn’t like a TV home-makeover show — it’s really to rehab those specific systems that need help. We don’t typically do cosmetic upgrades unless it’s a part of replacing siding or something like that.”

Landscaping, fencing, and additions are not eligible for the program. Addtionally, loans are not provided to homeowners who intend to sell their property once the repairs are complete; in other words, the program is not intended for home flippers.

Time for Home Rehab Each home that is approved for rehab and has the potential for energy efficiency improvements undergoes a thorough energy efficiency audit offered by the City’s Water and Light Department. The project also participates in the Enhanced Home Performance With Energy Star rebate program. This is a national program through which homeowners can receive rebates for energy systems they upgrade; they can receive up to $1,200 in rebates, which is deducted from the total loan amount.

Energy Star has found that many homes built prior to 1985 lack adequate attic insulation; the company offers

HOMES

“One important note is that this isn’t like a TV home-makeover show — it’s really to rehab those specific systems that need help.”

— Randall Cole, housing programs manager

Photos provided by the City’s Home Rehab and Energy Efficiency program from a foundation and crawlspace project.

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an online assessment that homeowners can use to see if their home would benefit from energy upgrades.

“We see a lot of foundation and roof repair, or making sure there are no sewer leaks. A lot of the energy efficiency work we want to do can’t happen until you take care of the more basic housing items like good wiring, moisture problems, [and] HVAC replacement and upgrade,” Randall explains. “The rebates we get for projects reduce the loan amount and are a good way to make sure water and light’s dollars go toward their intended purpose, and it helps us spread our dollars across more projects,” he adds.

Randall says that one in two homes they work on has a radon gas issue that needs abatement.

Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced when uranium in soil and rock decomposes; odorless, it seeps up through the ground into buildings through cracks in the foundation, and it is known to cause lung cancer. Because of its danger, radon abatement is covered by a grant that does not have to be repaid; lead and asbestos abatements are also covered by grants. Other repairs are funded through loans.

Making a Sustainable Program — Through Loans “Loans are repaid to the city. If the recipient is very low income, it becomes a deferred loan, generally until they sell the home. Otherwise,

people make monthly payments. We have a very easy loan payment structure in place where people pay the loan back at zero percent interest for 15 years. We limit payments to at least $25 per month but no more than $100 per month, so it makes it a lot easier to pay back than what a bank may require.”

Those payments then go back into the program. “A big portion of our program every year is funded by recycled funds — loan payments back to us, or payments when they sold the home and paid off the loan. Twenty-five to 35% of our program funds come from this revolving loan fund.

It makes it a sustainable program.” Partnering with water and light for energy rebates, and with Services for Independent Living to complete accessibility projects, helps the program’s sustainability as well.

An Issue Across the Nation

“We see a lot of foundation and roof repair, or making sure there are no sewer leaks.”

— Randall Cole, housing programs manager

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MARCH 2021

While rehabbing existing homes in need is one way to maintain the city’s stock of affordable properties, Randall concedes that this program alone won’t solve Columbia’s affordable housing crisis.

“Something people should know is that affordable housing is such a big issue all over the country, including here, that we debate whether we should be building new homes, small homes, medium-sized homes, or rehabbing old homes,” Randall says. “People often think that rehabbing an existing home is cheaper than building a new one, but that’s not really the case. Sometimes it costs just as much or more to rehab a home when taking into consideration what the end value of that home is going to be versus the value of a new construction home. We need to be doing rehab to save the existing affordable housing stock, but we also need to be building new affordable homes as well. This is just one piece of a broader continuum of needs that our division serves and needs to serve going forward.”

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MARCH 2021

From Culinary to Apiary: How Jacques Laboile transitioned f rom chef to beekeeper and owner of Bonne Femme Honey Farm.

BY AMANDA LONG | PHOTOS BY KEITH BORGMEYER

COMOMAG.COM

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O

n a small, unassuming plot of land on the outskirts of Columbia, chef-turned-beekeeper Jacques Laboile works on the apiary he built, Bonne Femme Honey Farm. His “home yard” houses 45 deceivingly quiet hives during the winter, the cold weather keeping the bees in but far from inactive.

“The bees’ metabolism slows down in the wintertime, but they still have to make honey to feed themselves,” Jacques shares. “They form a cluster to mostly stay warm, but as soon as the temperature reaches about 50 degrees, they start flying around and take what is called their cleansing fl ight.”

Jacques was raised in the southeastern town of Cadaujac, France, and still carries a thick accent. He remembers learning at an early age to eat from the land – taught to garden by his mother and to hunt and fish by his father. Jacques reminisces, “The fi rst time I was exposed to beekeeping was at my father’s best friend’s apiary, and I thought it was quite interesting.” It was not until several years later that he discovered the avenue to pursue that interest.

After receiving his culinary degree, Jacques moved to Missouri in 1973 to work as a chef at The Lodge of Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozarks, where he also met his wife. In 1990, he moved his family to Columbia, Missouri, and worked as a chef at the University Club at MU. There he met Chris Gibbons, a colleague whose mother, Sharon, needed help at the apiary she owned in Rocheport. Jacques was happy to oblige.

Learning the Art

Beekeeping has a steep learning curve, something Jacques quickly came to realize when working his fi rst week with Sharon. “I remember vividly that my fi rst bee sting was on top of my head. A bee had snuck in under my veil — he was a memorable stinker, really,” he shares, chuckling. Jacques says that the calmer and more confident a person can be when working with the bees, the easier it is to interact with them. “The bees can sense if you are nervous.”

The next year, Jacques became the private chef for Boone County National Bank, the fi rst bank to employ such a position in Columbia, serving wild game–studded classic French dishes to its private guests. While he

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Living

GOURMET

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Living

GOURMET

loved being a chef, in 2013, he retired after 22 years to spend more time with his other love — his bees.

Jacques’ apiary produces extracted honey, chunk honey (a blend of the comb and extracted honey), comb honey, beeswax candles, pure beeswax, bee pollen (which can help prevent allergies), and propolis — a resinous substance produced by bees and used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Having antibacterial properties, propolis can also be used in cosmetics, toothpaste, and medicine. “My set-up is simple because I try to keep the honey as pure as possible,” says Jacques.

Jacques performs every part of the process by hand, from hive management to extraction to bottling and distribution. He keeps his honey in what he calls a “warm box,” which is actually an old freezer he has rigged with a large light bulb that holds a temperature of about 100 degrees — warm enough to prevent crystallization without harming the honey.

Bonne Femme Honey can be purchased at the Columbia Farmer’s Market, Clover’s Natural Market on East Broadway, and A&Y Global Market.

Jacques’ honey has made a name for itself – he does little to no marketing and has no need for a website or social media. “It would be too demanding,” he says. “I have no trouble selling all the honey I can produce.”

All About the Bees

Honey bee hives have three types of bees.

The queen runs the hive. Her job is to lay the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees. The queen also produces chemicals that guide the behavior of the other bees. Worker bees are all female, and their roles are to forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, and clean and circulate air by beating their wings. Workers are the only bees most people ever see flying around outside the hive. Drones are the male bees, and their purpose is to mate with the queen. Several hundred live in each hive during the spring and summer. During the winter months, when the hive goes into survival mode, and the drones are kicked out.

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“In the spring, when all things begin to renew, that is when the real work begins for the bees and the beekeeper,” Jacques explains. The hives have to be cleaned and the queen bee must be checked to make sure she is in good condition and has enough pheromone to keep the worker bees happy. Queen bees are usually good for about two years, but if the queen gets too old, she will need to be replaced.

“The hive can sometimes do this on its own, but as a beekeeper, if I want to maximize the honey production, I interfere and kill the queen and introduce a new queen,” he adds. Jacques says that queen bees can be ordered via the United States Postal Service from breeders located in states that have warmer temperatures earlier in the year.

Another danger to be wary of is overpopulation. If bee colonies become too populated, the bees will swarm and leave the hive. Jacques explains that this is the time when the hives are split. The frames of bees are taken away from a colony and used to create a new hive with a new queen. Managing the population of the hives is an essential part of apiary work to not only prevent swarming, but also replace hives that are lost in the winter, otherwise known as “winter kill.”

“I love beekeeping because it’s so well-connected to nature. It is a noble idea, and I enjoy being outside. I love to do something constructive,” Jacques says. That much is made evident by his hand-built backyard oasis fi lled with Missouri wildflowers, a vegetable garden, and the colorful stacks of hives.

“If you think that is weeds, it is not — it’s Goldenrod,” Jacques states as he gestures to a row of dormant flowers lining the perimeter of his yard, planted to provide food for the bees. On the far outer edge grows an orchard, which produces pears, peaches, apples, and cherries.

These days, Jacques mostly cooks for himself, family, and friends. An avid hunter of deer, quail, and pheasant, he often finds himself the resident chef on hunting trips with friends. He plans to continue beekeeping as long as his hands will let him.

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HOW TO DETERMINE THE BEST LOCATION FOR A PATIO

BRENDAN ROST

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ROST LANDSCAPING

Brendan Rost is a Columbia native and son of owners Tim and Toby Rost. He grew up playing at the garden center and nursery and has worked in all divisions of Rost Inc. since. Brendan received his B.S. in Horticulture and Design from the University of Missouri and now works as a designer in the landscaping division.

He thrives on building relationships and creating unique landscapes that complement the space.

By Brendan Rost Find more at rostlandscaping.com

P

lacing a patio or hardscape feature is a critical first step in determining the style, fit, and function of your space. As you navigate the decision process with a design professional, use the following questions to help you and the designer work together to determine the best location for your patio.

WHAT IS YOUR INTENDED USE FOR THE PATIO? Will you be cooking and dining? Entertaining?

Lounging? Are you including a hot tub? Fire feature? Pool? Carefully considering how you want the space to function is a critical process before discussing form.

Patios located next to the house become an extension of your home and seemingly increase your square footage. These types of patios are great for high-use activities or particularly ones that would involve food such as an outdoor kitchen or dining area. You will receive the most benefit from your patio if it is convenient to bring food from the kitchen or take dishes to the house, rather than across the yard.

If you are planning to primarily use the space for relaxation, it may make sense to place the patio off the living room or bedroom, becoming an extension of that living space.

That being said, there is something attractive

573-445-4465 ROSTLANDSCAPING.COM

about a patio that is further in the yard. It can become an inviting destination, that may be more secluded or scenic.

DOES YOUR PROPERTY HAVE ANY NATURAL FEATURES TO HIGHLIGHT? After thinking through each of the factors listed above that would establish how your patio would be used, you and your design professional should discuss your unique property. Whether your home offers great views of pond, has mature trees to provide shade, or the property has a large flat area that would be a great spot to build on, utilizing that natural advantages that are already provided will enhance your new outdoor living space.

WHAT WILL YOUR PATIO LOOK LIKE FROM THE INSIDE? Most patios will have some sort of focal point, whether it be a fire or water feature, or even the beautiful landscaping surrounding it. By creating a design that will showcase the feature both from the inside and the outside, it can be enjoyed each day. Highlighting an existing feature of the home such as a picture window or French doors to the backyard allows for a cohesive feel as you move in, out and around your home.

WHAT OTHER CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD YOU KEEP IN MIND? Privacy—choose a location on your property that is already private or ask the designer to use plantings to create a more secluded atmosphere.

Sunlight--- A patio surrounding a pool should allow for lots of sunlight, but other uses for the patio may call for a side of the home that is out of the direct sun. If sun is unavoidable, the addition of a shade structure and shade tree plantings can always be an option.

Materials—what look are you going for?

Rustic, natural stone, or a more modern geometric paver? The options are endless; seek out an expert to get you on the right track.

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF MARATHON

By Anne Tuckley Find more at AnneTuckleyhome.com

C

hances are that after this past year, if you weren’t a movie junkie before, you are now. Marathon training has gone from testing one’s physical prowess to testing one’s ability to not move for an unforeseen amount of time. While I haven’t totally succumbed, yes, my television has been on more than I care to admit.

Any activity in which I partake, I try to utilize it as a source of inspiration.

I am fortunate in that, in the design industry, inspiration is truly everywhere.

So how can you

maximize your couch time, find your own inspiration, and incorporate it into your home?

Follow these steps: 1. Escape.

Binge on travel shows to discover new uses of color, pattern, art, and textiles. Did you love virtually exploring Morocco? Paint one of your doors a bold, vivid color. Craving a tropical escape?

Add more oversized plants and bright accents to your decor.

2. Step back in time.

There are an innate mysteriousness and sophistication in black and white

movies. Explore the classics and check out the interior design styles of the past. Old movies are great inspirations for ideas to take with you when you go to garage sales or go antiquing.

3. Learn from others.

Home improvement and design shows are popular for a reason.

They are a great way to see how others manipulate space. Now is the perfect time to tackle those DIY projects, so get some tips and get going!

Happy binging!

Anne has been in the interior design industry for over 20 years and has resided in many metropolitan cities from NYC to Houston while honing in on her skills. Her specialties are interior design and home staging, with a focus on unique perception. Anne graduated with a BFA in fine art with a concentration in design and illustration. She has extensive experience in designing new construction as well as remodeling and conceptualizing out-of-the-box ideas. She ensures cutting-edge design and superb customer service.

108 CORPORATE LAKE PLACE, COLUMBIA, MO 65203 573-639-1989 ANNETUCKLEYHOME.COM

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THE STATE OF REAL ESTATE

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PROS KNOW JULIE WESLEY & JULIEANNE MATTSON TIGER HOME TEAM

Born and Raised in Missouri, Julie Wesley graduated from MU with a degree in housing and interior design. She began her career as an architectural home designer before getting her real estate license in 1982.

JulieAnne grew up in South Florida, graduated from University of South Florida in 1992 with a degree in elementary education, and moved to here to marry her Columbia native husband. She began her real estate career in 2012 with Tiger Home Team.

By Julie Wesley & JulieAnne Mattson

573-424-6309 TIGERHOMETEAM.COM

Find more at tigerhometeam.com

E

nvironment can mean many things, but what it usually means to people, on a personal level, is the environment you live in. Having experienced months of more “at home” time than anyone would’ve ever imagined, it’s prompted a lot of folks to think about changes they’d like to make in their home. Some want room for an office, while others crave space to work out in or hone the crafty skills they’ve recently discovered. This could mean wanting to finish another room in the basement or simply to put up a table to accommodate an ongoing puzzle.

BRING IN THE PROFESSIONALS. We often have folks ask us to come weigh in on what they’re thinking of doing, simply because they want to be sure the changes they’ll make will be

good for the resale value of the house. How you live in and enjoy your home is most important, but homeowners are wise to keep resale in mind as well.

Tiger Home Team is always happy to discuss your home in a quick conversation over call or text, but we especially like going to the house to catch up with our past clients or get to know those we’ll work with in the future.

Whatever you are thinking of doing, we’ll have contractors and service providers you can depend on.

We’re often asked, “What’s going on with the market right now?” So, just in case you were wondering . . .

HOW FAR CAN YOUR DOLLAR STRETCH? Real Estate Affordability is a hot topic right now. There are record low interest rates, giving buyers the advantage of more purchasing

power. Buyers can purchase a larger or higher-priced home right now due to the low rates. If you’re curious about what kind of buying power you have, we can provide you with the names of lenders right here in Columbia to show you all your options.

Sellers have advantages, too, with the low inventory, it’s likely a seller will receive multiple offers on their home, allowing them to negotiate for the most favorable terms. Plus, lenders have options to help you purchase a home before selling your current one.

This relieves the worry of not finding a home by the time your current one sells.

We’re happy to walk through your home and provide you with market data showing what you could expect to list it for. Our motto: “The Experience Matters” embodies the belief that our clients satisfaction is the most important aspect of our work.

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SAY GOODBYE TO RESTLESS NIGHTS

JAKE BAUMGARTNER

Jake essentially grew up in the furniture industry as he is the fourth generation involved in Baumgartner’s Furniture. Working very closely with his father, Alan, Jake has been devoted to the stores full-time since 2004. His greatest enjoyment, however, still comes from working closely with the customers. He is married to Sarah, and they have two active boys, Noah and Laine. Jake received his degree in finance from Saint Louis University.

573-256-6288 BAUMGARTNERS.COM

Find more at baumgartners.com

etting a good night of rest is essential to your health and productivity, and it starts with your mattress.

Most mattresses will last you seven to 10 years before it gets worn down and quits supporting your body properly, and once this time has come, you don’t want to compromise your health and sleep by keeping it any longer.

When this time does come, don’t worry — at Baumgartner’s, we have plenty of mattresses for you to choose from.

WHEN TO REPLACE YOURS If your mattress is nearing seven to 10 years of age, it’s safe to say it’s lived the life it was meant to live. If

you wake up and feel like you haven’t gotten any sleep, or you wake up with more aches and pains, then it’s time to replace your mattress. Your body is working throughout the night to try to find a comfortable position, which causes you to lose out on the precious sleep you need to go about your day happily, healthy, and well-rested.

HOW TO CHOOSE WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU Choosing a mattress can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming, but when you find the mattress that fits your body and needs perfectly, the search will be worth it. At Baumgartner’s, we have a wide selection of foam-

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By Jake Baumgartner

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formed mattresses that will support you in any sleeping situation.

If you sleep on your back, a mattress with a medium-firm feel will help support those curves so your body doesn’t fall out of perfect alignment. If you’re a stomach sleeper, a firm mattress will help keep your hips and in line with your shoulders. And if you’re a side sleeper, a plush mattress will offer pressure relief as you put more on your hips and shoulders.

Is it time to replace your mattress? Whatever project the new year brings you, we’re here to help. Visit our showrooms in Columbia and Auxvasse and let our staff help you find the perfect mattress for you.

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A GOOD-LOOKING LAWN IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

SHAUN HENRY

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ATKINS

A Columbia native, Shaun Henry found a home in Atkins in 2000 when he started his career as a turf technician. Shaun holds a Commercial Applicators License through the Missouri Department of Agriculture and is a member of NALP (National Association of Landscape Professionals), MAGIC Council (MidAmerica Green Industry Council), and MoGIA (Missouri Green Industry Alliance).

Shaun strongly believes in the importance of a great customer experience, where the Atkins staff know the clients and anticipate their needs accordingly.

Shaun is an MU alumni and has a degree in plant science.

By Shaun Henry Find more at AtkinsInc.com

H

aving a good-looking lawn has many advantages:

1. A healthy lawn is a soft and safe place for your family and pets to run around and play on.

2. It increases the aesthetic appeal and monetary value of your property.

3. It could set the standard for the neighborhood. If your neighbor sees how good your lawn looks, they might step up their game, too!

That all sounds great, but more importantly, a healthy lawn also acts as a natural filter — trapping dust, carbon dioxide, and other airborne pollutants. This filtering results in cleaner lungs, windows, cars, and homes, plus it reduces the potential for global warming due to CO2 build-up in the atmosphere.

PROTECTION FROM EROSION Having healthy grass slows down runoff and keeps sediment from running into streams, lakes, and rivers. This protects water quality not just for humans, but for the wildlife and vegetation that inhabit it. A thick lawn will have an extensive root system to help hold soil

573-874-5100 ATKINSINC.COM

Did you know that a 25 square foot patch of grass can provide enough oxygen for an adult for one full day? It certainly can. Turfgrass plants are very efficient at photosynthesis and O2 production so your healthy lawn is really pumping out the oxygen! in place, as well as grass blades to slow down the movement of surface water and wind that would otherwise erode our soils away.

GRASS IS REALLY COOL, TOO A healthy lawn has a great cooling effect. Through transpiration, grass reduces the air temperature around it. We all know how hot an asphalt parking lot can be in July, yet even on a 90-degree day, our lawn temps aren’t bad at all.

LANDSCAPE PLANTS 101 Often placed for aesthetics, many landscape plants are also O2 producers and dust trappers, but one main benefit they provide is essential

nutrients for our pollinators that play a vital role in the production of all our food. For this reason, many landscape designers now incorporate designated pollinator areas into their new construction plans, usually away from the front door. Just remember, unkept landscape plants and lawns can harbor pests that can cause damage to other plants on your property, and even some that may harm your family (ticks, fleas, mosquitos, etc.).

If you think your lawn needs some help, we’re one of the home pros. We can offer suggestions on how to improve upon your lawn and landscape so that it can have a greater positive impact on our environment.

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Living

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Turning Over a New Leaf Living

FRIENDS & FAMILY

Plant YouTuber Becca De La Paz and her collection of houseplants are making COMO home.

BY JULE S N. G RAE BNE R

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“I DIDN’T ALWAYS HAVE PLANTS,” says Becca De La Paz, a houseplant enthusiast and self-described “plant-tuber.” Upon seeing her massive collection of greenery, an indoor jungle fi lled to the brim with exotic tropicals, it’s almost hard to believe that Becca wasn’t born with a plant in her hand.

“My parents had house plants — pothos, snake plants — and my grandma had a beautiful flower garden. So I’ve always known about plants, but there is a big difference between knowing they exist and really feeling their presence,” Becca says, adding that, despite her familiarity, it wasn’t until college when she began to build her own collection. Starting with only a few cuttings, which have since grown into full-blown plants, she began to nurture what she knew would be a lifelong obsession.

A JOURNEY TO DISCOVER HER IDENTIT Y “After college, it became this new journey,” Becca says. After graduation, she struggled with her identity and fi guring out plans for the future. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be, and I still feel that way sometimes, but plants are a great way to keep you grounded and keep you present in the moment,” she says.

After a short stint as a teacher, Becca still found herself unsatisfied. It was only after trying to fi nd a way to combine her love for teaching, performing, and houseplants that Becca found the perfect avenue to showcase her talents: YouTube. After starting her plant-themed YouTube channel, Becca De La Plants, a few years ago, she has amassed over 44 thousand subscribers and nearly 4 million views.

“I liked the act of teaching and sharing my knowledge, so I found my YouTube channel to be a great way to continue being a teacher,” she says. “I grew up being a ham — I loved being on stage — and it is an opportunity to do those kinds of things and fulfi ll my inner child.” Becca laughs as she reminisces. She goes on to say what a wonderful opportunity her YouTube channel has been. “It’s a great way to connect with people. I’ve made some really awesome, possibly lifelong friends through my YouTube channel and plants in general. I just think people who grow and cultivate plants are a different type of person, and, typically, we get along really well.”

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MARCH 2021

While Becca’s YouTube channel has found success, it isn’t her full-time job just yet. She still works in marketing, which she says has given her valuable skills to use when marketing her own online presence.

MAKING THE MOVE FROM THE DESERT TO MID-MISSOURI Last fall, Becca and her husband made the move from Tucson, Arizona, to Columbia.

While moving from the desert into the land of ever-changing weather has been a bit of a culture shock, Becca loves it, saying: “The change of scenery is nice because I did not grow up around trees or grass. It’s so green.”

In addition to the weather, Becca has been impressed with the Columbia community, which has welcomed her with open arms. “Maybe it’s the Midwest, but people are just so nice — it’s so different from Tucson. [In Tucson], no one really looks at each other or smiles, nobody asks how you are or cares. That’s kind of a cultural shift for me.”

With a giant plant collection and a 20hour drive, the move from Tucson to Columbia was not the easiest. “We put them all in a U-Haul, so basically we were just driving down the highway with a giant U-Haul full of plants,” she recalls, “I brought my entire collection, but I put my more sensitive plants in my car so it could be more temperature controlled.”

ADAPTING TO THE COLD Becca and her husband made their move in September, so while it wasn’t the worst time of year for plants, it still wasn’t optimal.

“There defi nitely were some plant losses, and some plants that won’t be the same for a while, but that’s okay because it’s a big transition! For the most part, they’re all doing super well.”

“The number one issue I have dealt with so far is the cold,” Becca explains, “In Southern Arizona, where I’m from, we don’t experience a dormant period for our plants.

They grow all year long because the weather doesn’t change much. Getting used to that, for the plants, has been difficult. Here’s a tip: Be aware of your plants that are close to windows, because it gets really cold and can damage them. That’s something I learned the hard way here.

“Also, the light!” she exclaims. “In Tucson, we basically had 350 days of no-clouds sunlight. Here, going weeks at a time without a

YOUTUBE Becca De La Plants

INSTAGRAM @delaplants

TIKTOK @delaplants

Becca’s new book, Houseplants for Beginners, is available on Amazon. The book is an essential guide for new houseplant owners, but is sure to be a joy for seasoned indoor gardeners, too.

Living

FRIENDS & FAMILY

clear blue sky is different, especially for my plants.” However, Becca says this is certainly not the end of the world, as you can use grow lights to compensate for the lack of natural light that Missouri is prone to, especially in winter.

At fi rst, Becca was very worried about her plants, but now feels as if the change has given her more opportunity to learn, grow, and hone her house plant knowledge. Additionally, she has been absolutely charmed by the Columbia plant community. She mentions Helmi’s Garden Center, which she says is “awesome,” noting that there are many different types of plants for sale in Missouri that she never saw in Tucson. Additionally, she gushes about Vintage Hill, which she says is a “great little spot.” In fact, Vintage Hill carries a soil Becca produced in collaboration with a soil company in Tucson.

PICKING FAVORITES

“I JUST THINK PEOPLE WHO GROW AND CULTIVATE PLANTS ARE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PERSON, AND, TYPICALLY, WE GET ALONG REALLY WELL.”

Though her plant collection is large, Becca concedes that she does have a favorite. “Monstera deliciosa. All of the varieties, green or variegated. I think it is so beautiful, and every time a new leaf comes out on that plant, I get so excited because you just don’t know what it is going to come out like.”

She admits that she paid $250 for an Albo monstera — a plant with four leaves. To put this in perspective, the Monstera deliciosa albo borsigiana is a relatively rare and extremely popular plant in the house plant community, with cuttings selling for upwards of $200. An established plant, like the one Becca purchased, sells online for $1,500 or more.

“I’m very proud of that,” Becca says, “I waited a long time to fi nd a good price.”

With the Becca De La Plants YouTube channel taking off , big things are on the horizon. She just released her fi rst book about houseplant care, entitled Houseplants for Beginners, which is available on Amazon. “It’s meant to be the essential guide to houseplant care,” she says.

As she celebrates the release of her book, she’s also embracing her new home. “I’m excited to be here and explore and enjoy a different kind of nature than I know.”

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Growing

Wild From Invasive to Native How to identify invasive plants and restore a natural habitat.

BY KAT I E PE R RY HA R R I S

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I

f you’re walking on the MKT Trail or taking a drive down Stadium early this spring, you may notice one plant with bright green leaves blooming before anything else in our woodlands and forests. It may seem attractive — a first sign of spring. But that plant is bush honeysuckle, an invasive plant species that is not originally from Missouri and is reducing our community’s biodiversity.

Once you can spot bush honeysuckle, it’s hard to not see it. Its red berries and bushy branches grow along parks, trails, and perhaps even in your own backyard, where many see it as a hedge to provide a border between yards and neighbors. Bush honeysuckle is one of about 25 common invasive plants in Missouri. The Bradford pear tree, well known for its fragrant, early white blooms and shiny green leaves, is another early bloomer that leafs out before other trees and is considered invasive.

Here are some basics you should know about the invasive plants in your own backyard and what you can do to help restore our natural habitat in Mid-Missouri.

Invasive Plants 101 So just what are invasive plants?

“An invasive plant is one that invades an area and overtakes the resources from other plants,” explains Danielle Fox, community conservationist for the City of Columbia’s Office of Sustainability.

“Typically, invasive plants are exotic because they’re not from our localized area. They’re plants that we’ve brought from Asia or Africa, and they’re naturalized to our environment.”

Because these plants have no competition with other plants and no insects that recognize them as beneficial, they’re able to take over their surroundings. Bush honeysuckle, originally from Asia, became popular in the 1960s, when people found it attractive and began planting it in their yards as a hedgerow between houses.

“When you bring an exotic plant into an area where it’s not originally from, it’s not ‘is it invasive?’ but ‘when will it be invasive?”

Danielle points out.

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Besides bush honeysuckle and the Bradford pear tree (which is also known as the Callery pear tree and originally from China), there are other invasive species currently present in Mid-Missouri, including burning bush, Chinese privet, and wintercreeper, among others.

What’s the harm in growing blooming Bradford pear trees in your yard or along the roads? Invasive plants like honeysuckle and the Bradford deplete resources and decrease biodiversity in an area. Bush honeysuckle, growing up to 20 feet in height, doesn’t allow other plants in the forest floor to grow, becoming so thick that native plants are almost completely eliminated.

Native Missouri plants, in contrast, have adapted to our climate, acclimating to our hot, dry Missouri summers and our cold winter weather. In turn, native plants grow massive root systems that allow storm water and carbon to reach down into the soil, for example.

“The greater biodiversity in an area, the more stable our ecosystem is,” Danielle says. “When an exotic comes in, it takes resources away from the plants that are native to our area.”

Growing Native It’s a challenge for the city to take on these invasive plant species, a fight that requires both resources and staff time. “We don’t have the capacity to have a dedicated

Common Invasive Plants in Columbia • • • • • • •

Autumn Olive Bush Honeysuckle Callery/Bradford Pear Crown Vetch Garlic Mustard Japanese Honeysuckle Wintercreeper Source: como.gov

staff that is only managing our natural systems, so a lot of the time, it falls to our volunteers,” says Danielle.

The Columbia Public Works Department manages native vegetation, including the Roadside Pollinator Program that was launched in 2019. You may notice the signs along local roadways that designate a “Pollinator Habitat in Progress.” Converting the grassy areas along roadsides, roundabouts, and medians to native vegetation reduces maintenance costs and duties, since native plants don’t require mowing, and also leads to less runoff going into local creeks and streams.

As for all that honeysuckle growing along the trails, the city’s parks and recreation department manages the Adopt-A-Trail program, in which volunteers adopt a quarter-mile section of trail somewhere in the city. Volunteers remove bush honeysuckle along the city’s easement on both sides of the trail.

Danielle points out that large sections of Grindstone Nature Area and Capen Park have been cleared of honeysuckle, thanks in large part to work by volunteers. It’s ideal to remove honeysuckle in spring, when it’s easy to spot by its early, green leafing; the Missouri Department of Conservation recommends controlling the spread by pulling seedlings, cutting, and using herbicide treatments.

In your own backyard, you can make a difference through the city’s CoMo Wild Yards Program, which helps landowners restore native plant habitats on their property. Homeowners can go online to set up a consultation with a community conservationist like Danielle, who will visit your yard to talk about native species and provide landscape advice. Danielle estimates she’s had 100 consultations in the past four years, all with the aim of giving people the basic knowledge to create a sustainable landscape.

The Wild Yards Program’s educational component is key, with homeowners who participate sharing information with others and becoming more personally invested in creating a successful native landscape.

“When you bring an exotic plant into an area where it’s not originally from, it’s not ‘is it invasive’ but ‘when will it be invasive.’”

Identifying Bush Honeysuckle • 6 to 20 feet tall, depending on species • Opposite leaves, narrowly elliptical with green surface and pale green, slightly fuzzy underside • Thornless and hollow twigs • 1-inch long fragrant paired tubular flowers with narrow petals; white flowers that later become yellowish • Pair of red berries near origin of leaves in fall Source: mdc.mo.gov

—Danielle Fox, community conservationist, City of Columbia Office of Sustainability COMOMAG.COM

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“Giving people the basic knowledge to get out there and start spreading the word has been our main goal,” Danielle says. “When I first meet with people, they may not know about native plants, and now, they’re educating other people about it.”

Students and Science Transform our Parks Through real-life, hands-on projects, Mike Szydlowski, science coordinator for the Columbia Public Schools, educates students about invasive plants. Mike first became aware of bush honeysuckle about eight years ago after reading about it in a Missouri Department of Conservation publication. “It said as you drive, look at any green that’s in the forest this time of year — it’s honeysuckle,” he recounts. “It opened my eyes. When everything else is dormant, it just sticks out. It was a jungle along Fairview Park.”

Thinking about what he could do, Mike started with one class at Jefferson Middle School. During a field trip, students removed honeysuckle along Twin Lakes Park. “The kids loved it,” he says. “They could see an immediate effect, it was a great way to relieve stress, and they could see that it was for a good cause.”

That became the pilot. The removal program continued at other schools, like Fairview Elementary, Mary Paxton Keeley Elementary, and Smithton Middle School.

To date, students have participated in 24,000 hours of removal, with just under 2 million plants cleared in the first three years. Fairview Park is about 75% cleared of honeysuckle, and Smithton Park is about 60% cleared. “We can’t eradicate honeysuckle, so the recommendation is to pick parks you want to save and restore,” Mike says.

It’s no surprise that Mike was awarded with the Invasive Plant Action Award from the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force in recognition of his work with teachers and students to remove honeysuckle. It’s a project that has been transformative — not just for the parks and forests, but for student learning and their engagement with nature.

“Our generation grew up outside all the time, but a lot of these kids aren’t outside a lot,” Mike says. “They’re learning how to identify plants and enjoy being outside.

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Controlling bush honeysuckle Hand Pulling When the plant is small and the soil is moist, hand pulling is an option if the entire plant can be removed. This method should not be used in highly sensitive areas because it disturbs the soil and aids in the spread of other invasive species.

Cut-Stump Method The cut-stump method involves cutting the bush off at the stump and applying a 20% glyphosate solution with a sprayer or brush to thoroughly cover the freshly cut area.

Foliar Spray Foliar spray the leaves with a 2% solution of glyphosate and water plus a non-ionic surfactant, which improves the chemical’s ability to adhere to the plant. This method should be used in early spring or late fall before or after the leaves of native plants are present.

Basal-Bark Method The basal-bark method consists of spraying a mixture of 25% triclopyr and 75% horticultural oil to the bush’s stems to a height of 12 to 15 inches from the ground. Thorough wetting is necessary for good control.

Fire Fire assists in the control of honeysuckles if there is enough fuel and the area can be burned safely. Burn every spring or every other spring for several years to control resprouting.

Source: mdc.mo.gov

It’s about the honeysuckle, but also about the community service and getting kids to realize this can be a lot of fun.”

This spring, as you’re enjoying Columbia’s trails, keep your eye out for honeysuckle. As you walk by Fairview Park, pay attention to the areas that have been cleared and where, thanks to removal efforts, other native species can now grow again for the first time in years. “It’s been 10 years since there have been wildflowers on the forest floor at Fairview,” Mike says. “That’s exciting.”

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Bringing Home the Greens Liz Graznak is pursuing her passion f rom the ground up with Happy Hollow Farm.

BY LAUREN SABLE FREIMAN | PHOTOS BY KEITH BORGMEYER

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Liz Graznak runs electrical lines, but she’s not an electrician.

She installs floor drains, water lines, and frostfree hydrants, she fixes heavy machinery, and she builds structures, but she’s not a plumber, a mechanic, or a carpenter.

She’s an organic farmer who has built a business providing sustainably grown produce and fresh-cut flowers to the residents of Columbia and surrounding areas.

The owner of Happy Hollow Farm, located 45 minutes outside of Columbia in Moniteau County, Liz has proudly carried the title of “FarmHer Liz” since January 2010, when she left her job at Superior Garden Center to focus on farming the land she and wife Katie purchased in November 2007. During her first year of business, 19 members of Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, purchased boxes of produce during the 32-week growing season from May through December. This past season, 87 CSA members purchased boxes for the season. By all accounts, Happy Hollow Farm has grown steadily both in happy, dedicated customers and in its ability to sustain itself as a small business. But despite Liz’s educational background, her hands-on experience, and her unwavering passion and commitment, forging her way through the world of organic farming has required her to pull every conceivable tool from her shed.

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Learning the Skills “It was really hard,” Liz says. “It still is hard . . .

Academic experience means nothing when it comes down to practical knowledge of growing food and all the things it takes to grow food. I’ve had to learn construction skills, plumbing skills, and electrician skills.

I’ve had to teach myself about soil science, what to do to improve my soil, and how to

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have a better understanding of how microbes work in the soil.”

In fact, Liz believes no other profession demands such a broad range of skills. Though she was fortunate to watch and assist others on their farms before running her own, she says the time she spent doing so was “100% not enough” to learn all the skills required to successfully grow quality, sustainable food while keeping a business afloat.

“The fact I would have to develop so many different skills that have nothing to do with growing food — I think that is the biggest and most surprising thing,” she says.

Born and raised in Columbia, Liz left Columbia to attend college in Iowa. As she anticipated graduation, she applied and was accepted to the Peace Corps, but a placement would take almost six months. Without a clear direction in mind, she decided to spend

a summer in Ithaca, New York, where her younger sister was working towards a degree in plant breeding at Cornell.

“The people who do this type of research need to hire extra help short-term for the summer to help with field work,” Liz says. “My sister’s professor was in the process of hiring, so he hired me to be on his field crew studying wheat and oats.”

Towards the end of the summer, the professor received word that he received a research grant to study a new grain called teff, an indigenous grain used in Injera, the traditional Ethiopian flatbread. He had to hire paid research assistants who would also receive the added benefit of free tuition in Cornell’s graduate program in plant breeding.

“At the same time, I received notice from the Peace Corps that I was placed in Haiti,” Liz says. “I could go to Haiti or get a free ride to Cornell and get paid to do research. That’s what I decided to do. It wasn’t because I was super passionate about plant breeding, but it was thrown in front of me, and it would have been foolish of me to turn that down.”

There, Liz was fi rst introduced to the idea of community-supported agriculture, which connects producers and consumers to create a more transparent and profitable local food system. During her time in New York, she became part of a community of people who supported a local farm. After attending a campus lecture presented by a well-known small-scale vegetable farmer, Liz says she was energized by the realization that she could design a career focused on farming.

“I loved grad school, but it wasn’t my calling,” Liz says. “When I found the farm and started getting involved, I started realizing you could make it a career. I didn’t ever think it was a possibility for a career. It opened a whole world of possibilities for me.”

The Road to Happy Hollow Farms Armed with a master’s degree in plant breeding from Cornell, plus plenty of handson farming experience, Liz returned to Columbia, where she spent her days working at Superior Garden Center, steadily growing her savings account with an eye on pursuing her dream.

“No bank was going to give me a loan to buy a farm while working on a farm,” she says. “I worked for five and a half years until I had

an income that was reasonable enough for a bank to give me a loan to buy a farm.”

Liz’s background in academia proved useful because, as she quickly learned, owning a farm requires a lot of DIY work — including research, reading, attending conferences, and asking the right questions. She says she picked up tips and tricks from friends and neighbors who had the skills she wanted to learn. She has been integrally involved with every construction project on the farm, from building the fi rst barn to building an insulated and heated barn addition to constructing an improved wash and pack shed capable of processing 500 heads of lettuce every week.

“I’m the one who rents the trencher and digs the trench and lays the electric line and water line to put in the frost-free hydrants and connect all those water lines to the well we had drilled,” Liz says. “I’m the one who is doing all that.”

At any given time, Liz says she has 30 or 40 different crops growing at Happy Hollow Farm, and every year, she grows around 100 different items, including arugula, basil, beets, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cantaloupe, cauliflower, celeriac, cilantro, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, endive, escarole, fennel, garlic, ginger, green beans, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peppers, radishes, spicy greens, summer and winter squash, and much, much more.

While a typical grocery store might offer two options of head lettuce, Liz says she loves growing and eating an array of varieties and flavors.

“There are so many different varieties of head lettuce that look so different and taste so different,” Liz says. “I could just grow a couple different crops and sell mostly wholesale and some retail, and it might cost me less and be more mechanized. What I do is very laborintensive because we grow so many crops all year long. I don’t want to eat two things all year round. I want to be able to grow and have a selection of a huge variety of food.

[Myself], the people who work with me, and my neighbors are all eating this food.”

Liz’s produce can be purchased locally in stores around Columbia, through her CSA program, and year-round at Columbia Farmers Market. While CSA customers receive a selection of items that are grown in any given week, Liz says she has a loyal following of customers who order directly through her

website where they can choose exactly what and how much they want. Liz says that half of her sales come from CSA shares, while 40% of her business comes from the farmers market and 10% comes from wholesale.

A Flower for You About five years ago, Liz also began growing flowers, something she used to do with her grandmother as a kid. As there was with produce, there was an enormous amount to learn about growing cut flowers. As she learned more and grew more, the demand for her product also grew. Today, Liz grows lisianthus, campanula, zinnias, sunflowers, and celosia, along with many others. She offers 17-week CSA flower shares that include one large bouquet each week. She also sells to a Columbia florist and a local events designer, and she takes orders for delivery through her website.

“In the grand scheme of things, flowers are a small percentage of my total overall business, but it is a profitable part of the business,” she says.

Liz has poured every ounce of herself into growing Happy Hollow Farm, and she prides herself not only on supplying sustainable food to her community, but also on providing meaningful employment and mentorship and growing relationships with customers.

Her hard work and dedication haven’t gone unnoticed. She was recently awarded the prestigious Organic Farmer of the Year award by the board of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, or MOSES. “I was going to the MOSES farming conference since before I had my farm, when I was working for other farmers,” Liz says. “I could not believe it when I got the phone call.

It’s amazing.”

As she reflects on the many DIY projects, trials and errors, and long days of hard work in the hot sun, Liz says that Happy Hollow Farm, where she lives with Katie and daughters Sylvia, 8, and Ellowyn, 2, fulfi lls her in ways she can’t express in words. “When Sylvia wants a vegetable, she walks out to the field and picks it or goes to the barn to the walk-in cooler,” Liz says. “She will go out and harvest her own kale, bring it in the house and make her own kale salad. The fi rst time she did it, I about fell over. I cannot put into words how much it means to me that I’m giving my kids that opportunity. I don’t know how to say how important it is to me.”

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Living

COUPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Carrie Hargrove & Billy Polansky Carrie Hargrove and Billy Polansky talk about how they met, their love of gardening, and more.

HOW DID YOU MEET? Carrie: We met in 2008 at the Heifer

Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. Heifer International is a great nonprofit with a mission to reduce hunger by investing in and supporting sustainable agriculture in communities all over the world. In 2008, Billy and I worked at Heifer’s educational center and led visitors through activities that ranged from ranch maintenance to team building activities to leading groups through the “Global Village,” an immersive experience designed to help people understand how wealth and resources are distributed globally.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DATE? Billy: Living in a house full of 20-somethings

in rural Arkansas, there weren’t many options for dating. Neither of us had a car, and we had lots of roommates, so alone time was sparse. I don’t know if we had an official fi rst date. We would take walks by ourselves, but I can’t remember an actual “fi rst date.”

WHAT KEEPS YOU BUSY

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK TOGETHER?

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT

C: We’ve done it for so long that it’s normal

YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

for us. Many think it’s unusual, but I don’t.

We are very effective communicators with one another, which makes it easy. CCUA is not just a “job” for us. It has been our passion for over a decade now. When you’re that passionate and committed to something, I think that it’s even more special to share it with your best friend.

C: Billy is my boss at work. Lots of

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN

B: I hear a lot of people say that they couldn’t

YOUR FREE TIME?

work with their spouse, but we’ve found a way to make it work and have gotten pretty good about not having it interfere with our personal life.

C: We have a giant garden in our yard that I spend a lot of free time in. Billy likes to build things. We hang out with friends.

B: Home improvement projects around our

house or at our rental properties.

WHAT IS THE KEY TO A LASTING AND

people think that is weird, but I don’t. I communicate better with Billy than with anyone else. I think that comfortable communication makes working together easy. As we built CCUA over the years, it has been important that we give open and honest feedback to one another in a timely fashion. I think we are pretty good at that.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES? C&B: Gardening and going on walks.

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP? C: Being open, honest, and forthright with

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE

communication.

RESTAURANT IN COLUMBIA?

B: Being honest and apologizing.

C: It’s hard to name just one. Right off the top of my head, we both really enjoy the falafel and fries at Beet Box.

WHAT IS THE BEST QUALITY OF

DURING THE WEEK?

YOUR PARTNER?

C: Billy and I are very invested in the

C: Billy is very logical and rarely gets ruffled.

B: I think our number one takeout place has been Peking Restaurant.

I appreciate his cool-headed nature. Also, he always fi xes things that are broken.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE

success of the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, so we work hard alongside the rest of our team during the week. We have been foster parents for the last two and a half years, so when we have kids with us, making sure they have everything they need to be successful takes a lot of time.

B: Carrie is a caring and nurturing person,

PROJECT TO WORK ON TOGETHER?

but she is also a straightforward, nononsense person. You always know where you stand with Carrie. She has always been an incredible support for me.

B: Building CCUA. It has been great to watch this organization grow from a wild idea into something that serves a wide range of people in our community.

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Working

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THE JOURNEY TOWARD CLEAN ENERGY

PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

FLAVORS FROM THE EAST

Renew Missouri lobbies to bring renewable energy to a state lacking in solar and wind power.

Meet Sara Parker Pauley, the first female director of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Hong Kong Market finds a new home closer to downtown Columbia.

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Working

CLOSER LOOK

MARCH 2021

sessions that focus on three pillars — strength; cardio and conditioning; and mobility.

“Our focus is to help people get stronger, get into better shape, and improve the way that they move so they can live their best life outside of the gym,” Stephone says. “We know that fitness is a good foundation to have for people as far as health and wellness goes, but we really want to build on the fact that the stronger and healthier you are, the more you can enjoy your life.”

As the facility continues to grow, Trever and Stephone hope to build their own custom facility and eventually open new locations throughout the state and country.

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Airmagination

Morpheus IV Hydration & Infusion Center

“Studies show that many Americans are dehydrated,” says Kristen Richter, certified registered nurse anesthetist and co-owner of Morpheus IV Hydration and Infusion Center. This is a serious public health problem, she adds, since hydration is needed for the body to function optimally.

Kristen’s dream of wanting to do IV hydration paired well with co-owner and fellow CRNA Jennifer Clark’s own dream of opening a ketamine clinic. The duo opened Morpheus IV Hydration and Infusion Center in November of 2020.

Currently, the clinic offers eight IV drip infusions, ranging from The Hangover, a boost to recover from those fun nights out, to The Super Duper Immune Booster, a popular drip to help jumpstart immune systems, as well as NAD+ infusions and injections.

In the future, Kristen and Jennifer hope to add ketamine therapy — where a treatment

center uses infusions of ketamine to treat pharmaceutical-resistant conditions like chronic depression — to the clinic’s menu of options. Kristen adds that IV hydration and infusion is a current wellness trend that had yet to make it to Columbia before Morpheus opened up shop. “We really just want people to come in, get relaxed, and get hydrated,” Kristen says. “We’re here to help anyone on their wellness path.”

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Vigor MVMNT

They say you shouldn’t go into business with your best friend, but for Stephone Allen and Trever Miller, going into business as best friends has been one of the greatest decisions they’ve made. In October of 2020, the duo opened Vigor MVMNT, a group fitness facility with class

A party isn’t complete without balloons. After months of learning the art of balloon décor and planning the business, Destiny McKnight and her husband launched Airmagination on January 1. Airmagination is a balloon styling and decoration company that helps bring excitement to party décor through customizable balloon garlands, arches, neon signs, backdrops, event set-up, and, of course, a photo booth to capture the greatest and goofiest memories.

“Our balloon arches are fun and vibrant,” Destiny explains. “They definitely bring excitement to any event, and they make any event pop.”

A Texas native, Destiny explains that balloon art is a big deal around the state, so she and her husband knew that this was something the community of Columbia needed.

“We wanted to show people that this is more than just balloons,” Destiny says. “This brings attention, this brings excitement, it brings joy, and it’s a great way to bring your event to life.”

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Briefly in the News

M A RC H 2021

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GR OWTH

Columbia Teens Set to Become Nation’s First Female Eagle Scouts Columbia teens Serena Anderson and Sophie Froese will make history when they become two of the nation’s first female Eagle Scouts.

Sophie and Serena are among hundreds of young women who will make up the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts. Young women have been part of scouting for decades via co-ed programs offered by the Boy Scouts of America.

The BSA expanded that legacy further in recent years by welcoming girls into Cub Scouts and then into all scout levels last February.

Working EDU CAT IO N

Columbia College Announces Partnership with Boone Hospital Center Columbia College and Boone Hospital Center recently announced a partnership that would assist the hospital’s 1,700 employees in pursuing their educational goals at a discounted tuition rate at the school. Columbia College offers Boone employees six class sessions lasting eight weeks each, allowing students to complete their degree quickly. Students can earn an associate degree in 20 months, a bachelor’s degree in three-and-a-half years, and a master’s degree in 12 months. The college is transfer-friendly, which may allow a student to graduate earlier if they have previously attended an accredited college or university.

“We place a high priority on giving our employees opportunities to advance and develop both personally and professionally. We also place a high priority on partnering with strong local organizations for the betterment of our community. This relationship is a win for all of us.”

International in recognition of the destination marketing organization’s commitment to industry excellence and meeting the industry standard for performance and accountability.

The CVB has been accredited through DMAP since 2015 and underwent a full reaccreditation process in 2020.

BRIEFLY

started in 1971 with three vehicles and five drivers serving eight counties quickly grew to encompass much of the state of Missouri. Today, OATS Transit has more than 650 employees and a large fleet of vehicles providing more than a million trips each year. The company is planning an official celebration in late September 2021.

NEW LOCATIONS

KOPN Announces Plans to Move in 2022 KOPN announced plans to move to a new location in 2022, just in time to celebrate the radio station’s 50th anniversary in 2023.

The station has broadcast from its current location on Broadway since it fi rst went on the air on March 3, 1973. A property search and early-stage planning are underway to move the station from its home of 48 years to a location where everyone, regardless of physical limitation, can participate in station activities and programming.

A NNIVER SAR IES

OATS Transit Celebrates 50 Years of Business 2021 marks the 50th anniversary for OATS Transit, a nationwide leader in rural public transportation systems. The company serves 87 counties across Missouri. What

C ELEBR ATIONS

Missourians Invited to Celebrate Bicentennial with an Ice Cream Social Missourians are encouraged to participate in a statewide ice cream social to celebrate Missouri’s 200th. While the event will be held on August 10, 2021, Missouri’s statehood day, the planning begins now. Missouri 2021 is looking for communities and organizations to organize an ice cream social and to register their event online. Registration for the Missouri 2021 Ice Cream Social is open to businesses and nonprofit organizations.

— MICHELLE ZVANUT, VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER R ECOG NIT IO N

Columbia CVB Achieves Reaccreditation Through Destinations International The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau was awarded the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program seal by Destinations

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THE 2021 MODELS

MIDAMERICAHD.COM • (573) 875-4444 • 72

MARCH 2021

MARCH 2021

BOONE COUNTY HISTORY AND C U LT U R E C E N T E R

The Boone County Historical Society has elected four new members to its board of directors. The new directors — Melissa Hecht, Randall Kilgore, Michele Cropp, and Andrea Tapia — bring a wealth of new expertise to the board.

Melissa Hecht, a consumer banking officer for Central Bank of Boone County, is a native of Peru who has called Mid-Missouri home since 2008. Randall Kilgore, a recently retired compliance and business integrity officer with the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a strong supporter of the local arts. The board welcomes his enthusiasm and experience interpreting policy and providing exceptional management. Michele Cropp is an associate media director for True Media. After years of raising a family in Ashland, she has developed strong ties to the Southern Boone community, which she will now bring to the board, along with her years of marketing and communications experience. Andrea Tapia is the chief operating officer at the Columbia Housing Authority.

With a long background in law enforcement and business administration, Andrea is also a member of the National Association for Female Executives, a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and an active member of the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association.

MARY BECK

MU Health Care Chief Nursing Officer Mary Beck will be inducted into the 2021 American Organization for Nursing Leadership fellow designation program. The fellow designation recognizes sustained contributions to nursing leadership, commitment to service, and influence in shaping healthcare. Nurse leaders who attain this honor have provided their expertise at both regional and national levels through training and mentorship.

Woodhaven Learning Center in Columbia. Two years later, she was promoted to adult services coordinator, a role in which she oversaw a residential program for 80 adults with disabilities, including six group homes and two apartment programs. In 1987, Robyn joined BCFR as a residential program manager responsible for client advocacy and supervision of staff, among other administrative duties.

Robyn has held a multitude of positions at BCFR, including director of family and community living support.

OVERKAMP

RUSSELL

COLUMBIA COLLEGE BRENDA OVERKAMP

Brenda Overkamp has been promoted to executive vice president at Job Point. Brenda has been employed with the organization for 30 years in various capacities. She has a bachelor's degree in English from MU. Brenda has tirelessly worked to support the staff and people served by Job Point and has performed vital work in the organization.

ROBYN KAUFMAN

After eight years as executive director of Boone County Family Resources, Robyn Kaufman has announced her decision to retire, effective late spring 2021. Robyn has more than 38 years of experience working in programs for individuals with developmental disabilities — more than 30 of those years have been at BCFR. Robyn began her career in 1982 with

The Columbia College Board of Trustees announced that Dr. David Russell, the institution’s acting president, will assume the role of interim president effective immediately. He will serve in this position while a committee led by the Rev. Dr. Brad Stagg, who will serve as the acting chair of the college’s board of trustees, conducts a national search for a permanent president in the coming months. The board selected Brad as chair in January. The board also named Dale Coe Simons vice chair of the board.

Both Brad and Dale have been members of the college’s leadership group since 2012.

Also, the college announced the promotion of Cliff Jarvis to vice president of facilities operations for the college. Cliff oversees the college’s custodial, maintenance, campus safety, and operational functions for the main campus in Columbia and all locations nationwide.

STAG G

SIMONS

JARVIS

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Your House. Your Shelter. ®

Mike Messer

908 Rain Forest Pkwy., Ste. C Columbia, MO 65202

573-442-5291

MMesser@ShelterInsurance.com

We’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Welcome Back, Josh Hawley Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has been laying low from the media since the Capitol riots on January 6, but he’s back and ready to share his side.

BY KRCG 13’S KERMIT MILLER

A

lmost since arriving in Washington two years ago, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has been uber-accessible. His office has made him available to Missouri news broadcasters almost weekly. He stands before a camera in a Senate recording studio and reporters ask questions over the phone. His staff then emails the recorded interview for local broadcast use. An email from Hawley's office usually comes a day or two in advance to allow newsrooms to schedule and prepare for the interview.

Those regular sessions came to an abrupt end on January 6, the day Hawley came under intense national scrutiny for his persistence in challenging the Pennsylvania results in the 2020 presidential election during the Senate's ratification of the Electoral College vote. It was persistence left unaltered by the deadly riot that occurred in the halls of the U.S. capitol that same day. Critics, including former Missouri Senator Jack Danforth, a Republican favorite son, claimed Hawley played a role in inciting the violence. No one back in Missouri was too surprised by Hawley's apparent desire to lay low in the media.

What did come as a surprise was the phone call from Hawley's office on February 3. A staffer said the senator was available for an interview, and within just a few minutes. A cynic might conclude that was calculated to leave the interviewer with virtually no time to prepare, no time to dig up information which might put Missouri's junior Senator on the spot. Regardless, I accepted the offer.

Recognizing the relentless pressure on Josh Hawley, including a request from Senate Democrats that he be investigated by that chamber's ethics committee, the first question seemed obvious: "Are you going to quit?"

"I'm not going anywhere," the embattled Republican responded, without any pause. "The left-wing mob has tried to get me expelled, has tried to get me disciplined, has tried to cancel my ability to publish books [a reference to the decision by Simon and Schuster not to put out Hawley's book about Big Tech]. They want me silenced. I'm not going to be canceled. I'm not going to be silenced. I'm here to do my job."

That led to questions about the events of January 6, when an angry mob that had gathered to protest the presidential election results stormed the Capitol, damaged the building, got into deadly physical confrontations with security people, entered legislative offices and the Senate chamber, and removed property. Critics argue they were there at the invitation of former President Donald Trump, of members of his inner circle, and of like-minded lawmakers, including Hawley. Far from presenting himself as the mob's champion, Hawley holds himself out as their victim.

"I certainly wouldn't allow the actions of a criminal mob, who deserve to be in prison, to deter me or sway me," Hawley asserted. "And I'm not going to allow the left that now wants to say 'Oh my gosh, anyone who supported Don-

ald Trump incited violence. Anybody who has been a Trump supporter is part of the mob' . . . that is not true, and I'm not going to stand for that either."

Hawley says he would change nothing about his vocal challenge to the election result, even as he decries those who celebrated that effort. "I would say to the people who rioted at the Capitol . . . they belong in prison and they ought to be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

Does he bear any responsibility for what happened at the Capitol that day?

"I think to equate leading a debate on the floor of the Senate on election integrity with a criminal riot is not only false, I think it's dangerous," Hawley responded. "And that's, in fact, what the left is trying to do now. And that's just a pretext to silence opposition, to say, 'If you took a different view, you ought to be silenced.’"

Ironically, Josh Hawley himself might have produced the most damning evidence against him in the court of public opinion. On January 6, the Associated Press snapped a photo of him walking into the Capitol with his fist raised, signaling solidarity with protestors who, at that point in the day, were still orderly. Was allowing that photo to be taken a bad idea?

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“I'm not going anywhere. The left-wing mob has tried to get me expelled, has tried to get me disciplined, has tried to cancel my ability to publish books. They want me silenced. I'm not going to be canceled.

—Senator Josh Hawley "I was gesturing there . . . waving to and greeting protestors who were gathered peacefully at the Capitol . . . actually standing behind barricades," Hawley explained. "That is, last I checked, still legal in this country."

In the wake of the riot, the House of Representatives brought a new article of impeachment against Donald Trump, who already was halfway out the White House door. That forced another impeachment trial in the Senate, which took place after the change in presidential administration. Both Hawley and Missouri Senator Roy Blunt were among 45 Republicans who backed a bid to declare the proceeding unconstitutional, as Donald Trump was no longer president when the trial took place. (Trump was acquitted, albeit in a closer vote than his first impeachment trial — 57 senators voted to convict.)

My interview with Hawley took place before the trial began. "I'm on record," Hawley reminded me, "I've already voted that I think this is totally unconstitutional. The Constitution does not give the Senate the power to try and convict private citizens, and that's what the ex-President is now. He's a private citizen. So, I think this is totally outside the bounds of the law."

Needless to say, Hawley was a "nay" for conviction.

Josh Hawley now appears eager to put the entire episode behind him. He has found a new publisher for his book. And he is flooding reporter email boxes with releases about other concerns: investigating the origins of COVID-19; demanding that federal funds be withheld from school districts that vaccinate their teachers but still refuse to reopen to in-person learning; holding Wall Street accountable for the hedge fund scandal involving GameStop stock; and getting answers for the lack of coronavirus vaccinations in Missouri, to name a few.

At the end of January, Missouri ranked dead last among states for the percentage of residents who had received their first dose.

Hawley called that "very, very troubling," and requested a briefing from the CEOs of CVS and Walgreens pharmacy companies.

He claimed to have heard they were holding onto excess vaccines and had administered only "17% of the 332,000 doses" allocated to Missouri for use in nursing homes. Hawley said Walgreens and CVS need to "step it up or they need to be replaced."

That's the kind of crusade Josh Hawley has staked his political reputation on in Washington, and the kind he apparently hopes will save it.

Kermit Miller anchors the 6 and 10 p.m. news for KRCG 13. You can reach Kermit at kmiller@krcg.com

76 DECEMBER MARCH 2021 2 2020

Chiropractors that treat you like family.

Chiropractic care is an amazing option for addressing many conditions including the desire to have improved vitality and optimal health. Our team is made up of individuals that want your life to be better. We want to be your complete health and wellness provider in Columbia and vicinity.

These amenities are complementary to our members: • Massage tables available before or after adjustment • Email, text, or phone appointment reminders. You can also reply to our text messages and our office will receive your reply.

• Posture training instruction at key points in your care plan • Family friendly – with a dedicated toy room for your children to enjoy • Free WiFi

• Ample parking • Beverage Station with Nutrient-infused fruit water, hot chocolate, Keurig coffee station, Orange Tiger Family cups (take some home for the family!)

• Make an appointment through the website, by texting, or by calling • Convenient hours, including early mornings, lunch breaks, and evenings

Feel like yourself again. tigerfamilychiropractic.com | 573.443.1414 3700 Interstate 70 Dr SE #110, Columbia, MO

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GUEST VOICE

Support for Entrepreneurs A few of the resources REDI offers to help entrepreneurs grow their startup businesses.

BY STACEY BUTTON, REDI PRESIDENT

R

egional Economic Development Inc., also known as REDI, has worked to benefit the Columbia and Boone County community for more than 30 years. But many people still ask, “What is REDI?” REDI is a local collaboration of the City of Columbia, Boone County, the University of Missouri, local businesses, organizations, educational institutions, municipalities, service agencies, and more. The REDI collaboration works to create jobs for the residents of Columbia and Boone County, boost economic mobility, and sustain a thriving economy. One way REDI does this is by helping entrepreneurs grow startup businesses.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP Mid-Missouri offers so many resources for entrepreneurs in all stages, and REDI and the Hub are here to connect those resources to the people and businesses that need them.

REDI supports entrepreneurs creating startups as well those who are growing existing small businesses. REDI’s free services include consultation with its full-time entrepreneurial coordinator, access to the Hub co-working space, and programming to provide entrepreneurial resources and support to a diverse clientele. REDI supports the region’s startup ecosystem and provides offices for the Supplier Diversity Program for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises, the Missouri Women’s Business Center, the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and the Small Business Administration right on-site with REDI and the Hub. REDI also promotes grassroots entrepreneurship programs and is assisting with the Business Loop revitalization, including support on small-scale manufacturing and a shared commercial kitchen.

THE HUB The Hub, first opened in 2012, has been a space for entrepreneurs to work, collaborate, and take advantage of programming provided by REDI. Recently, the Hub, which already benefited from a strong presence of women-owned businesses, has experienced a notable increase in newly formed nonprofit organizations and minority-owned businesses. The recent move of the City’s Supplier Diversity Program coordinator to REDI is helping support these minority-owned businesses even more.

Many established Hub clients facing today’s challenges are experiencing pivots, needing to radically reassess how their businesses operate and strategize for the future. Hub clients have been reaching out to each other to solve problems, and these connections will help all entrepreneurs as they and their businesses grow.

REDI and the Hub are also helping to support a new coaches’ cohort. A group of more than 15 local coaches with a strong history in entrepreneurship have coalesced around the Hub, the Missouri Women’s Business Center, and entrepreneurial services on the Mizzou campus.

The goal of the coaches’ cohort is to provide

one-to-one coaching for startup businesses here in Mid-Missouri. The coaches can turn to each other for help and can pool resources among the many organizations they serve and represent.

The Hub is always looking for new clients, from solopreneurs who are just starting out with a brand-new idea to existing small businesses looking for a second wind. If you’re interested in learning more, contact REDI. The REDI team is always ready and willing to answer any questions and help the community learn more about the resources and coaching that REDI and the cohort can provide.

SHARED COMMERCIAL KITCHEN To work with food-based entrepreneurs in Mid-Missouri, REDI has partnered with The Loop to create CoMo Cooks, a shared commercial kitchen at MU North. The kitchen is health department– and fire department–cer-

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You’re in good hands.

Laura tified and ready for cooks, caterers, bakers, food truck operators, or anyone who is ready to transition beyond their own kitchens to large-scale, commercial production.

CoMo Cooks helps food-based entrepreneurs succeed regardless of background, income, or status. It provides an accessible, inclusive, and affordable kitchen space that is available on a sliding fee scale. REDI and The Loop CID support these entrepreneurs with business coaching, shared branding, pop-ups, and other promotions.

PODCAST ROOM REDI has also worked with The Bank of Missouri to create a podcast and streaming studio at REDI’s offices on Walnut Street. The podcast room is equipped to record podcasts or other narrative audio projects, as well as stream video for Twitch or YouTube. Many startups feel this is a smart way to invest in content creation for their business and one that will pay dividends moving forward. The podcast room is available for community use. Contact REDI to learn more or book a time to use the studio.

REDI’s mission spelled out 30 years ago is still the focus of REDI’s work today: Increase economic opportunities, maintain our community’s superior quality of life, recruit new businesses, retain existing business and assist with expansion, and support new business startups. Today, REDI’s free services for entrepreneurs are more important than ever. To learn more about the shared commercial kitchen and podcast room, or how REDI can support your ideas and help launch your startup, contact REDI’s entrepreneurship coordinator Jay Sparks at 573-441-5546 or Jay.Sparks@CoMo.gov.

Stacey Button has been the president of REDI since 2015. You can reach Stacey at 573-441-5542.

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Macy

Laura has been an esthetician for twenty years and is also a licensed practical nurse. She specializes in improving the health of skin and treating different skin care needs. She is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in nursing to be able to treat people’s skin care concerns on a medical level. Laura says the basic facial is a must. She loves to explore your skin, talk to you about your skin care concerns and formulate a plan to get you to where you want to be. She also enjoys body waxing, it’s just a nice gift to yourself that allows more self-time.

Macy has always loved making people feel happy and beautiful. At a young age she developed a passion for art, beauty, makeup, and skincare. Her mission is to inspire and promote confidence and overall wellbeing through the art and science of esthetics. She loves working as an esthetician because she can truly impact others by allowing them time to unwind, decompress, and feel rejuvenated. Her goal is to develop a trusting relationship with her clients and to magnify their inner and outer beauty into something they love.

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11 Years of Solar Energy Dogwood Solar has been providing renewable solar energy to the Columbia community and beyond for 11 years.

BY HANNAH KUECK

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an Shifley has always had a passion for solar energy, and 11 years ago, he took that passion and turned it into a business — Dogwood Solar. For the past 11 years, Dogwood Solar has been connecting people with solar energy both right here in our community and beyond.

“I really like the self-reliance factor of [solar energy], and I love the fact that we can produce our own energy if we just put some equipment on the roof. It’s a free resource, and we just have to pay a little bit to capture it,” Dan explains.

From 2008 to 2009, Dan began his training in solar energy, and on January 1, 2010, Dogwood Solar opened its doors, offering solar design, installation, and service for residential, commercial, and nonprofit projects.

A HUMBLE BEGINNING The fi rst year that Dogwood Solar was open, Dan says that the company didn’t see much business. In fact, the first year

only saw four or five customers. Now, after 11 years, the business has gained momentum. “We see a lot more customers and clients than that now,” Dan says with a laugh.

“And it’s growing every year.”

In the beginning of Dogwood, solar energy wasn’t yet a common topic of public thought. But now, Dan explains, many clients that come in have been thinking about solar and have been familiar with the notion for a while. And if a client comes in that isn’t quite as familiar with solar energy, Dan is always excited to share his wealth of knowledge about the many ways solar power can benefit each person and the environment.

As the business has grown, so has Dan’s family. “When I started [Dogwood Solar], we had two daughters who were really young. Now we have three daughters, and I see this as a way to inspire them in their lives to make a change and do something they’re passionate about,” Dan explains.

Not only does Dan see the support from his family, but he also sees it from the

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2010

CELEBRATIONS

“There’s a unique challenge to solve in all of them, and at the end of the day, it ends up looking great and performing great. It’s a lot of fun to do what I do.”

Dogwood Solar opens for business.

2010 Dogwood Solar installs first solar water heater.

cause they’re going to pay less for electricity and for the life of the system than they would otherwise.” The biggest challenge, however, is making the choice of whether or not solar energy is right for you.

2014 Dan Shifley receives NABCEP

GIVING BACK TO COMMUNITIES

certification as

Since its inception in 2010, Dogwood Solar has helped hundreds of people in the community fulfi ll their solar wants and needs, regardless of the project. The business has installed solar panels on homes, businesses, and other structures. In its 11 years, Dogwood Solar has done a little bit of everything. “We’ve done off-grid, we’ve done on-grid, and we’ve even helped Habitat for Humanity with a couple of projects,” Dan says, adding that they accomplished the Habitat for Humanity projects below cost estimates.

The business also works on several projects with Global First Responder, a nonprofit international medical relief organization that offers support in places that need the most help. “We’re most proud of the work we’ve done with GFR,” Dan says.

Through the projects with GFR, the business has brought solar energy to communities around the world, including some in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. “As soon as COVID gets out of the way, we’ll start traveling again to do more,” he explains. “We provided solar generators in the Bahamas and installed solar systems with battery back-up in Puerto Rico, and we also helped with clean-up and other construction needs.”

“To be completely honest, I love every project we do,” Dan says. “There’s a unique challenge to solve in all of them, and at the end of the day, it ends up looking great and performing great. It’s a lot of fun to do what I do.”

a PV Installation Professional.

2017 Dogwood Solar goes to Puerto Rico with Global First Responder after Hurricane Maria.

2019 Dogwood Solar completes installation of 560 solar panels for U.S. Wellness Meats.

2021 Dogwood Solar celebrates 11 years of business.

community. People are eager to learn more about solar energy and participate in Earth Day activities.

“It’s a town where this type of business does really well, and I feel that strong community support,” he explains. Before COVID-19 came, the business would host a booth at the Earth Day Festival hosted by Columbia Earth Day Coalition, where they educate past, present, and future clients about solar energy and give away prizes. In a post-COVID world, Dan looks forward to those events again so he can connect with more members of the community and share his love for solar energy.

SOLAR ENERGY 101 “First and foremost, by switching to solar, you’re going to be doing something for the environment,” Dan says. Most of Dogwood Solar’s clients are environmentally motivated to do something that will benefit their children, grandchildren, and the world as a whole in the future. But the benefits of solar energy go beyond creating a better environment for your kids to grow up in.

“The neat thing about solar energy is that, while it satisfies [contributing to a better environment] and then some, it also has a great return on investment,” Dan says. “Particularly here in central Missouri, we’re seeing people that make this investment be-

DOGWOOD SOL AR 1501 CREEKWOOD PKW Y, STE. 110 573-424-2011 DOGWOODSOL AR.COM

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The Journey Toward Clean Energy Renew Missouri lobbies to bring renewable energy to a state lacking in solar and wind power.

BY JON HADUSEK

R

enewable energy resources were practically non-existent in the state of Missouri prior to 2006, when nonprofit Renew Missouri began its tireless efforts. Founded by PJ Wilson and Erin Noble, the organization has dramatically increased the proliferation of clean energy in the state since then.

Back in 2006, Missouri ranked 49th out of the 50 in renewables — a testament to Missouri’s long-standing dependence on coal for electric power. Now, the state comes in at 33rd after a slow yet gradual shift toward renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.

Still, things are not where they need to be, according to Renew Missouri Executive Director James Owens.

“Missouri is historically a conservative state,” James says. “We always want to be fi rst at being second or third — we don’t want to be fi rst to do anything. ‘Show me,’ right? So I think this is why we’re historically behind on clean energy.”

THE FIGHT FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY Renew Missouri has been on the front lines fighting for renewable energy in the state, but it hasn’t been easy. The organization lobbies with lawmakers, city councils, and power companies with shareholders in utilities — those regulated by the state’s Public Service Commission — to shift to renewable energy.

“It’s important that they’re regulated because they provide a public good and it’s a monopoly, so they have to have oversight from the government. Otherwise, they’d just do whatever they wanted, no competition,” James explains.

“We see ourselves advocating for the public, on behalf of Missourians, to say, ‘You need to look at the benefits of renewables, the benefits of energy efficiency, and that needs to be a part of how you run a utility.’”

Many of Renew Missouri’s activities are in legal and political arenas, with the organization holding accountable those who wield the power to shift the state toward clean

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Renew Missouri Mission Statement: Renew Missouri is dedicated to transforming Missouri into a leading state in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Founded: 2006

Board Members: • James Owen Executive Director • Andrew Linhares Regional Director and Senior Counsel • Philip Fracica Policy Organizer • Tim Opitz Counsel • Tori Cheatham Policy and Outreach Coordinator • Erin Noble Director of Business Operations, Co-Founder

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energy or away from it. So far, the organization has advanced legislation, passed statewide ballot initiatives, crafted local ordinances, and represented clean-energy interests before state regulators in hundreds of cases.

“We involve ourselves in almost every public case involving an electric company for the Public Service Commission to drive their decisions and their policies toward more renewables,” James says.

RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN HELP On one hand, many major corporations like Google and Amazon — the latter pledged to follow a path for 100% clean energy by 2025 — have adopted strict clean-energy policies. As James explains, with Missouri so far behind in renewables, those corporations are unlikely to operate in the state. In the long run, outdated energy policies are potentially costing Missouri jobs.

“Almost every major corporation has a sustainability goal — it’s because their customers demand it and their shareholders demand it,” James says. “There are companies that will not move to Missouri because they don’t have the access to solar or wind. A lot of them say they want to have 100% of power come from clean energy sources. Missouri literally cannot, under its current system, provide that. I think it’s losing Missouri jobs.”

He also believes that clean energy would result in cheaper electricity bills. According to James, everyone, from homeowners to apartment dwellers, would see a cheaper bill due to more efficient energy usage. Yet, renewables are sometimes greeted with political back-

“Renew Missouri has been on the front lines fighting for renewable energy in the state, but it hasn’t been easy.”

— James Owens, executive director of Renew Missouri

lash — though James says Governor Mike Parson’s office has been mostly cooperative in their efforts — and indifference from local power companies and co-ops that have long depended on coal. Ultimately, James says, it’s the everyday citizen who is losing money from the lack of renewables in the state.

“Coal is becoming more expensive. We’ve depleted those resources,” he warns. “It used to be that you could find coal here in Missouri. Now, you have to ship it in on a train from Wyoming. That’s expensive. When you look

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

at the fact that solar or wind doesn’t have to be transported from anywhere — the wind is all over the Northern part of Missouri, and the sun has great penetration in the southern part of the state. It’s right here.”

There is also a movement against wind power due to the large white windmill structures that can be found along the highways of neighboring states. The Missouri countryside is dotted with signs decrying the construction of these windmills, usually on the grounds of “besmirching the scenery.” Ironically, these plastic signs are arguably more distracting than the windmills themselves, which could indeed be more prevalent in Missouri soon.

“That technology has improved,” James says of solar panels and wind farms. “With every advancement, that technology has gotten better and cheaper. So that has slowly become a cheaper way of producing power. The other thing driving the demand are the customers who want it.”

For those who would like to get involved with Renew Missouri’s goal of proliferating clean energy in the state, James says the fi rst step is contacting your state lawmakers.

“Everyone has a lawmaker — state representative or senator — who they can contact and say, ‘Hey, you need to promote policies that are good for clean energy,’” he says.

RENEW MISSOURI 409 VANDIVER DR., BUILDING 5, STE. 205 573-303-0394 RENEWMO.ORG

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Flavors from the East Hong Kong Market f inds a new home closer to downtown Columbia.

BY AUROLA WEDMAN ALFARO | PHOTOS BY ANTHONY JINSON

T

he Chen brothers are dedicated to bringing a taste of Asia to Columbia. For the past 10 years, they have done so by offering Asian food staples at Hong Kong Market. Previously located on I-70 Drive Southeast, Hong Kong Market is now beginning a new chapter on East Broadway.

“The best thing is the view,” says manager Henry Chen. He removes some boxes that are blocking the windows in the packaging area and reveals the scene. Across the street is Stephens Lake Park. People are walking and running on the trails. Trees swing softly, pushed by the wind.

“At the other store, you could only see a couple of trees,” he says, eyes on the horizon.

Exchanging a few trees for a whole park is a win for Henry, but it’s not the only perk that comes with the new location. The space

is closer to downtown, and it’s about two and a half times bigger than the previous store, an invaluable asset during a time when shopping is done six feet apart.

WHEN OPPORTUNITIES ARISE The Chen brothers had their eye on the East Broadway location for some time, but it wasn’t until October 2020 that everything aligned. The location became available right as their previous lease ended, allowing them to make the move.

Columbia has over 7,000 residents of Asian origin and less than a handful of Asian grocery stores. Hong Kong Market strives to serve this diverse community — and Columbia as a whole — by sourcing products from places you wouldn’t find in a chain grocery store.

Born in Taiwan, Henry traveled and worked in Southeast Asia, where he had the opportunity

to savor a myriad of dishes. These experiences instilled in Henry a culinary appreciation that drove him to offer the best ingredients to prepare everything from Vietnamese pho to Thai green papaya salad.

Throughout the day, Henry greets customers, answers their questions, and when prompted, gives out recipe recommendations. “Our greatest joy is when a customer tells us they are happy with the products they find in our store,” Henry says. “Sometimes I give someone a food or recipe recommendation, and when they return the following week, they give me the thumbs up. That makes me happy.”

COMFORT, HATE, AND REDISCOVERY IN ASIAN FOOD For years, Hong Kong Market has been the go-to store for many Asian residents and local

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restaurant owners in town. Among the wide aisles of red walls and white shelves are the kind of ingredients that can bring back memories of traditional dishes that can be hard to find on the local dining scene.

During the pandemic, this hasn’t changed. If anything, reconnecting with one’s roots and preparing a warm broth to comfort the belly and soul during a time of unrest has been a nationwide trend. But it’s not only those with genealogical ties to the food who are shopping at Hong Kong Market.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps their new location, has resulted in increased foot traffic of all kinds. As more and more people have undertaken a mission to make their favorite Asian meals at home and avoid bigger supermarkets and crowds, new customers are venturing into the store.

The scene for Asian food and businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been a grim one. Nationwide, stigmatization of China and Chinese people has resulted in a wave of vandalizations, threats, and racist stereotypes against Asian Americans. The number of Asian American business owners has dropped by 26% during the pandemic, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, making it one of the hardest hit demographics.

The Chens’ helpfulness and diversified customer base has helped sustain the store throughout the pandemic. “If someone isn’t sure of what they want to buy, they can just come in and browse around,” Henry says.

Henry is always happy to offer some recommendations for newcomers. Sushi, kimchi, barbecue pork, pho — the ingredients needed to prepare any of those dishes are offered at Hong Kong Market. If none of those spark your appetite, Henry points to the fresh vegetable section, where bok choy and spinach bunches stand out. “These are my favorite — they keep me healthy,” he says.

BUSINESS UPDATE

Hong Kong Market hasn’t been able to offer online shopping because of its wide array of products — the store gets products all the time, and the store is constantly evolving, making it difficult to maintain an accurate online inventory. Additionally, some products are not available year-round, and others vary in name according to their country of origin, which makes it all the more challenging.

Nonetheless, the Chen brothers work hard to create a safe in-person shopping experience. The supermarket features all the must-haves of a retail establishment in the time of COVID-19: disinfectant wipes, alcohol gel, and signs reminding customers to wear a mask. “We care about our customers, and we take the pandemic seriously,” Henry says.

“Our greatest joy is when a customer tells us they’re happy with the products they find in our store.”

FOR THE FUTURE

When thinking of the future, the Chen brothers have a few ideas in mind.

Offering a wider variety of seafood, including fresh-from-the-tank lobster, comes up as Henry brainstorms. The brothers also look back at store events and special sale days they used to host before COVID-19 and hope to bring some of those back in the future.

With the bigger space and stock of ingredients, several customers have suggested they open a restaurant. However, being a food supplier for several local Asian restaurants, Henry does not anticipate taking that route. Building loyal relationships is at the core of Hong Kong Market, and those relationships take priority over any future plans.

Next time Instagram tempts you with a mouth-watering stir-fry dish, you know where to go for the shopping— and, perhaps, some cooking tips. Support your local grocery store, succumb to your inner chef, and let us know how it goes.

— Henry Chen

MASKS AND SIX FEET APART The Chen brothers were pioneers in creating a safe shopping experience for customers during the pandemic. “We asked our employees to begin wearing masks before the City of Columbia enforced the ordinance,” Henry says.

HONG KONG MARKET 2006 E. BROADWAY 573-474-2878 FACEBOOK .COM/HKMCOMO

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Working

PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

Sara Parker Pauley Director, Missouri Department of Conservation PH OTO BY ANTHON Y JI N S O N JOB DESCRIPTION

I have responsibility for an estimated 1,800 positions that carry out the department’s mission to protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife resources of the state and to facilitate and provide opportunities for all citizens to use, enjoy, and learn about these resources.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

A native of Columbia, I received both my law degree and bachelor’s degree in journalism from MU and did postgraduate studies in Australia as a Rotary Fellow. I have served as director of the MDC since 2016. Previously, the six years before that, I served as the director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. I’ve worked as project manager for D.J. Case & Associates, a natural resources communications firm, and as a deputy director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. I’ve served as an instructor at MU’s School of Natural Resources in natural resource policy and administration. I also served as chief of staff to the speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. I began my professional career as a policy analyst with the Missouri Department of Conservation from 1993 to 1996.

HOMETOWN

Columbia.

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YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

I lived in Columbia for more than 20 years. I’ve lived in Boone County for more than 50 years, and I’m currently living in rural Boone County.

QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

I’m a Teddy Roosevelt fan, so something from “Man in the Arena” (the “citizenship in a republic” speech). “It’s not the critic who counts . . . The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”

FAVORITE VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY

Conservation Federation of Missouri.

FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

This one is easy — being a part of the Boone County Nature School project! It has been amazing to witness how this vision has grown as more partners have come alongside and joined this innovative community effort!

Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman and I schemed for years on this, but now that it’s happening (in large part due to the generosity of Vicki Russell and the late Hank Waters and the support of the conservation commission), it is becoming so much more than we could have ever initially imagined. To think that every fifth grader in Boone County will have the opportunity to spend time here, to learn about and connect with nature here, just makes me happy to have been part of this effort in some small way. It will be a model for the community, state, and nation.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB

I’ve been passionate about nature and the outdoors for as long as I can remember. It’s where I can think, rest, and rejuvenate. To think I have had the opportunity to spend most of my professional career in this space — of protecting and conserving nature and introducing others to nature — it’s a dream come true.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

For many reasons: because of its worthy mission and its passionate staff; because of the support of Missouri’s citizens, since the Missouri Department of Conservation was founded by the citizens of Missouri and is largely funded by the citizens through an eighth-cent state sales tax, and I do not take for granted this direct connection and support of Missouri’s citizens; and because nature is central and integral to our very quality of life,

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“To think I have had the opportunity to spend most of my professional career in this space — of protecting and conserving nature and introducing others to nature — it’s a dream come true.” and the MDC plays a big role in working to conserve nature and connect people to nature.

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

Being the first female director in the 80year history of the MDC and first female president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which has been around for 117 years. I’m opening doors for other women leaders.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

Hard to imagine doing something different.

But it would be in the outdoor, conservation, or nature space.

WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION

It’s largely filled with passionate people who are in it not for the money, but for the high level of personal and professional satisfaction it brings them.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

There are plenty of challenges, from loss of habitat to impacts from climate change to new wildlife diseases emerging to the changing societal demographics that indicate our

public is more disconnected from nature than ever. So yes, there is plenty to worry about and work on. But I’m an optimist, and just as we saw this great return to nature during the COVID-19 pandemic — record numbers of people escaping to nature for recreation, solace, and healing — I believe there will be a great return to nature more permanently as people recognize their individual, family, and community quality of life depends, in part, on a healthy natural environment.

YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

Finish this post strong — giving as much effort on my last day as my first. Then, we will see what the next chapter might hold. I want to keep using my experiences to make a difference for people, nature, and our shared quality of life.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

Customer service is everything.

HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

Get the Boone County Nature School up and running so our county’s young people can begin to connect to nature, learn, and make memories there!

GREATEST STRENGTH

Optimism. Passion for continuous learning.

Connector.

GREATEST WEAKNESS

Impatience — often too many irons in the fire.

WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

Anything outdoors: hunt, fish, kayak, and hike the Katy Trail.

FAMILY

There’s my husband, a retired Missouri State Trooper; my dad, retired from MU Extension; my mom, a retired Columbia Public School Teacher; my brother, a surgeon at Columbia Orthopedic Group; and another brother, who works at Schneider Electric. We all have Columbia roots. It’s a family thread of public service.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

I love the trails! Thank you to Darwin Hindman and other key city leaders!

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT YOU

I took a semester out of law school to live on a trapline with Cree trappers in northern Canada.

New name.

New year.

Same great team.

We are here to help plan for and protect you and your family.

2412 Forum Blvd, Suite 101, Columbia 573-874-1122 | Fax: 573-340-1465 | JandULaw.com

Ernie Ueligger, Rob Temple, Nathan Jones

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits.

What is REDI?

Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI) is a nonprofit, public/private par tnership created to enhance the vitality of business and increase the number of quality, sustainable jobs in Columbia and Boone County.

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Expand

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New Businesses

Legacy Businesses

Entrepreneurship

For more information, visit our website or give us a call!

(573) 442-8303 • REDI@CoMo.gov • columbiaredi.com COMOMAG.COM

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Climate Change CHALLENGES Columbia makes progress through the city’s Climate Action and Adaptability Plan.

BY J OD IE JAC KSON J R .

T

here’s a ray of sunshine and a slight breeze of cleaner air in Columbia’s fi rst report on the city’s initiative to battle climate change.

Since 2015, Columbia has experienced an almost 6% decline in community greenhouse gas emissions.

That statistic might seem “kind of dry,” admits Barbara Buffaloe, sustainability manager for the City of Columbia. But consider what that means. “It’s the equivalent of over 155 million pounds of coal not being burned” to produce electricity, she says.

Columbia’s Climate Action and Adaptability Plan, adopted in June 2019, was based on 2015 greenhouse gas emissions from local activities such as electricity production, transportation, home energy use, and methane emissions from landfi lling and treatment of wastewater.

Dividing Lines

Just mention “climate change,” though, and people tend to quickly line up on a political side. Barbara concedes there were some questions about that divisiveness when the local climate action plan was being developed, but she refers to Mayor Brian Treece’s words that “we led with the science,” adding, “We are already seeing the effects of the changing climate.”

The CAAP focuses on the areas of housing; buildings and development; transportation; waste; health, safety, and well-being; and natural resources. Examples of goals include increasing the use of low- to zero-emissions vehicles and creating a bikeable and walkable community; encouraging recycling and reducing landfi ll waste; and planning for a potential increase in the demand for mental health care. Targeted actions include those that are “most cost-effective and equitable.”

The plan lists “tension points” to guide policies and discussion, with a special focus on balancing funding needs and community priorities. Th is helps the city navigate potential confl icts between interests like affordable housing and land preservation.

The climate action plan also promotes “climate ambassadors” and lists numerous ways residents and business owners alike can help.

What Is Greenhouse Gas?

Decades of burning fossil fuels — coal and oil, for instance — have released high levels of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

These greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and others) are cited as significant factors in rapidly changing weather patterns. The resulting changes have been wide-ranging.

Warmer days, more rainfall, poorer air quality due to prolonged pe-

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Photo provided by Barbara Buffaloe

“It is a really complex subject. It’s not like I can just say if you recycle at home, you’ve done it. There are a lot of things that are at play in this.”

— B A R B A R A B U FFA LO E , C ITY O F CO LU M B IA S U STA IN A B IL ITY M ANAGER

riods of drought, a greater frequency of violent storms, and rising sea levels all point back to greenhouse gas emissions.

From 2000 to 2015, Columbia’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 12%, with electricity production accounting for almost 70% of emissions. Columbia Water and Light, the MU Power Plant, and Boone Electric Cooperative all have local generation facilities, and they also purchase power from remote production facilities that burn coal and other fuel. Naturally, a primary focus of the 106page CAAP is energy production and use.

There are multiple ways you can be involved in local climate action: 1

2

3

4

Volunteer to serve on a board or commission Become a climate ambassador Participate in incentive programs for efficiency Check out the CAAP dashboard for more ideas at CoMoClimateAction.org

For more information on ways you can help, check

Based on the 2015 emissions measurements, the local climate plan established a goal of reducing emissions by 35% by 2035, 80% by 2050, and 100% by 2060, with alternative, clean energy sources powering the city’s homes, businesses, and institutions. The fi rst annual report of progress and priorities that noted the nearly 6% decline since 2015 was submitted to the Columbia City Council on February 1.

Clean energy generated by solar power, wind, and other sources is already increasing Columbia Water and Light’s portfolio of renewable energy. Some 16% of locally generated electricity already comes from renewable sources. Columbia’s utility plant has a goal to produce 100% of its power with renewable energy by 2050.

Solar Carport

An image of John Riddick, standing beneath a sun-drenched sky with his arms gently folded, graces one section of the CAAP website. In the background is a solar panel-topped carport, a structure that serves the practical purpose of sheltering vehicles from the elements while also helping meet the energy needs for Riddick’s Broadway Professional Park. “It’s a little bit more than a carport,” John says.

The office buildings also sport solar panels, and the additional shelter helps his goal for net-zero energy consumption, meaning a balance of carbon emissions from energy production and emissions saved by using alternative energy.

“We have certainly reduced our consumption,” John notes, adding that net-zero is still in the cards. The solar energy system, installed and engineered by Columbia-based Energy Link, also provides backup power.

John doesn’t disclose the exact cost but says it was “expensive.” But he then quickly adds: “What you have to look at is your payback. Over the long term, is it going to save you money? I honestly did want to do something for the environment. But I wasn’t going to just throw away a bunch of money.”

out these websites: Photo by Kim Wade

Residential energy efficiency programs, rebates, and loans: columbiapowerpartners.com/residential

Columbia Climate Action and Adaptability Plan: como.gov/sustainability/caap

City’s climate plan website: como.gov/sustainability/climate-action

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He fi gures the payback period is going to be about seven years. Combined with historically low interest rates and a “substantial” solar tax credit from the feds, John is pleased.

“And our utility bills are going to go way down,” he adds. And other benefits? “The city gets most of its power from coal. Whatever we can reduce from that helps.”

John, a Columbia resident since 1959 and long-active in local environmental activism, is matter-of-fact about climate change. He points to the amount of carbon produced and put into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution began churning out carbon dioxide and other gases a little over 200 years ago.

“It’s pretty hard to argue it’s not a cause and effect. We’re clearly making an impact,” John adds. “As far as I’m concerned, the Earth is going to be fi ne. It’s humanity that’s going to be gone. So let’s save ourselves.”

Connecting on a Personal Level

Barbara says the CAAP recognizes that environmental policy and climate action is often seen as elitist, something that belongs in the legislative chambers and the academic milieu. While Columbia’s plan does have high-level priorities and some scientifically detailed steps — complete with a cornucopia of acronyms, abbreviations, and similar lingo — the plan also emphasizes connecting with residents on a personal level.

The stakes aren’t just high for the environment, Barbara says.

Consider that climate change can disproportionately affect communities that are already at risk of harm, such as people of color, the elderly, children, and low-income families that are already struggling to meet rising energy costs, housing costs, transportation needs, and air quality issues.

“We are really wanting to show that connection between racial and environmental justice,” Barbara says.

Managing our Waste Line

The last page of the plan has a checklist of what residents can do, but the majority of action steps address what the city as an organiza-

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“As far as I’m concerned, the Earth is going to be fine. It’s humanity that’s going to be gone. So let’s save ourselves.”

— J O H N R ID D IC K , CO LU M B IA B U S IN E S S OWN E R

Barbara says it’s a mistake to dismiss that 3% slice as insignificant because it’s so small, especially because current recycling rates are below target goals.

“That’s not good. We know that recycling, reducing, and reusing items has a great impact on the global climate,” she says. What’s more, there’s at least strong anecdotal evidence that the hands-on nature of residential trash and recycling can give everyone a sense of “ownership” in taking better care of the environment, whether that means battling climate change or just not polluting.

AAP details a broad spectrum of actions that city government, commercial operations, businesses, and residents can take.

“It is a really complex subject,” she adds.

“It’s not like I can just say if you recycle at home, you’ve done it. There are a lot of things that are at play in this.”

What the Future Holds

Photo provided by Barbara Buffaloe

tion can do to support policies and actions for better climate health.

Then there are other steps — some not devoid of discomfort or inconvenience, that require all hands. One example is the solid waste plan to divert more garbage from the city landfi ll to recycling bins. Pay as You Th row, or PYAT, is the new, controversial method of trash collection that limits homes to using city-branded trash bags. It’s geared toward incentivizing smaller loads of landfi ll trash and larger loads of recy-

cling. The city-branded bag requirement began February 1, while curbside recycling — a service on hiatus since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic — also resumed.

Solid waste sent to landfi lls breaks down and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Those emissions contributed 3% of Columbia’s 2015 community greenhouse gas emissions. According to the latest statewide waste composition study, 69% of waste sent to the Columbia landfi ll could have been recycled, reused, or composted.

The climate change forecast isn’t for a sudden, apocalyptic upheaval, but rather an incremental worsening of extreme weather conditions with far-reaching effects. From prolonged drought and violent storms to impacts on agriculture and food production and public health threats, virtually every system is threatened by climate change — with incalculable economic reverberations.

The CAAP has a provision for review and possible revisions every five years, with the fi rst review coming in 2024. Barbara says she’ll be surprised if emerging technology doesn’t somehow come into play in revising or adjusting the plan, especially if the technology helps advance the cause of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“We know it will take more than Columbia,” she explains. The city is “proud to be with a lot of other cities” in pursuing goals from the Paris Climate Agreement and “working with peers in other communities and countries.”

“I do have hope and faith that people will come together for this. There are so many benefits to it,” Barbara adds, emphasizing that the CAAP prioritizes people and the environment that Columbians tend to most appreciate — as evidenced by the desire to get outside on the city’s trails to enjoy fresh air and natural beauty during this pandemic. She says, “I think this is something we will continue to support and rally around.”

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SOMETHING TO (TRASH) TALK ABOUT The city of Columbia launches a new trash and recycling program amid roll cart controversy.

BY M I CHELLE TERHUN E

T

here’s a lot of trash talk going on in Columbia. Not at Faurot Field or Mizzou Arena, but in households throughout the city and City Hall.

The inspiration for such in-your-face dialog is trash itself. Garbage, like most issues these days, has become extremely divisive. On February 1, 2021, the city of Columbia launched a new curbside trash and recycling program, the Pay as You Throw (or PAYT) model. It harkened the return of curbside recycling after a seven-month absence, but the controversy surrounding how our trash disappears continues.

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A Brief Recent History of Columbia’s Trash In 2015, city representatives held “trash talk” forums around town to discuss a hybrid system of roll carts and bag collection to serve its 35,000 residential customers. A citizens group, the Solid Waste Advocacy Group, placed an anti-roll cart proposition on the March 2016 municipal ballot, basing its argument primarily on costs and the unsightly appearance of roll carts.

The measure passed with 54% of the vote and put a new ordinance on the books banning roll carts and prohibiting the city from even discussing them for six months. Steve Hunt, Columbia’s solid waste utility manager, says with roll carts off the table, the city had to explore other ways to deal with the challenges of residential waste pickup. Residents were left literally holding the bag.

In July 2020, the city halted curbside recycling due to ongoing staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic. About the same time, another citizens group, Columbia MO Citizens for Roll Carts, formed to show support for a PAYT system that would include roll carts. Amy Vandergriff-Belcher, who launched the effort, says her initial concerns were about the health and welfare of the collectors.

“Workers were riding on the back of trucks, falling off and getting hurt, poked with needles, cut by glass, and breaking bones,” Amy says.

“Besides [being concerned for] their safety, the city was paying nearly a million dollars in workers’ compensation claims just for sanitation workers.”

The pro-cart group asked the Columbia City Council to put a measure on the November 2020 ballot to let voters revisit roll carts.

In August 2020, the council narrowly defeated the request, with some members saying it was a citizen’s petition that banned carts, and it should be a citizen’s petition to reverse it. So Amy’s group began gathering signatures supporting a ballot measure to repeal the SWAG ordinance, allowing the city to discuss the possibility of an automated system.

“We have around 2,000 of the 3,219 signatures we need,” Amy says. “The pandemic makes knocking on doors difficult. We know the support is there, so we’re not worried. As pandemic conditions improve, we’ll finish collecting signatures and get the issue on the ballot.”

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The Dumpsters Runneth Over Meanwhile, the absence of curbside recycling created overflowing conditions at the city’s 11 recycling drop-off locations. The fact that residents were dropping off their recycling didn’t resolve the utility’s staffing problems. Now that curbside pickup has resumed, the drop-off locations are far less inundated.

“We did see a big increase in usage of dropoff recycling sites,” Steve says. “In fact, we pretty much doubled the normal recycling tonnage at them.”

Even during the best of times, recycling was a complex undertaking. “It costs a lot more to provide recycling services than we can ever get back by selling commodities,” Steve says. “In years past, we could get a lot more money for those commodities than we can now. For us, it’s more about keeping as much as we can out of the landfill.”

Collecting, sorting, and baling recyclable waste is one part of the equation. Having a market for that waste is another. According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc., U.S. exports of plastics to China from 2018 to 2019 decreased by nearly 65% as the country suppressed its own voracious appetite for using recycled plastics to manufacture new, cheap goods to export back to the U.S. Even before China’s changes, glass recycling had been problematic.

“We have a bunker of glass because we have no place to sell or send it,” Steve says. “We’re willing to give the glass material away just to keep it out of the landfill.”

The Issue of Staffing Issues Staffing has been the bane of curbside pickup administrators for years. Staff must have a commercial driver’s license to operate the heavy, tandem-axle collection trucks. Attracting those drivers is tough when the city can’t afford to pay as much as trucking companies and other businesses, even after bumping the hourly pay rate up to $17.

The city pays temp agencies to provide staff, which Steve says costs an additional $600,000 per year. Shortages are exacerbated when workers isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure. And the physical nature of collections results in a near-constant string of injuries sustained by staff.

Above all, the job is difficult, dangerous, and drudgerous. Workers spend every day getting on and off a big, smelly, loud truck

repeatedly, bending down, picking up, and throwing heavy bags.

“We have 28 positions in residential collections, but only 16 filled,” Steve says. “Every truck has one driver and one person picking up bags and throwing them in the back. Automation is a more efficient, cost-effective, and safer way to operate curbside pickup.”

Automation, of course, requires roll carts, which brings us back to that polarized subject. SWAG argues that startup costs to retrofit or buy trucks with lift mechanisms and purchase the roll carts are exorbitant. Steve says cost savings, like curtailing work injuries and lowering employee turnover, would provide a return on the investment. He also says a 96-gallon cart costs about $40 with a 10year warranty, the standard life for residential use. The bags currently provided by the city cost about $30 per year, or $300 per customer over a 10-year period, so the carts would pay for themselves in less than two years. SWAG would argue they’re still unsightly.

collected in 2019 can be reduced by 6,000 tons as the program boosts recycling by 2,000 tons and encourages the reuse of 4,000 tons of items.

“We provide a basic number of bags as part of the monthly utility fee,” Steve says. But if people need more than the number allotted, they have to buy additional logoed bags at a cost of $2 each.”

Residents who produce more trash pay for the privilege by purchasing additional bags, but they don’t pay a premium for collection.

The city picks up all “official” bags on the curb as long as they weigh less than 50 pounds.

Residents can also continue disposing of leaves, grass clippings, and other yard waste in the logo bags. Bulky items that don’t fit in the bags, like household items unsuitable for donation, will still be picked up curbside; however, residents need to schedule a pickup by calling the Solid Waste Utility or completing an online form.

PAYT is designed to be more equitable and to encourage reuse, recycling, and composting to reduce landfill volumes, a key component of the city’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

The program should also improve working conditions for collection staff by reducing the number of bags.

All Controversy Aside, Less Waste is Better

“This is such a first world problem, and we’re pretty spoiled to even be arguing about roll carts. We take for granted here that we can produce all the trash we want and then it just disappears.”

— Mike Szydlowski, science coordinator for the Columbia Public Schools

The Current State of Residential Waste Barred from considering automation, the city adopted a PAYT collection program. Households continue to pay the rate of $17.37 per month for weekly curbside trash and biweekly curbside recycling. But unlike before, residents are required to use the black trash and blue recycling bags with the City’s logo printed on them. No logo, no pickup. The rate includes vouchers for 104 trash and 54 recycling bags, which can be used at City Hall, Gerbes, Hy-Vee, Menards, Moser’s, and Schnucks.

As PAYT began, Facebook chatter on pages hosted by the roll cart factions indicated shared discontent with being unable to use less expensive generic trash bags. But the logo is an integral part of the PAYT program because it tracks the number of bags used.

To develop the program, the city worked with WasteZero, a company dedicated to increased recycling and reduced landfill tonnage. WasteZero estimates that the 35,000 tons of trash the city

Mike Szydlowski is a science coordinator for the Columbia Public Schools and a regular contributor to the Columbia Daily Tribune on science issues, including recycling. He believes that over time, PAYT should incentivize people to generate less trash, not only by reusing, recycling, and composting, but by avoiding food waste and other things packaged with unrecyclable materials.

“Landfills are expensive,” Mike says. “Research shows that 40% of our trash is recyclables, so if you use four bags a week for trash, you could almost reduce it to two just by recycling. And that would keep a lot of trash out of the landfill.”

Which side of the roll-cart controversy is he on?

“It’s amazing how personal removing trash from your driveway has become,” Mike says.

“This is such a first world problem, and we’re pretty spoiled to even be arguing about roll carts. We take for granted here that we can produce all the trash we want and then it just disappears. It’s not like that everywhere.”

“If roll carts are easier for staff and safer, I’m good with that,” he says. “I’m just thankful that when I put my trash out, it simply disappears.”

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MIKE MESSER.................................................................. 74 SINGLETON FLETCHER...................................................................................................... 79 STANGE LAW FIRM...............................................................................................................84 STATE FARM INSURANCE - PHYLLIS NICHOLS...................................................31 STATE FARM INSURANCE - STEPHANIE WILMSMEYER............................. 68 SUPERIOR GARDEN CENTER/ROST LANDSCAPE...............................26 & 40 TALLULAH'S................................................................................................................................52 THE BANK OF MISSOURI.................................................................................................. 74 THE TRUST COMPANY........................................................................................................ 66 TIGER FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC & WELLNESS CENTER................................ 76 TIGER HOME TEAM - HOUSE OF BROKERS....................................................... 42 TRUE FALSE FILM FEST..................................................................................................... 20 UMB.................................................................................................................................................84 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI HEALTH CARE.............................................................. 5 WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES EYECARE......................................................................... 45 WILSON'S FITNESS............................................................................................................... 45 WOODHAVEN...........................................................................................................................52

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