Sunflower+ on St. Louis on the Air Tomorrow

From: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/thursday-seen-fields-sunflowers-old-north-and-delmar-organization-behind-them

This interview will be on "St. Louis on the Air" at noon on Thursday; this story will be updated after the show. You can listen live.

If you took a drive this fall in Old North, along Delmar near Union, or in Dutchtown near Virginia and Liberty streets, you’ve probably seen vast fields of sunflowers waving at you as you pass by. Who is behind these projects to brighten up vacant lots across St. Louis?

On Thursday’s “St. Louis on the Air,” Richard Reilly, one of the founders of the Sunflower + Project, will join host Don Marsh to discuss the project. The Sunflower + Project was started in 2013 by Reilly and Don Koster, an architect and senior lecturer at Washington University, after winning the Sustainable Land Lab competition in 2012 in the partnership between Washington University and the city of St. Louis.

While the flowers themselves have withered, the project will live on in Old North during the dreary winter season with the raising of “Sustainability Flags.” They will go up on Saturday, Dec. 12. We’ll learn about this and more on Thursday.

Reilly is also the Energy Programs Manager for the Earth Ways Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden. What questions do you have for him about sunflowers, gardening or vacant lots in St. Louis? We’ll ask. Email talk@stlpublicradio.org or tweet us at @STLonAir.

"St. Louis on the Air" discusses issues and concerns facing the St. Louis area. The show is produced by Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt and hosted by veteran journalist Don Marsh. Follow us on Twitter and join the conversation at @STLonAir.