[1] St. Clair grew up in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.
[2] He has a BA degree in Economics from Swarthmore College and an MA in Environmental Policy from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley.
[3][4] From 1998 to 2000, he volunteered with Friends of the Earth in the Czech Republic, and gained experience and an appreciation for the impact of effective environmental activism.
[5][2] As a graduate student, St. Clair led a student campaign for the University of California system to adopt a comprehensive green building and clean energy planning policy.
[10] He is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.