Think and Link Green

by Jeanna Henry

Have you heard the term “green street” and wondered what gives it that special designation?  Is your community interested in green technologies and sustainable practices?  If so, a new EPA website can help.

Launched last month, the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) website has information for community leaders, residents and professional service providers on the benefits of green streets in improving local waters, neighborhoods and job prospects.

Green streets have proven especially popular here in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region – from small towns like Etna, Pennsylvania, to big cities like Baltimore, Maryland.  The region’s Office of State and Watershed Partnerships created the national website to highlight green streets as an effective way to manage stormwater runoff.

The G3 website includes general information on how to plan, design, build and maintain green streets, photographs of green streets and a video on ways communities can reduce stormwater runoff and increase economic vitality through the use of green infrastructure practices.  Green streets can also help mitigate the impacts of climate change by controlling flooding, reducing heat from hard surfaces and saving energy.

The website identifies potential funding opportunities, such as the G3 Grant Program, Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), and Urban Waters Small Grants.

EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resource, have awarded more than 90 G3 grants over the past six years, resulting in nearly $18 million in green projects and the construction of more than eight collective miles of green streets.

A number of those projects are featured in the G3 grants section of the website.

Check them out and see how your community can benefit from a green street.

About the author: Jeanna Henry joined EPA in 2000 as an Environmental Scientist. She currently works in the Water Protection Division focusing on stormwater management through the use of Green Infrastructure. Jeanna loves nothing more than spending time outdoors with family and friends hiking, kayaking or spending a day at the beach.