Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2009 - (Page 4)

STRATA OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WITH GREEN PROJECT RESERVE FUNDS FROM THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT By Jenny Molloy & Stephanie von Feck t is very encouraging to watch an increasing number of communities across North America tackle challenges such as combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement, stormwater management, climate change, urban heat islands, energy and water conservation, and natural resource protection with substantive green infrastructure approaches. Even as little as five years ago, you could count on one hand the number of cities making true institutional commitments to these approaches. Fortunately, this is no longer the case and those communities looking for ways to finance green infrastructure have an immediate opportunity. On Feb. 17 President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The EPA section of ARRA includes USD $6 billion for Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) capitalization grants. The ARRA provides that, to the extent there are sufficient eligible project applications, not less than 20 percent of the funds appropriated shall be for projects to address green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements, or other environmentally innovative activities. This provision for “green reserve projects” provides a good opportunity for communities with wellestablished green infrastructure programs, or those still experimenting with the technology, to supplement their efforts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been inundated with questions about what constitutes green infrastructure. CWSRF guidance defines green infrastructure to include a wide array of practices at multiple scales that manage and treat stormwater and that maintain and restore natural hydrology by the infiltration, evapotranspiration and capture of stormwater. On a regional scale, green infrastructure is the preservation and restoration of natural landscape features, such as forests, floodplains and wetlands, coupled with policies such as infill and redevelopment that reduce overall imperviousness in a watershed. On the local scale, green infrastructure consists of site- and neighborhood-specific practices, such as bioretention, 4 LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR SPRING I “The [US stimulus package] provides that, to the extent there are suﬃcient eligible project applications, not less than 20 percent of the funds appropriated shall be for projects to address green infrastructure, water and energy eﬃciency improvements, or other environmentally innovative activities.” trees, green roofs, porous pavements and cisterns. Entire projects, as well as components of larger projects, may be eligible. EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS INCLUDE • Implementation of green streets (combinations of green infrastructure practices in transportation rights-of-ways), for either new development, redevelopment or retrofits; • Implementation of water harvesting and reuse programs or projects; • Implementation of wet-weather management systems for parking areas including the incremental cost of porous pavement, bioretention, trees, green roofs and other practices; • Establish or restore riparian buffers, floodplains, wetlands and other natural features; • Downspout disconnection to remove stormwater from combined sewers and storm sewers; • Comprehensive retrofit programs designed to keep wet weather out of all types of sewer systems using green infrastructure technologies and approaches; and • Implementation of comprehensive street tree or urban forestry programs, including expansion of tree box sizes to manage additional stormwater and enhance tree health. U.S. President Obama and Congress have emphasized the fact that the purpose of these funds is to get people back to work. Therefore purchase of land and easements is not eligible for funding. However, almost any other aspect of green infrastructure implementation meeting eligibility criteria may be considered. D Jenny Molloy is the green infrastructure coordinator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Her colleague, Stephanie von Feck, is the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) coordinator. Both work at the EPA’s Water Permits Division based in Washington, D.C. LEARN MORE Don’t miss Jenny Molloy’s presentation of a paper on the U.S. federal regulatory drivers of green Infrastructure (Session 1.1) at the upcoming GRHC annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 4, 2009. Visit www.greenroofs.org to register online. For more information on the types of practices, designs and approaches that constitute green infrastructure, see www.epa.gov/greeninfrastructure. Additional information on implementing Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Recovery Funds can be found at: www.epa.gov http://www.greenroofs.org http://www.epa.gov/greeninfrastructure http://www.epa.gov

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2009

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2009
Contents
From the Founder
Opportunity Knocks
New Green Roof Incentive for Toronto
Bookshelf
The Role of Structural Engineer
On the Roof With...
Roots of Learning
Urban Farming
Pushing the Envelope on Community-Scale Research
Raising a Green Roof for Eco-Literacy
Soft-Benefit Valuation
What's New for Atlanta
GHRC Professional Development Calendar
Accreditation Milestone
Welcome New Corporate Members
Moving On

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2009