Tag: green

What are the Pros and Cons of Low-Impact Development?

Thinking about trading impermeable parking lot pavement for green space with planters or bioswales? Low-impact development (LID) can be a lucrative option for new development, urban retrofitting, and redevelopment projects wanting to invest in LID as a stormwater management tool. Sure, saving money while simultaneously managing stormwater sounds ideal, but is it?

How Does Fixing D.C. Sewer Problems Affect You?

The Washington, D.C., area has been struggling with CSOs for years. Under a 2005 Clean Water Act Consent Decree, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) was required to implement its Long Term Control Plan (LTCP), which primarily consisted of the construction of a system of pumps and three underground storage tunnels […]

The Truth about CSOs

Here’s the Problem About 700 U.S. cities, concentrated in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region, and the Pacific Northwest, have combined sewer systems (CSSs).  CSSs link sanitary sewers and stormwater conveyances to outfalls to surface water bodies.  When the weather is dry or moderately wet, the CSS carries both urban street runoff and sanitary sewage […]

What’s a ‘Green Job’ and How Can I Get One?

BLS and Green Jobs The BLS green jobs definition contains 2 components. Green jobs are either: Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources; or Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources. Green Goods […]

5 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Facility’s Carbon Footprint

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) marches forward with its regulatory agenda to quantify and control emissions of GHGs, facilities (both those currently regulated and those in the crosshairs), are scrambling to develop a GHG emissions reduction strategy. According to the EPA, an organization’s carbon footprint has three components for purposes of developing a […]

Green Infrastructure Collaborative—The Resources

Green Infrastructure Collaborative—The Resources As we saw yesterday, members of the Green Infrastructure Collaborative have made significant commitments to providing a range of practical support and resources designed to advance the implementation of green infrastructure. While many of these commitments involve future actions, several Collaborative members already provide helpful tools, studies, reports, and other valuable […]

Green Infrastructure Collaborative—The Commitment

Green Infrastructure Collaborative—The Commitment In early October 2014, the Green Infrastructure Collaborative was announced “as a network to help communities more easily implement green infrastructure.” The members of the Collaborative include seven federal agencies, as well as 20 nongovernmental organizations and private sector groups, all of which have a stake in improving infrastructure to protect […]

Green Power Purchasing—The Benefits

Green Power Purchasing—The Benefits Making the commitment to clean power brings with it important dividends—the right to make claims about renewable energy use and to seek the positive recognition that goes along with it. To do this right, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have developed recommendations companies can follow. […]

Green Power Purchasing—The Options

Green Power Purchasing—The Options In the “Guide to Purchasing Green Power,” green power is defined broadly by the EPA and DOE as “environmentally preferable energy and energy technologies, both electric and thermal.” Specifically, green power includes “electricity generated by solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low impact hydroelectric sources.” For most of us who are […]