2001 Green Infrastructure Overview

2001 Green Infrastructure Overview

The Green Infrastructure initiative emerged from the work of the President’s Council for Sustainable Development, especially the Rural and Metropolitan Strategies Task Force.  At the National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America in May 1999, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Forest Service, agreed to organize and help support the design of a Green Infrastructure training program in collaboration with a wide range of partners.  

Partners and participants in the Green Infrastructure Work Group have included an impressive list of diverse organizations: The USDA Forest Service, (serving as convener/facilitator), The Conservation Fund, The American Planning Association (APA), State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD/DNR), The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC), The Joint Center for Sustainable Communities (a partnership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors & the National Association of Counties), The International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Northern Virginia Planning District Commission, Fish and Wildlife Service – National Conservation Training Center (FWS/NCTC), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), The Federal Highway Administration (DOT/FHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Urban Land Institute (ULI), Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA), The Wilderness Society (TWS), and The Pinchot Institute for Conservation… and more.

Purpose 

Develop a training program and information resources to help communities and their partners make green infrastructure an integral part of federal, state, and local government plans, policies, practices and community decisions.

Working Definition 

Green Infrastructure is our Nation’s natural life support system – an interconnected network of waterways, wetlands, woodlands, wildlife habitats, and other natural areas; greenways, parks and other conservation lands; working farms, ranches, and forests of conservation value; and wilderness and other open spaces that support native species, maintain natural ecological processes, sustain air and water resources and contribute to the health and quality of life for America’s communities and people.  

Green infrastructure conserves natural ecosystem values and functions.  It is the strategic conservation framework needed for environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

Interest to Communities

Most land managers, residents, and community leaders recognize that the economic and social viability of their community depends on investing in components of its gray infrastructure – such as the transportation system, water and sewer treatment facilities, and utilities.  This initiative seeks to highlight that investments in the community’s green infrastructure are just as essential to the health and economic viability of communities as those made in gray infrastructure.

What We Agreed To Do

Actions.  Partners volunteered to help:

1. Develop a Green Infrastructure Resource Guide
2. Design, pilot, and deliver an introductory Green Infrastructure course (GI 101)
3. Define and articulate the green infrastructure concept 
4. Document green infrastructure case studies 
5. Disseminate green infrastructure information through conferences, forums, and print media…

Training, Conferences & Workshops in 2001:  

In 2000, work group members presented about 12 overview workshops and sessions to share ideas and learn about similar efforts underway around the country.  This year, green infrastructure is becoming more clearly recognized as a strategic framework for conservation ("smart conservation") and for helping shape the pattern of development ("smart growth").  Presentations scheduled for 2001 include: 

1. 1. National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting in Ft. Worth, TX – Green Infrastructure workshop sponsored by the NACD Urban, Community and Coastal Resources Committee Forum, February 7.
2. 2. American Planning Association Conference in New Orleans – Session on Green Infrastructure Design, March 14. 
3. 3. Introductory Course: Green Infrastructure – A Strategic Approach for Land Conservation at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV – pilot for introductory course on green infrastructure theory and practice, May 1-3.
4. 4. Midwest Green Infrastructure Workshop, Chicago, IL – two day gathering of urban/regional efforts underway throughout the Midwest and Canada, May 14-15.
5. 5. 2001 National Association of Regional Councils annual meeting in Omaha, NE – one-day workshop: Green Infrastructure – Is it the “Missing Link” in Smart Growth?, June 2.
6. 6. 2001 Urban Forestry Conference in Washington, DC – one-day Green Infrastructure Summit of urban/regional efforts, September 5.
7. 7. 2001 Mid-Atlantic Governors' Conference on Greenways, Blueways, and Green Infrastructure in Crystal City, VA – Green Infrastructure Track, September 17-19.
8. 8. 2001 National Land Trust Rally in Baltimore, MD – green infrastructure workshop, September 29-Oct. 2.

Contacts for more information

Peggy Harwood, Coordinator for Green Infrastructure, Cooperative Forestry/ Urban & Community Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC 20250, 202-205-0877 (pharwood@fs.fed.us)

Mark Benedict, Director of the Conservation Leadership Network, The Conservation Fund, National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV 25443, 304-876-7461 (mark_benedict@fws.gov)

Avery Patillo, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC 20250-0016, 202-720-7671 (avery.patillo@usda.gov). 

Website (in progress) - http://greeninfrastructure.net