Discovering Our Blue-Green Infrastructure Drew Legault, Max Offerman, Tiffany Stafford, Lindsay Wimmer, Andrew Younker, & LeRoy Harvey

Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and other elements DRAFT – 12-3-18 What Can I do? and practices to restore the natural processes required to manage water and create healthy environments. Examples Install a Rain Barrel or Compost Bin

Rain Gardens and Rainwater Collection Benefits of Green Infrastructure A rain garden can be beautiful as well as functional. Rain gardens are versatile features that can be installed in almost any unpaved space. Also known as bioretention, or bioinfiltration, cells, they are shallow, vegetated basins that collect and absorb runoff. Rain barrels and compost bins will be sold during a Planter Boxes special sale in March 2019. Find out more at Planter boxes filter stormwater and reduce runoff www.midmichrecycles.org from sidewalks, parking lots, and streets. Plant native species! Remove invasives… Bioswales Learn more about invasive Bioswales are essentially rain gardens placed in long species in your community. narrow spaces such as the space between the In Meridian Township, visit sidewalk and the curb. Bioswales are vegetated, http://bit.ly/invasivity mulched, or xeriscaped channels that provide Butterfly Weed Purple treatment and retention as they move stormwater Coneflower from one place to another. Build and Maintain a Rain Garden Green Streets, Parking and Permeable Pavement Pick a good spot! Green streets and parking lots combine more than • Don’t place it too close to your house, especially if you have a one feature (permeable pavement, bioswales, planter basement. boxes, and trees) to capture and treat stormwater. Black eyed Susan Trillium • Avoid steep slopes and bedrock. Benefits include mitigating the urban heat island and • Check the soil to make sure water drains correctly. a more walkable built environment. • Estimate the size of your rain garden with online tools (such as Smart Lawn Care, Gardening, and More… nemo.uconn.edu/raingardens/sizemap.htm). Green Roofs Learn more about ecological landscaping practices at A green roof system atop a building helps manage http://migarden.msu.edu Dig it up! stormwater and reduce energy costs for cooling. • Contact www.missdig.org to make sure you aren’t going to damage any utility lines. Urban Tree Canopy • Mark out the area where you want to install your rain garden. City trees, or tree canopy, soak up stormwater, • Dig about 8 inches deep with a slope on either end. provide cooling shade and help to slow traffic. Land Conservation References Plant and maintain your garden! Land conservation helps reduce runoff, flooding, • Select hardy native species that look greenhouse gases and sewer overflows. Water quality Dietz, M. (n.d.). UConn Rain Gardens "How To" Guide. good to you. and recreational opportunities improve. This can Retrieved from http://nemo.uconn.edu/raingardens • Don’t overcrowd! Your plants will include planting native species and removing grow and fill out your garden with invasives. www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/what-green-infrastructure time. www.greenroof.hrt.msu.edu • Plot your plants down and fill the Buffer Strips space between them with a couple A buffer strip is an area of permanent vegetation, http://www.meridian.mi.us/residents/living-with- inches of mulch. often adjacent to a pond, lake, or stream, that helps wildlife/invasive-plants-in-meridian-township • Water your plants immediately and control air, soil, and water quality. weekly until they are sturdy! • Remove weeds and replace mulch as needed.