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Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, landscape features, and often simple technologies to provide environmental services within a community. It is a way of building nature into your town that will dress up or eliminate barren areas of asphalt, concrete, and drainpipes while serving important ecological functions.
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Benefits of Green Infrastructure
- Effective stormwater drainage
- Cleaner air
- Erosion prevention
- Reduction of heat associated with concrete and asphalt
- Financial savings
- Higher property values
- More trails and outdoor recreation opportunities
- Habitat for local and migratory birds and other wildlife
Examples of Green Infrastructure
- Vegetation on the roofs of buildings to absorb rainwater and provide insulation
- Permeable pavement designed to drain water
- Strips of vegetation planted in key locations to absorb runoff, filter pollutants, and reduce erosion
- Trees planted along streets and parking lots to provide shade and reduce urban heat
- Wetlands constructed as part of a wastewater management system
Incorporating green infrastructure may be easier than you think. Contact your local MDC office for more information.
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Bioswales provide drainage and also add beauty.
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Additional Resources
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This booklet from the Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition provides numerous photos that will help you visualize how different types of green infrastructure might work in your community.
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This website by the EPA provides a full overview of green infrastructure and how to start building it into your community.
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The Mid-America Regional Council provides an outline of strategies for two green infrastructure projects in the Kansas City Metro.
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This publication from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources provides an overview of how to use green infrastructure as a sustainable development strategy.