Welcome to the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange (“the Exchange”)
The Exchange, a project of the Global Philanthropy Partnership, seeks to activiate local governments and water agencies in the U.S. and Canada to implement green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) equitably.
WHY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS?
Local governments are legally required to manage stormwater so as to protect the quality of our drinking water and the health of rivers, streams, and other surface waters. Climate change is making that job more difficult, resulting in a need for solutions that can complement traditional stormwater management methods.
WHY GSI?
In its simplest form, GSI refers to the use of plants and soils to manage stormwater. But it can also include permeable pavement and other systems for filtering, capturing and storing stormwater. Best of all, GSI has other “co-benefits,” meaning it can also beautify neighborhoods, provide green play spaces, and create new jobs.
WHY EQUITY?
Owing to discriminatory policies like redlining, many urban neighborhoods suffer from a lack of infrastructure investments. As a result, they are often warmer, with fewer places for kids to play and greater exposure to flooding and other ills. Focused in such places, GSI holds promise for making these neighborhoods more liveable.
WHAT’S NEW
Update on Changes in the Composition and Duties of Exchange Staff
In the interest of transparency and keeping you apprised of changes in our day-to-day operations, I wanted to be sure you knew about several pending and upcoming staff transitions, several of which further goals in our strategic plan, including the following:...
Playbook Focus Groups
In February-March, 2023, you are invited to participate in one or more focus groups that will take place in the optional 30-minute discussion time immediately following scheduled Peer Learning Circle meetings. We know your time is very valuable and we hope you’ll be...
Making GI Maintenance More Affordable with the GI Exchange Collaborative Grant Program
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago partners with municipalities within its service area (generally, Cook County, Illinois) to fund green infrastructure installations. As part of their agreement to receive funding, municipalities must commit...
Collaborative Grant Program Helps Identify Barriers to Equitable GSI Implementation
Lack of access to capital remains a top reason that neighborhoods in historically marginalized communities are often excluded from equitable benefits of green infrastructure projects. In 2022, the GI Leadership Exchange, through its Collaborative Grant Program,...
Building Trust: Community Engagement Workshop #2
Yesterday, Exchange members attended the second of four members-only community engagement workshops. Facilitated by Katherine Baer and April Ingle of the River Network, the workshop set out to teach participants how to support the growth of authentic and...
Connect>Innovate>Scale Up: How This New Book May Inform the Work of the Exchange
In my continuing quest to understand what makes our special breed of nonprofit tick, I read a new book, Connect>Innovate>Scale Up: How Networks Create Systems Change, over the holidays. In it, Peter Plastrik and colleagues share key insights gleaned from...