Building Green Infrastructure into Your Business Repertoire

When it comes to big cities and small towns, there seem to be more differences than similarities.

Restaurants serve different food, shops open and close at different times, people move along sidewalks and streets at different hours, time even seems to move at a different pace.

But one thing that remains constant regardless of location—urban, rural or otherwise—is plants.

Green infrastructure is cropping up all around the country. Sprawling cities and small towns alike are discovering the cost-effective benefits of utilizing natural resources in urban settings.

By building green infrastructure practices into your business services, you can put a little extra green into your pocket.

What is green infrastructure?

To build green infrastructure into your business repertoire, you first have to understand what green infrastructure is.

“Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils and other elements and practices to restore some of the natural processes required to manage water and create healthier urban environments,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There are many variations of green infrastructure that can be easily incorporated into urban design to create more sustainable environments. Some of these include:

• Downspout disconnections: a technique that reroutes rooftop drainage pipes into rain barrels, cisterns or permeable areas for storage or to allow
  stormwater to soak into soil.
• Rainwater harvesting: Which allows for the collection and storage of rainfall.
• Rain gardens: These are shallow, vegetated basins designed for the absorption of rainwater runoff from buildings, sidewalks and streets.
• Planter boxes: These are similar to rain gardens, but include vertical walls and an open or closed bottom. These structures also collect and absorb runoff from sidewalks, parking lots and streets.
• Bioswales: Vegetated or mulched channels that provide treatment and retention to stormwater moving through it.
• Permeable pavers: These pavers infiltrate, treat and store rainwater. Permeable pavers can be a cost effective solution in high flooding or icing areas.
• Green roofs and walls: Green roofs enable rainfall infiltration and evapotranspiration of stored water.

If you’re thinking about integrating green infrastructure projects into your skill set, pitch one of these projects on your next bid to set you apart from the competition.

Benefits of green infrastructure

When working toward developing green infrastructure into your business’ tool belt, there are a myriad of benefits to consider and share with your customers.

Green infrastructure can reduce pollutants in water and air and reduce energy usage. Installing plant life into urban design can also provide habitat and flood protection during heavy rainfall by soaking up and storing water for potential future use, according to the EPA.

Green infrastructure is also attributed as increasing beautification to otherwise unattractive buildings or walkways.

Getting started in green infrastructure

To get started working with green infrastructure and make your job stand out from the pack, start by pitching the benefits of a proposed green project.

If your customer isn’t ready to install a green roof or reroute their drainage, start with small, easily to install projects.

Barrels and tanks for rainwater harvesting are a great place to start and can be installed in city landscapes or homes.

Talk to customers about the potential benefits and uses for rainwater such as watering lawns and gardens, washing vehicles, refilling swimming pools, fountains or man-made lakes and more.

Greenwalls are another place to start in green infrastructure. Installing living walls can be a beautiful addition to any city space or building and can bring an area to life.

Learn how to easily install a green wall in this Ewing video:

https://youtu.be/IVCXf_c-AsE

For more information about green infrastructure and the projects mentioned here, visit the EPA’s website, epa.gov/green-infrastructure.