U.S. EPA awards Hawaii over $20 million to improve water quality, protect public health

Press release:

For Immediate Release:  September 17, 2012
Contact:  Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, higuchi.dean@epa.gov   

                      

U.S. EPA awards Hawaii over $20 million to improve water quality, protect public health
Hundreds of millions in funding provided to Department of Health since 1990

HONOLULU – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Hawaii Department of Health a $10,946,000 million grant for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and a $9,125,000 million grant for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for water pollution control and drinking water infrastructure projects.

The Department of Health will use the funds to provide low-cost loans to the state’s counties for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades.  In Hawaii, most of the infrastructure for wastewater treatment is along the coast and funding will assist in making improvements and adaptations to aging systems and those potentially impacted by rising sea levels from climate change.  

 “EPA is continuing its investment in Hawaii’s water infrastructure,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Our goal, along with the Department of Health, is ensure that Hawaii has safe, reliable drinking water and proper wastewater treatment.”

The EPA has awarded $282 million in federal funding for Hawaii’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program from 1990 to the present.  Every year, more funds become available as the principle, interest and fees are repaid to the program. Hawaii’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund reached $611 million last year, with a total of 74 wastewater treatment projects funded statewide totaling $509 million. The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects, including nonpoint source pollution control, watershed protection or restoration, improving water and energy efficiency, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment projects.

The Hawaii Drinking Water State Revolving Fund totals $192 million and the Hawaii Department of Health has issued 45 loans totaling $124 million.  Funds to the program also support projects such as capacity development, sanitary surveys, drinking water operator training and technical assistance. 
               
Forty years ago, when the federal Clean Water Act was made law, Congress charged a fledgling EPA with the goal of making the nation’s waters “fishable and swimmable.” Achieving this goal requires communities to make large investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The state revolving funds are EPA’s primary tools for helping communities meet their continuing and significant water infrastructure needs. Each state maintains revolving loan fund programs, capitalized by the EPA, to provide low-cost financing for water quality infrastructure projects.   

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EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Press release:

EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Contact Information: Davina Marraccini (News Media Only), (404) 562-8293, marraccini.davina@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – Sept. 6, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened registration for student teams from colleges and universities across the country to participate in its new design competition, the Campus RainWorks Challenge, through which teams will compete to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. This first annual competition, will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Stormwater is a major cause of harmful water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds.

Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge is open from September 4 through October 5, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 - $2,500, as well as $8,000 - $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.

EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.

More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge:

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm

EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

Press release:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 5, 2012
 
EPA Opens Registration for Campus RainWorks Design Challenge Competition

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened registration for student teams from colleges and universities across the country to participate in its new design competition, the Campus RainWorks Challenge, through which teams will compete to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. This first annual competition, will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Stormwater is a major cause of harmful water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds.

Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge is open from September 4 through October 5, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 - $2,500, as well as $8,000 - $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.

EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.

More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge:http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm

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EPA Awards Over $16.9 Million to the State of Louisiana to Assist in Funding Safe Public Drinking Water Systems

Press release:

EPA Awards Over $16.9 Million to the State of Louisiana

to Assist in Funding Safe Public Drinking Water Systems

(DALLAS – August 23, 2012) The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals $16,962,000 to provide low cost loan assistance to eligible public drinking water systems for infrastructure improvements. The funds are being granted through the EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to ensure safe drinking water for Louisiana residents.

The Safe Drinking Water Act established the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to make funds available to drinking water systems for infrastructure improvements. The program also emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water.

Additional Information on EPA grants is available at http://www.epa.gov/region6/gandf/index.htm

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

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EPA Awards $58,000 to Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to Revitalize Philadelphia-Area Watershed

Press release:

EPA Awards $58,000 to Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to Revitalize Philadelphia-Area Watershed

Green Infrastructure Initiative to Help Restore Clean Water, Support Green Jobs

PHILADELPHIA (August 15, 2012) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society today announced a $58,000 grant for a new initiative for restoring clean water, improving neighborhoods and supporting green jobs in the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford watershed in Philadelphia, Pa.

“EPA is committed to restoring our urban waters and supporting green techniques to control pollution,” said EPA Deputy Regional Administrator William C. Early. “This funding will benefit waterways, neighborhoods and livelihoods in the watershed.”

The funding will support green projects for controlling stormwater pollution to streams, creeks and rivers in the watershed. EPA is providing the funding from its Urban Waters program to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for 10 green infrastructure projects to help restore local waterways, and for training, outreach and educational activities teaching green skills and promoting green jobs. In addition to the federal grant, PHS is also providing $10,500 for this initiative.

“PHS is looking forward to working with the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Greentreks Network, the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and communities throughout the city on creative and sustainable approaches to storm water management,” said PHS President Drew Becher. “We are very grateful to EPA for supporting this environmental work and the creation of green jobs.”

Project highlights include:

• Ten green infrastructure projects supported through hands-on training.       One of the projects will help prevent flooding and restore the section of the Tacony Creek behind Friends Hospital on Roosevelt Boulevard, the site of today’s announcement.

• Training, outreach and education in green infrastructure techniques, including an economic development video; a skills training curriculum; targeted group presentations for approximately 150 people, including 40 green job trainees; and on-line resources designed to help participants implement green infrastructure projects.

The initiative is designed to link community priorities, such as neighborhood beautification, improved recreational amenities, crime reduction and employment with environmental improvements. The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford watershed includes neighborhoods in North, Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia, and parts of Montgomery County.

EPA’s Urban Waters program funding supports communities’ efforts to access, improve and benefit from their urban waters and surrounding land.

Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by sewage, runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, economic, recreational, employment and social opportunities in nearby communities.

Information on EPA’s Urban Waters program: http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/index.html.

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities; $50,000 Each Awarded to Cities of Atlanta, Ga. and Beaufort, S.C.

Press release:

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities; $50,000 Each Awarded to Cities of Atlanta, Ga. and Beaufort, S.C.

Contact Information: Davina Marraccini, (404) 562-8293, marraccini.davina@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – July 24, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people’s health and benefit communities. The City of Atlanta, Ga., and the City of Beaufort, S.C., were among those selected for funding, and each received $50,000 grants.

Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits including job creation and neighborhood revitalization.

“Effective stormwater management is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in the nation,” said Nancy Stoner, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. “Polluted stormwater can be harmful to the health of our nation’s waterbodies. These funds will help expand the use of green infrastructure, revitalize local neighborhoods and help safeguard people’s health and the environment.”

EPA is awarding the funds to diverse communities across 16 states. Some communities – like Beaufort, South Carolina and Neosho, Missouri – are small towns in urban growth areas interested in preserving and protecting their healthy waterways. Others – such as Camden, New Jersey and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – are large cities interested in adding green infrastructure into their redevelopment projects to restore degraded urban waters and help revitalize their communities. The selected communities also provide an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of green infrastructure across a range of climate zones.

Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting systems. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds. The “green” alternative is often less expensive than structural solutions, and can help reduce costs of flooding in neighborhoods receiving the benefits.

In April 2011, EPA renewed its commitment to green infrastructure with the release of the “Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities through Green Infrastructure.” The agenda identifies community partnerships as one of five key activities that EPA will pursue to accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and EPA announced partnerships with 10 “model communities”.

In February 2012, EPA announced the availability of $950,000 in technical assistance to a second set of partner communities to help overcome some of the most common barriers to green infrastructure. EPA received letters of interest from over 150 communities across the country.  

$30,000 in Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance to Neosho, Mo.

Press release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

$30,000 in Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance to Neosho, Mo.

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov (news media only)

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 19, 2012) – EPA is providing $30,000 in technical assistance to the City of Neosho, Mo., to protect water quality, reduce flooding and determine the best practices for managing rain water through the use of green infrastructure.

“Green infrastructure provides many community benefits including the reduction of stormwater runoff, neighborhood revitalization and reduction of pollutants in local streams,” said Karl Brooks, regional administrator. “The technical assistance will support work such as a review of city codes and ordinances to identify barriers to green infrastructure and recommend appropriate revisions as needed.”

Stormwater is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality. Large volumes of polluted stormwater degrade our nation’s rivers, lakes and aquatic habitats and contribute to downstream flooding. Green infrastructure decreases pollution to local waters by treating rain where it falls and helps to keep polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems.

Nationally, EPA is providing $950,000 in technical assistance to help 17 cities expand the use of green infrastructure to improve water quality and benefit communities. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include rain gardens, vegetated swales, wetlands, green roofs, and permeable pavement. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to supplement or substitute for infrastructure investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.

# # #

$70,000 in Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance to Omaha, Neb.

Press release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

$70,000 in Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance to Omaha, Neb.

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov (news media only)

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 19, 2012) – EPA is providing $70,000 in technical assistance to the City of Omaha, Neb., for development of tools that will encourage incorporation of green infrastructure into community improvement projects.

“Green infrastructure provides many community benefits including the reduction of stormwater runoff, neighborhood revitalization and reduction of pollutants in local streams,” said Karl Brooks, regional administrator. “The technical assistance will support work such as a review of city codes and ordinances to identify barriers to green infrastructure and recommend appropriate revisions as needed.”

Stormwater is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality. Large volumes of polluted stormwater degrade our nation’s rivers, lakes and aquatic habitats and contribute to downstream flooding. Green infrastructure decreases pollution to local waters by treating rain where it falls and helps to keep polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems.

Nationally, EPA is providing $950,000 in technical assistance to help 17 cities expand the use of green infrastructure to improve water quality and benefit communities. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include rain gardens, vegetated swales, wetlands, green roofs, and permeable pavement. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to supplement or substitute for traditional infrastructure investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.

# # #

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 19, 2012

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people’s health and benefit communities. . Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits including job creation and neighborhood revitalization.

“Effective stormwater management is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in the nation,” said Nancy Stoner, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. She announced the funds today at a stormwater symposium in Baltimore held by the Water Environment Federation. “Polluted stormwater can be harmful to the health of our nation’s waterbodies. These funds will help expand the use of green infrastructure, revitalize local neighborhoods and help safeguard people’s health and the environment.”

EPA is awarding the funds to diverse communities across 16 states. Some communities – like Beaufort, South Carolina and Neosho, Missouri – are small towns in urban growth areas interested in preserving and protecting their healthy waterways. Others – such as Camden, New Jersey and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – are large cities interested in adding green infrastructure into their redevelopment projects to restore degraded urban waters and help revitalize their communities. The selected communities also provide an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of green infrastructure across a range of climate zones.

Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting systems. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.

In April 2011, EPA renewed its commitment to green infrastructure with the release of the “Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities through Green Infrastructure.” The agenda identifies community partnerships as one of five key activities that EPA will pursue to accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and EPA announced partnerships with 10 “model communities”.

In February 2012, EPA announced the availability of $950,000 in technical assistance to a second set of partner communities to help overcome some of the most common barriers to green infrastructure. EPA received letters of interest from over 150 communities across the country.

 More information: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_support.cfm.

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 19, 2012

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people’s health and benefit communities. Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits including job creation and neighborhood revitalization.

“Effective stormwater management is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in the nation,” said Nancy Stoner, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. She announced the funds today at a stormwater symposium in Baltimore held by the Water Environment Federation. “Polluted stormwater can be harmful to the health of our nation’s waterbodies. These funds will help expand the use of green infrastructure, revitalize local neighborhoods and help safeguard people’s health and the environment.”

EPA is awarding the funds to diverse communities across 16 states. Some communities – like Beaufort, South Carolina and Neosho, Missouri – are small towns in urban growth areas interested in preserving and protecting their healthy waterways. Others – such as Camden, New Jersey and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – are large cities interested in adding green infrastructure into their redevelopment projects to restore degraded urban waters and help revitalize their communities. The selected communities also provide an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of green infrastructure across a range of climate zones.
Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infrastructure tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting systems. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.

In April 2011, EPA renewed its commitment to green infrastructure with the release of the “Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities through Green Infrastructure.” The agenda identifies community partnerships as one of five key activities that EPA will pursue to accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and EPA announced partnerships with 10 “model communities.”

In February 2012, EPA announced the availability of $950,000 in technical assistance to a second set of partner communities to help overcome some of the most common barriers to green infrastructure. EPA received letters of interest from over 150 communities across the country.

More information: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_support.cfm

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$59,876 Grant to University of Nebraska-Lincoln

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

$59,876 Grant to University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 10, 2012) - EPA is providing a $59,876 urban waters grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Saddle Hills neighborhood’s green infrastructure in metropolitan Omaha, Neb.

UNL and partners, including the City of Omaha and the Nebraska Forest Service, will assess green infrastructure practices by creating a water quality assessment database and developing a stormwater mobile application for smartphones and mobile devices. The application will allow users, such as local residents, youth, master gardeners and city staff, to learn about ways to reduce stormwater runoff.

“Green infrastructure and stormwater management strategies play a critical role in water quality improvement by reducing runoff that carries multiple contaminants into streams and rivers,” said Karl Brooks, regional administrator. “The project will empower community residents and land owners to look at stormwater as an asset rather than a waste product, and will increase public awareness and grassroots participation through workshops about urban water quality.”

The funding is part of EPA’s Urban Waters Program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve and benefit from urban waters and surrounding land.

Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, economic, recreational, employment and social opportunities in nearby communities. By promoting public access to urban waterways, EPA will help communities become active participants in restoring urban waters while improving and protecting their neighborhoods.

EPA’s Urban Waters Program supports the goals and principles of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, a partnership of 12 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts.

# # #

EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 16, 2012

EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new design competition called the Campus RainWorks Challenge to encourage student teams on college and university campuses across the country to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. Stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting the health of people across the country as well as tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The competition will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities, and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design.

Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration for the Campus RainWorks Challenge opens September 4, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,500 - $2,500, as well as $8,000 - $11,000 in funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure. In 2013, EPA plans to expand Campus RainWorks by inviting students to design and complete a demonstration project assessing innovative green infrastructure approaches on their campus.

“Reducing stormwater pollution requires innovative approaches and America’s college students are incredibly creative and talented,” said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “The Campus RainWorks Challenge will engage students across the country in tackling one of the toughest challenges to clean water and show them the opportunities in environmental careers.”

EPA is encouraging the use of green infrastructure as a solution to help manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source and provide other community benefits, including economic development.. Green infrastructure is increasingly being used to supplement or substitute for single-purpose “gray” infrastructure investments such as pipes, and ponds. The Campus RainWorks Challenge will help encourage the use of green infrastructure projects on college and university campuses to manage stormwater discharges.

More information on the Campus RainWorks Challenge:

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm

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IBM and Bauman Moscow State Technical University Open Smarter Cities Development and Education Center in Russia

Collaboration will create new opportunities for students and support the development of Russian Cities

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ARMONK, N.Y. and MOSCOW - 25 Apr 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) today announced the opening of a Smarter Cities Development and Education Center in Russia – the first of its kind in the region.

Located on the university's Moscow campus, the center will be home to a unique educational program giving students the chance to explore and apply IBM's latest technologies and solutions to improve the management of urban infrastructure and support the development of smarter cities. Aligned with the Russian government's priorities for the modernization and technological development of urban centers across the country, the center will support the development of IT skills crucial to Russia's innovation agenda.

"The launch of the new Smarter Cities Development and Education Center at BMSTU is a significant milestone for IBM in the Russian market and shows the maturity of the Smarter Cities vision," said Kirill Korniliev, Country General Manager of IBM in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. "Skills are crucial for the development of smarter cities and by establishing this new facility we will open up new opportunities for young professionals and spur innovation in the field."

Students will be given the chance to explore how advanced technologies such as analytics software and mobile collaboration tools can help to integrate city systems such as water, traffic and public safety. A key component of the center will be IBM's Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) for Smarter Cities, which is designed to help cities of all sizes integrate city systems and apply intelligence to their operations through one central point of command. Some of the center's first development projects will look at how IBM's IOC solution can be integrated with data from  Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, which already spans some 33 cities in Russia, to enable officials to better monitor and respond to city incidents.

"Creating this center gives rise to a new professional direction for our graduates," says Anatoly Alexandrov, Rector of Bauman Moscow State Technical University.  "This collaboration with IBM provides our graduates with skills that we believe will be in significant demand as Russia seeks to create Smarter Cities and increase its global economic competitiveness."

In the past two years, IBM has opened Smarter Cities centers in Dublin, Ireland in collaboration with Ireland's Industrial Development Agency and the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. The new center in Moscow is part of IBM's ongoing global effort to help students and city leaders develop expertise and apply innovative technologies to create smart solutions to tackle issues that have high social and economic impact for cities around the world.

About IBM

For more information about IBM Smarter Cities please visit: http://www.ibm.com/smartercities.

About Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU)

For more information about BMSTU please visit: http://www.bmstu.ru/english/.

News Release from EPA Region 10

Spokane Tribe to receive EPA Smart Growth assistance

Community of Wellpinit water and sewer system challenges addressed

Contact: Abby Hall, EPA Office of Sustainable Communities, 415-972-3384, hall.abby@epa.gov; Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

(Seattle–March 12, 2012)) – The Spokane Tribe of Indians in eastern Washington will benefit from EPA technical assistance through the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program. The Tribe will work with technical experts to address future water infrastructure needs in the community of Wellpinit, Washington.

The EPA funds private-sector experts through the EPA Smart Growth program to work with communities as they plan for future needs in ways that sustain environmental and economic progress and create a high quality of life. The Spokane Tribe requested assistance to support their development of a comprehensive water infrastructure plan that will focus on water and sewer system challenges in Wellpinit. The community faces future challenges of summer water shortages, drinking water delivery, pipe and pump failures, and design and maintenance of sewage management systems.

“Bringing private-sector consultants together with the professional staff of the Spokane Tribe will create a strong partnership to address future growth and the strains placed on older water systems,” said Melanie Wood, Sustainable Infrastructure Coordinator in EPA’s Pacific Northwest office. “These EPA Smart Growth programs not only provide support for environmental improvements, they also set the stage for green jobs and a healthier economy.”

The EPA assistance builds upon a Housing and Urban Development Community Challenge Planning Grant the Tribe received in 2010. The water infrastructure plan will create a foundation for future housing, transportation, and economic development planning.

Since 2005 EPA has supported 31 SGIA projects, serving dozens of communities.

Smart Growth Implementation Assistance is a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities among EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently. The partnership is helping communities across the country create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses.

More information:

SGIA: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sgia2012.htm

Partnership for Sustainable Communities: http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov

Wellpinit community contact: Scott Radford, info@antithesisresearch.org/, 509-258-7100

Technology Holds the Key to Nairobi's Development

IBM Report: Technology Holds the Key to Nairobi's Development and Increased Competitiveness

As Kenya transitions from a rural to an urban population by 2020, modern approaches and technologies will help transform city systems, Prosperous and Sustainable Future

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NAIROBI, KENYA - 07 Mar 2012: IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced the launch of a report entitled "A Vision of a Smarter City: How Nairobi Can Lead the Way into a Prosperous and Sustainable Future" that highlights transportation, energy and public safety as three critical areas to address in line with the growth of Nairobi's more economically empowered and mobile younger generation.

The first of its kind to be produced in Africa, the report draws on the views of leaders and experts from the public and private sectors, World Bank, UN-HABITAT and civil society organizations. It outlines how Nairobi should turn to the latest technologies and global best practices to transform itself into a smarter and more efficient city as it strives to cope with an expanding population and become a major African business hub.

"With increased urbanization and substantial economic opportunities, major African cities like Nairobi are coming under more pressure than ever to transform," said Tony Mwai, Country General Manager, IBM East Africa. "For Nairobi to reach its full potential as a regional powerhouse, new technologies and approaches are required to modernize the city's systems and to make it a better place to live, work and do business."

Kenya's demographic challenges
Currently home to just over three million inhabitants, Nairobi's population is expected to soar to over five million by 2020 as migration to urban areas continues.

"Kenya is undergoing a simultaneous demographic and geographic transition," explains Wolfgang Fengler, the World Bank's lead economist in Kenya. "Today it is a rural country but by 2033 it will be an urban country with Nairobi receiving the greatest influx of new citizens."

Tackling traffic congestion requires new approaches as well as new infrastructure
According to IBM's Commuter Pain Survey, Nairobi citizens have the fourth most painful commute in the world. City officials estimate that traffic jams cost the economy over Sh50 million ($600,000) per day in lost productivity, fuel consumption and pollution.

City authorities are currently investing to improve Nairobi's roads and basic infrastructure. However, the report highlights that investment in the city's road network should not be the only strategy for addressing traffic congestion.

"Nairobi needs new transport alternatives urgently.  It is increasingly obvious that Nairobi must move beyond the traditional model of just building roads to solve traffic problems. It needs a combination of physical infrastructure, new ways of thinking and new technologies," said Andre Dzikus, Urban Mobility Unit, UN-HABITAT.

The IBM report lists a number of possible technological solutions to consider, including systems to better automate and improve traffic flow, micro chips embedded in driving licenses to record a driver's road history, priced road usage schemes and using mobile phone signal density to pinpoint and predict traffic jams.

Reliable and affordable energy increases efficiency and competitiveness
Energy is a critical and pressing issue for people living and working in Nairobi. According to KENGEN, Nairobi suffers from 11,000 high voltage fluctuations and power outages every month. For Nairobi's smarter city aspirations to be realized, energy has to be affordable as well as reliable.

"Nairobi's unreliable energy is not just an inconvenience, but also a critical business issue," said Linus Gitahi, CEO of Nation Media Group.

The report highlights the development of alternative energy sources, smart metering and incentive schemes to change energy consumption as possible solutions to some of Nairobi's energy problems.

A safer Nairobi needs smarter technologies and increased collaboration
Technology is already starting to help make Nairobi smarter and empower citizens. For example, to enhance security, an expanding CCTV network has been deployed by public and private players. However, the report underlines that analytics technologies are needed to make sense of the data generated by public safety systems.

The report also calls for better collaboration between public and private sectors as well as more integration between government departments. This issue is critical to public safety as Nairobi's citizens rely on a number of private security companies as well as public departments for emergency services. The report suggests that shared emergency resources between public and private sectors and centralized information systems could improve Nairobi's ability to deal with major city incidents such as last year's fuel explosion and fire in the impoverished Sinai district of the city in which more than 100 people were killed.

"By working together with the private sector, the government can create cities that meet the needs of their citizens more efficiently," said Bitange Ndemo, Information Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information.

The report also underlines Kenya's advantage in technology innovation as a way to address some of the challenges of urbanization. Cloud computing, mobile technologies and social media could all play a role.

"The good thing about Kenya is that it is exporting as well as importing innovations," said Wolfgang Fengler from World Bank. "In the case of mobile money, crowdsourcing and many other innovations, Kenya is quite remarkable."

About IBM:
To download the IBM report "A Vision of A Smarter City: How Nairobi Can Lead the Way into a Prosperous and Sustainable Future" visit:
http://www-05.ibm.com/za/office/ke/en/

For more information on IBM's strategy for Africa please visit:
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/34710.wss

For more information on IBM Smarter Cities, please visit:
http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/uk/en/sustainable_cities/ideas/index.html

Green Streets, Jobs, & Towns Grants Available

News release from EPA:

Green Streets-Green Jobs-Green Towns Grants Available to Improve Chesapeake Bay Water Quality, Cities, and Towns

                                                                                 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 Contact: Molly Alton Mullins 410.974.2941, Ext. 107  

EPA: Terri White 215-814-5523 white.terri@epa.gov

                                                                                          

(ANNAPOLIS, Md. – February 8, 2012) Today the Chesapeake Bay Trust, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the state of Maryland unveiled an expanded Green Streets-Green Jobs-Green Towns grant initiative to help cities and towns in the Chesapeake Bay watershed accelerate greening efforts that improve watershed protection, community livability, and economic vitality. Building on the success of the initial round of grants, this public-private partnership will award more than $400,000 in 2012, double the funding from 2011.

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“To meet tomorrow’s challenges, we need to apply cost-effective solutions for improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the economy of our communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Green streets and green infrastructure are investments that create jobs and save money while also providing multiple environmental and quality of life benefits. By helping towns accelerate their local greening efforts, we’re moving ahead in creating an America built to last.”

At a roundtable meeting today in Forest Heights, Md., Garvin heard from a group of mayors whose towns were Green Streets-Green Jobs grant recipients last year. The mayors discussed best practices and lessons learned in developing green infrastructure and green streets, focusing on economic development, energy efficiency and building sustainable communities.

The grant program is open to local governments and non-profit organizations in urban and suburban watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia who are interested in pursuing green streets, green infrastructure, and green jobs as part of their community or watershed planning.

Grant assistance up to $35,000 is available for infrastructure project planning and design, and up to $100,000 for implementation and construction. The strongest proposals will incorporate innovative green infrastructure and best management practices that maximize cost-effectiveness.

Projects selected will enhance sustainable watershed protection and green infrastructure stormwater management through low impact development practices, renewable energy use, local livability and green job creation. The request for proposals is available at www.cbtrust.org with a deadline of March 9, 2012 for all applications.

“Many small to mid-sized communities around the Chesapeake Bay watershed are looking for ways to boost local economies while also protecting water resources and expand greening efforts,” said Allen Hance, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “Building green streets and urban green infrastructure projects marry three important issues that these towns face: jobs, livability, and the environment.”

In April 2011, the Chesapeake Bay Trust announced the first-ever grant recipients of this Green Streets-Green Jobs partnership. In total, 10 cities and towns were awarded $25,000-$35,000 grants to fund the planning and design of green infrastructure projects within the Chesapeake Bay and Anacostia watersheds.

“We have seen demand for green infrastructure funding accelerate as more and more jurisdictions understand the connection between green development and economic improvement,” said John R. Griffin, secretary of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources. “These projects will stimulate the green jobs market and enable families to work where they live and play while also empowering communities to gain better access to restoration resources that support Chesapeake Bay protection.”

The Green Streets-Green Jobs-Green Towns Initiative, administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, supports President Obama’s Executive Order for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay through the creation of “green streets.”

The Chesapeake Bay Green Streets- Green Jobs-Green Towns Academy will also host a webinar: “Tools for Greening Chesapeake Bay Communities”

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 15. To register visit: http://mp118885.cdn.mediaplatform.com/118885/ml/mp/4000/5345/5417/12575/Lobby/default.htm

For more information on the Green Streets grant program please visit cbtrust.org.