Building the business case for green investments among key decision-makers is a critical but often challenging step in advancing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects.
The solution? The recently launched GSI Impact Hub (gsiimpacthub.org), co-developed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange, and One Water Econ along with the guidance of government agencies and water utilities from across the U.S.
Many cities and towns in the U.S. and Canada are adopting GSI methods to reduce polluted stormwater runoff and meet water quality requirements, especially as we face increased storms and flooding due to climate change. But understanding and quantifying GSI’s true value over time can be a challenging step in the process. That’s where the GSI Impact Hub comes in. The GSI Impact Hub is a digital suite of resources and tools designed to empower cities and towns to invest in green stormwater solutions.
Why are these solutions important? Because they help create healthier, more resilient urban environments for both people and nature. This is an actionable set of tools and resources for cities and municipalities, urban planners, utility companies, stormwater practitioners, conservation organizations, policymakers and legislators, civil engineers, landscape architects, community groups, and more.
Two major components of the GSI Impact Hub are:
- The interactive GSI Impact Calculator, which enables practitioners to run scenarios that assess how a proposed GSI project contributes to 12 associated benefit categories, including water quality improvement, heat mitigation, green job creation, energy savings and recreation.
- An expansive range of educational guides on the co-benefits of GSI that break down the industry’s leading evidence-based literature in one place and showcase how to maximize key benefits in project implementation via siting, design, case studies, and funding opportunities.
The GSI Impact Hub is free to use and accessible to all. We encourage you to explore this new resource at gsiimpacthub.org. Please reach out to TNC’s Lyndon DeSalvo (lyndon.desalvo@tnc.org) with any questions .