Green infrastructure uses natural processes and engineered features to manage stormwater, reduce flood risk, and build climate resilience in communities and institutions.
Common types
Typical practices include rain gardens and bioretention, bioswales and swales, permeable pavement, green roofs, and constructed wetlands—each designed to capture, filter, and infiltrate runoff close to where it falls.
Key benefits
Green infrastructure improves water quality, recharges groundwater, reduces heat island effects, provides habitat, and expands public green space while often lowering long‑term maintenance and treatment costs.
Where it’s used
Solutions scale from household rain barrels and curb‑side planter boxes to neighborhood green corridors and campus‑scale wetlands; federal and defense installations also apply these approaches as part of broader sustainability efforts (see Military Base Sustainability: Beyond Going Green).
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