As municipalities, commercial developers and private landowners increasingly turn to green infrastructure to manage water at the site and regional level, plants and managed landscapes are taking a leading role. Parks, urban forests, green roofs, rain gardens, constructed wetlands, permeable pavement, cisterns…these are the new roots of urban resilience. North Carolina’s Green Industry Council will spotlight the benefits of green infrastructure during their 4th Annual Water Symposium, scheduled for July 24 at the Jane S. McKimmon Center on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.
Green Infrastructure Speakers
Philadelphia’s Mami Hara, Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commissioner at the Philadelphia Water Department is the opening Keynote speaker. She will present Philadelphia’s plans to invest more than $2 billion in green infrastructure over the next 25 years through the nation’s most ambitious green infrastructure program.
Other speakers include nationally renowned Landscape Architect Jeffrey Bruce, North Kansas City, Missouri; Closing Keynote, Alan Harris a.k.a. The Water Scribe, from ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, Atlanta, Georgia; and Trevor Clements from TetraTech, ranked No. 1 in Water in the nation by Engineering News Record. Additional speakers will address topics such as Low Impact Development (LID), the role of plants in stormwater management, and site level infiltration among others.
The Green Industry Council will also award their first ever Blue Green Innovator of the Year Award to recognize outstanding leadership and innovation in environmental stewardship in regards to water conservation, water use efficiency and the development and implementation of green infrastructure by an individual, organization or government entity.
Continuing Education Credits
- NC Board of Landscape Architects (6 credit hrs.)
- NC Board for Engineers and Surveyors (6 credit hrs.)
- PLANET (6 credit hrs.)
- NC Irrigation Licensing Board (6 credit hrs. + 2 Business credit hrs.)
- Water pollution Control Systems Operators (6 credit hrs.)
- Water Treatment Facility Operators (5.5 credit hrs.)
Register now for the Water Symposium on July 24th. For more information, contact the NC Green Industry Council, (919) 372-1586.
If you are interested in how to use green infrastructure to manage water, please consider registering for the symposium and be sure to check back in August for follow up posts. As always your comments and shares are appreciated. Be sure to check out my previous posts, follow me on Twitter @h2oMatters and check out green infrastructure stories I am reading on Flipboard:
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