Green Infrastructure

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Investments in so called “green” infrastructure solutions such as wetland restoration or agricultural best management practices are increasingly recognized as cost effective ways to achieve environmental quality outcomes relative to investments in “gray” infrastructure such as wastewater treatment or water filtration plants. For example, the Center for Neighborhood Technology asserts “[t]he research shows that green infrastructure measures are as effective as conventional approaches in relieving flooding, and can be installed more cheaply and quickly.” Moreover, green infrastructure is considered a lasting source of ecosystem service benefits for communities that appreciates rather than depreciates over time.


CSE helped pioneered an analytical technique for quantifying the economic and financial tradeoffs between green and gray infrastructure in three decision-making contexts: (1) disaster risk reduction; (2) regulatory compliance, and (3) infrastructure investment. This technique – green vs. gray analysis (GGA) – extends conventional public infrastructure analysis models used to evaluate the cost effectiveness of technological solutions like new reservoirs by factoring the unique role wetlands, forests, riparian zones and other green infrastructure elements can play in enhancing water quality and flow or achieving other environmental objectives. GGA is used to determine whether investing in these green infrastructure options is a more cost-effective approach.

CURRENT PROJECTS

No-Net-Loss for Forests and Farmland


At COP 26 in Glasgow, the United States signed a pledge to end deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 in order to preserve the critical role forests play in mitigating the worst effects of climate change. The US has also committed to scaling up regenerative agriculture to dramatically increase the amount of carbon sequestered by our productive farmlands. But neither goal can be met if we continue to lose prime forest and farmland to development. A no-net-loss program based on the successful compensatory mitigation program for wetlands may offer a solution, and CSE is working with state and county officials to evaluate the potential role of this program in their jurisdictions.

winding river

Green vs. Gray Analysis


What are the relative benefits and costs of investing in wetland restoration, riparian corridors, forest protection and open space in lieu of dams, water treatment facilities and stormwater controls? CSE experts can help answer this question using standard methods for green vs. gray analysis (GGA) we helped pioneer. GGA compares the net present value of proposed gray investments with green alternatives that account for the many ecosystem services provided by nature free of charge such as flood control, water supply, water filtration and wildfire risk reduction.

Trees and open space

Open Space Defense


While it is difficult to grow our communities without displacing at least some farm and forestlands, there are many options for doing so in ways that minimize the impacts. For example, new highways can be located in places that won’t contribute to deforestation through induced development. New commercial centers and housing can be located on land that has been reclaimed from older, industrial uses instead of land being used to produce food and wood products. With partners, CSE monitors and challenges high-impact projects through administrative and legal means and works with decision makers to ensure that all reasonable alternatives to greenfield development are explored.

FEATURED WORK

By John Talberth 04 Dec, 2023
Community gardens and climate resilient cropping provide alternatives to polluting mud drags.
Oregon public water providers asked to intervene to halt over 18,000 acres of clearcuts
By Daphne Wysham 07 Jun, 2019
Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) and local watershed advocates have asked 28 public water system providers in rural Oregon to intervene to halt the planned clearcutting of over 18,000 acres in surface drinking water supplies..
Green vs. Gray: Nature's Solution to Infrastructure Demands of the 21st Century
By John Talberth 01 Jun, 2021
In 2016, CSE teamed up with researchers at World Resources Institute to develop a replicable methodology cities and counties can use to analyze the relative costs and benefits associated with green vs. gray investments to...
Pay for Performance: Maximizing the Impact of BMP Investments
By John Talberth, Mindy Selman, Sara Walker and Erin Gray 31 Aug, 2015
Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) such as streamside buffer zones and cover crops are increasingly being used to reduce nutrient pollution from fertilizers into water bodies. Eutrophication from fertilizer runoff is the key driver behind...
Front Range Green vs. Gray Analysis - Center for Sustainable Economy
By John Talberth, Bryan Bird, Todd Gartner and James Mulligan 05 Dec, 2013
Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) and World Resources Institute (WRI) have partnered with the Center for Collaborative Conservation at Colorado State University to investigate the potential cost savings associated with investments in green infrastructure solutions...

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