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The Deputy Minister used the occasion of a keynote address at the Gaining Ground Summit to make an inter-ministerial announcement. “We are using the slogan The New Business As Usual to convey the message that… to further advance implementation of green infrastructure…. we have to build regulatory models and develop models of practice and expertise,” stated Dale Wall, Deputy Minister.

“Over the past year, we have begun to frame where we want to get to in British Columbia in terms of sustainable watershed systems. We are saying it is a three-step process, If you don’t already have an asset management plan, then you cannot make that leap all the way to Step Three,” stated Kim Stephens. “What the Partnership is trying to do right now is to get them ready in terms of where they need to be a couple of years down the road.”

Rainwater management is about managing the spectrum of rainfall events, and is at the heart of water-centric green infrastructure. “An absorbent topsoil layer has emerged as a fundamental building block for achieving water sustainability outcomes through implementation of green infrastructure,” stated Ray Fung. “If we can show how to get the topsoil part right, then other parts of the water sustainability equation are more likely to follow.”

“The Clean Water America Alliance brought together green infrastructure leaders from around the United States,” recalls Howard Neukrig. “A number of themes emerged during the conference, including: Green infrastructure has multiple economic, social, and environmental benefits, but it must work within the greater quilt of water management that includes traditional gray infrastructure.”

“Rooftops to Rivers II reveals just how far the use of green infrastructure has spread and just how adaptable it is to different regions and climates, to changes in geography and geology, and to the various issues faced by each city. Green infrastructure works everywhere,” reports Noah Garrison.

“The study by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) demonstrates that green infrastructure is prevalent across the United States and its use is likely to expand because of the benefits provided. As the use of green infrastructure becomes more common, builders and developers should understand the options available, as well the green infrastructure practices that may be the most practical for their region and climate,” wrote Ed Shadrick.

“No longer is asset management only about hard engineered assets,” stated Kim Stephens. “Already facing a $200 billion challenge for renewal of hard infrastructure, ‘Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework’ provides a financial driver for local governments to integrate watershed systems thinking and climate adaptation into asset management.”

Renowned landscape architect, writer and educator Ian L. McHarg (1920-2001) was best known for introducing environmental concerns in landscape architecture. His 1969 book Design With Nature pioneered the concept of environmental planning. “The title contains a gradient of meaning. It can be interpreted as simply descriptive of a planning method, deferential to places and peoples, it can invoke the Grand Design, it can emphasize the conjunction with and, finally it can be read as an imperative. DESIGN WITH NATURE!,” wrote Ian McHarg.

“Designing with nature is efficient. It amounts to using income from natural capital rather than drawing down the resource,” wrote Tim Pringle. “The key principle is that settlement and ecology are equal values. This condition is prerequisite for designing with nature and it supports better control of the life-cycle costs of providing infrastructure for the built environment.”

Green infrastructure is an approach to stormwater management that protects, restores or mimics the natural water cycle. “States whose communities have incorporated LID or green infrastructure into stormwater management include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont and Washington,” reports Eva Birk.