Great Lakes CommissionGreen Infrastructure Champions Program

Presented By:Don Carpenter, PhD, PE, LEED AP – Drummond Carpenter PLLCClaire E. Schwartz, PE – Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc.Marcy Hamilton, Senior Planner, Deputy Executive Director, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission

Great Lakes CommissionIntroduction

• Established in 1955 by the Great Lakes Basin Compact

• Operates under Strategic Plan• Board of Directors,

Commissioners, Observers• Representing 8 American states

and 2 Canadian provinces

Great Lakes CommissionWork

Great Lakes CommissionWater Management & Infrastructure

Great Lakes CommissionGreen Infrastructure Champions Program

• Purpose: catalyze adoption of green infrastructure (GI) practices and policies by providing mid-sized municipalities with resources they frequently lack• Pilot Program: 2017-2018

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority

Great Lakes CommissionGreen Infrastructure Champions Program

Program Components:• Funding: mini-grants• Address barriers: policy analysis• Capacity building: workshops,

mentoring network

Dequindre Cut, Detroit, MI

Mini-Grants• U.S. or Canadian municipalities within the binational Great Lakes

basin with fewer than 500,000 people• Demonstrated commitment to participate as Emerging Champion in

the Mentoring Network as mentees and will benefit from being paired with a Pioneer Champion

• Projects that remove barriers and build capacity expanding GI implementation in their community/sphere of influence

Want to have lasting impact after grant funding ends

Mini-Grants

2

1. Rainwater Rewards for Michigan City, Indiana

2. City of Dearborn Sustainable Lawns 50/50 Cost-share Program

3. Prairie Treatment System Installation (Oshkosh, WI)

4. Improving Green Infrastructure Policy & Planning in Ohio’s Central Lake Erie Basin (Chagrin River Watershed Partners)

5. LID School Installations and Stream of Dreams Project (Upper Thames River Conservation Authority)

$60,000 USD Awarded in 2017

Policy Analysis• Targeted federal, state, and provincial

policies that hinder or enable local GI adoption

• Partnership with Credit Valley Conservation

• Sharing findings to policymakers across the basin• Congressional briefing – September 5,

2018• Great Lakes Legislative Caucus 2018

Annual Meeting – September 22, 2018• Great Lakes Commission 2018 Annual

Meeting panel – October 3, 2018• Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

webinar – October 24, 2018

Policy AnalysisSummary Recommendations for States and Provinces• Create dedicated funding opportunities,

reduce barriers to innovative financing• Increase confidence in GI practices

(provide research)• Establish performance-based standards

Decarie, Montreal, QC (Credit: Biopolis)

Workshops2017 Green Infrastructure Workshop: London, ON

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority

Workshops2017 Green Infrastructure Workshop: Detroit, MI

Green Alley walking tourSoutheast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG)

Workshops2019 Workshops

June 25, 2019 – Caledon, ONJune 20, 2019 – Gary, INMay 30, 2019 - Chili, NY

Mentoring Network• Peer-to-Peer• Connects experienced GI

practitioners with individuals that would like to bring GI to their communities

• Fosters the transfer of knowledge from experienced GI practitioners (Pioneer Champions) to a broader network of Emerging Champions who are eager to remove barriers and build capacity for GI but lack resources or experience

Mentoring NetworkProcess

• Needs form for Emerging Champion

• Skills form for Pioneer Champions

• Additional mentor recruitment through Advisory Team

• Mentoring agreement signed by both parties

• Check-in forms used to guide calls (and support mentor reporting)

Used to match mentors with mentees, based on skills and expertise

Mentoring NetworkProcess

• Commitment 2-3 hours a month per mentee

• Communicate once per month (phone call, in-person)

• Participate in quarterly webinars

• Agreement runs for 1 year

• Funding available for mentors who are paired with Emerging Champion

Mentoring NetworkCurrent Opportunities

• Open for sign-up through September 7, 2019.

• Agreement through August 31, 2020.

• https://www.glc.org/work/champions/network

Emerging Champion (Mentee) Pioneer Champion (Mentor)Building Better, ON REEP Green Solutions, ONChagrin River Watershed Partners, OH Cleveland Water Alliance, OHCity of Ashland, WI Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, NYCity of Berkely, MI Friends of the Rouge, MICity of Dearborn, MI City of Southfield, MICity of Flint, MI City of Toledo, OHCity of Huntington Woods, MI Tetra Tech, MICity of Oshkosh, WI Environmental Consulting and Technology, Inc.CJDL Engineering, ON Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, ONFriends of Grand Rapids Park, MI Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, NYFriends of the Rouge, MI Drummond Carpenter, MILong Point Region Conservation Authority, ON Credit Valley Conservation and

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, ONMTE Consultants, ON Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, ONSanitary District of Michigan City, IN Western Michigan Environmental Action Council, MISouthwest Michigan Planning Commission and Berrien County Drain Office, MI

FTCH and Drummond Carpenter. MI

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, ON Credit Valley Conservation, ON

Mentoring NetworkPioneer Champion (Mentor) Feedback• Provided opportunity to connect with people and communities you

would otherwise not have interacted with

• Gained understanding of specific issues facing Emerging Champion (some universal; some unique)

• Ambassador for Great Lakes• Quarterly calls with participants across region - broadened perspective

Mentoring NetworkEmerging Champion (Mentee) Feedback•How did you hear about network? Grant Opportunity/Workshop in Detroit

•Why did we sign up? Networking Gain ideas on how to advance GI implementation

•How did the process (explained earlier) really go? Mentors made it easy by keeping us on track

Guidance on GI Implementation

21

SWMPC Clean Water Summit 2018

Pervious Pavement Options - Review

23

Mentoring NetworkEmerging Champion (Mentee) Feedback• Increased local knowledge base of GI• Working to incorporate master plan and

zoning language for encourage/require GI• Working on GI implementation project with

EGLE 319 funds • Gained support for moving forward with

new county standards that encourage/require GI