Green Initiatives: Making a Difference
The City of Minneapolis takes steps everyday to stay on top of environmental issues that affect people who live, work & visit the City. Green Initiatives provides an example of how everyone can make a difference to improve the water quality of our streams, lakes and wetlands in Minneapolis. Every time it rains, or you water your lawn or wash your car, the water carries pollutants from your lawn, sidewalk and driveway to the City’s storm drain system.
Green Roofs
Building green roofs is way to create healthier and efficient buildings, providing great environmental, economic, and social benefits.
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Find out more at the Green Roofs in Minnesota website.
Trees
Planting trees is another Green Initiative that helps retain rainwater on their leaves & trunk, reducing the amount of water runoff. Trees also soak up water in the soils through their roots, allowing soil more time & holding capacity for filtration.
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By retaining water, trees also help slowing water runoff which reduces the intensity of downstream flooding.
Rain Gardens
A rain garden is an attractive garden with a special purpose — to reduce the amount of rain water and pollutants entering streams, rivers and lakes. A rain garden is a place to direct the rain from your roof or driveway, and more importantly to retain that rain onsite instead of discharging to the storm drain system.
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Rain gardens are typically landscaped with plant species native to our region that can survive varying wet and dry conditions, that have deep roots to improve soil conditions, and that add beauty. For more information, please see the City of Minneapolis Rain Gardens web page.
Rain Barrels
Did you know that a moderate storm that dumps 1" of rain produces about 600 gallons of runoff from a roof surface of 1,000 square feet? Imagine the number of rooftops in your community and you can quickly see how much runoff is headed toward the storm drains, picking up pollutants common in urban areas along the way, and headed toward our lakes, streams and rivers.
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Rain barrels are one way of trapping some of this runoff. They are not only ecologically responsible, but they also help conserve water. For more information, please see Rain Barrels.
Pervious Pavements
Minneapolis contains an abundance of the hard surfaces (also know as impervious surfaces). Pervious paving allows the stormwater runoff to infiltrate into the ground, and therefore keep that water out of our lakes, rivers & streams.
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Above are two examples of pervious pavement in Minneapolis.
Find out more information on other Green Initiatives here:
Heritage park: Treating Stormwater Differently (pdf)
Minneapolis Annual Earth Day Watershed Clean Up
Environmentally Friendly Watershed Practices for Businesses
Rainleader Disconnect Program (see the Minneapolis CSO Solution)
Last updated May. 8, 2012