Green Infrastructure: Using Natural Landscapes for
Green Infrastructure: Using Natural Landscapes for
Flood Mitigation and Water Quality Improvements
An RFF First Wednesday Seminar
April 4, 2012
12:45 – 2 p.m.
Nature provides a wealth of ecological services: forests store carbon and clean the air; rivers provide water for drinking and harbor animal species; and wetlands purify stormwater and serve as buffers against floods. Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing that this “green infrastructure” can be a cost-effective supplement or substitute for the “gray infrastructure”—pipes, dams, levees, treatment plants—traditionally used to control flooding, purify and store water, and reduce urban stormwater runoff.
At this First Wednesday Seminar, sponsored by RFF’s Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth, panelists will explore what “green infrastructure” means and describe how to evaluate the costs and benefits of land-use options for reducing flood damages. They will also discuss the challenges of convincing stakeholders that natural systems can provide infrastructure services and complement public projects. RFF experts will describe a case study evaluating flood abatement options in a Wisconsin watershed, and provide some lessons learned from working to implement a payment for environmental services program in the Florida Everglades.
Moderator:
Lynn Scarlett, Co-Director, RFF Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth
Panelists:
Margaret Walls, Research Director and Thomas J. Klutznick Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future
“The Role of Land Use Policies in Minimizing Flood Damages”
Len Shabman, Resident Scholar, Resources for the Future
“A Green Infrastructure Contribution to Everglades Restoration”
What:
RFF First Wednesday Seminar
When:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 12:45 – 2 p.m.
A light lunch will be available at 12:30 p.m.
Where:
Resources for the Future, 1616 P Street NW, Washington, DC
First Floor Conference Center
Registration is required.
To RSVP for this event, please visit RFF’s event registration page.
This seminar will also be webcast live beginning at 12:45 p.m.
Have a question for the panel while watching the live webcast?
Simply Tweet your question of fewer than 140 characters
and include the hashtag #AskRFF.
Watch the Q&A at the end of the event to see if it is selected.
At RFF’s monthly First Wednesday Seminar series, scholars and experts
exchange ideas and views with the RFF community on important energy, environmental, and natural resource topics.
