It Pays to Go Green in Maryland
Maryland, EPA, Chesapeake Bay Trust Provide $3.4 Million for Green Infrastructure Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced September 4, 2013 an expansion of the Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs Initiative (G3) due to a joint investment of $3.4 million by the State of Maryland, EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
The G3 grant program, which is administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, helps support President Obama’s Executive Order for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The purpose of the G3 program is to help municipalities and nonprofit organizations support projects that add green space and reduce stormwater runoff by using green infrastructure practices that increase tree canopy, capture and filter rainwater, and improve watershed protection, community livability and economic vitality.
EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Trust created G3 in 2011 to support projects that reduce stormwater runoff through the creation of “green streets.” A green street is one that minimizes the environmental impact of a roadway by practices such as reducing the amount of water piped directly into streams and rivers; creating rain gardens, installing urban tree canopy; using energy efficient lighting; and encouraging pedestrian and bicycle access. Green streets also provide aesthetic and economic benefits.
The G3 grant program is open to local governments and nonprofit organizations interested in pursuing urban green stormwater infrastructure and green jobs as part of an integrated community or watershed plan.
For more information on the G3 grant program, please visit www.cbtrust.org.