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Green Sustainability

Do Salt Brine and Pre-Wetting Road Salt Really Work?

Do Salt Brine and Pre-Wetting Road Salt Really Work?

Snow plowing and applying road salt was the accepted norm from the mid-20th century until just a decade or so ago.  More communities are now using new technologies and methods that are ultimately cheaper, better for the environment, and most importantly provide the level of safety the public expects during winter storm events. 

TMDLs: Taking Restored Streams off the List

TMDLs: Taking Restored Streams off the List

Why do some streams have TMDLs while others don’t?  When monitoring or sampling results over a designated period of time reveal problems with the physical, biological and/or chemical conditions of a stream, river or lake, a waterbody can be listed on a state’s Impaired Waters List.

The Heat Island Effect

The Heat Island Effect

Vegetation shades the land in rural areas, allowing it to stay cool and moist. Urban development causes these natural environments to be replaced with roads, buildings, and other dry, man-made surfaces that retain heat causing the "heat island effect".

Smart Location Mapping Tools

Smart Location Mapping Tools

Developing and analyzing data sets showing the relationship between land use and location efficiency can be a difficult and expensive process. In response to this issue, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed three tools that analyze the land use and transit accessibility of metropolitan neighborhoods in the United States: Smart Location Database, Access to Jobs and Workers Via Transit Tool, and National Walkability Index.

Infiltrating Runoff in Parking Lot Islands

Infiltrating Runoff in Parking Lot Islands

The City of Oconomowoc, with assistance from R/M, constructed joint parking lots with vegetated parking lot islands to allow storm water to flow across the lot and into bioretention areas.

Road Salt Workshops...Coming Soon!

Road Salt Workshops...Coming Soon!

It may be sunny and 80 degrees outside, but it’s the perfect time to think about snow and ice.  Many training sessions will be held this fall addressing road salt and other winter road management activities. 

Porous Asphalt Pavements: City of New Berlin

Porous Asphalt Pavements: City of New Berlin

The City of New Berlin was faced with a difficult design challenge for a 7-block section of alley in the Buena Park neighborhood. The City wanted to take advantage of a Green Solutions grant from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD). The solution was a porous asphalt pavement to provide storm water storage, filtration, and conveyance.

Why is Phosphorus Bad? Part 2: Economic Impacts

Why is Phosphorus Bad? Part 2: Economic Impacts

Excess phosphorus causes rapid formation of algal and cyanobacterial blooms, which have readily apparent impacts such as undesirable aesthetics, fish kills, and public health concerns. However, there are also less tangible economic impacts.

Porous Asphalt Pavements

Porous Asphalt Pavements

As municipal governments continue to move towards green infrastructure, innovative uses of existing materials become increasingly important. Additionally, the need to effectively move and treat storm water runoff becomes increasingly important.  Local municipalities are recognizing the importance of these two items. 

Why is Phosphorus Bad? Part 1: Environmental Impact

Why is Phosphorus Bad? Part 1: Environmental Impact

Nutrient pollution, also referred to as eutrophication, is a widespread environmental and economic issue. Excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen exist naturally in aquatic systems, but are detrimental if concentrations become elevated for several reasons.

The Problem With Plastic

The Problem With Plastic

Keeping track of which plastics should be recycled in a municipality can be difficult for residents. To increase participation in recycling programs, it is helpful to make the information readily available and easy to understand.

Full Depth Pavement Reclamation

Full Depth Pavement Reclamation

In recent years, many states and local municipalities have made enormous strides in reducing carbon emissions and increasing the overall sustainability of their operations and infrastructure projects. Many sustainable construction methods, which often go unnoticed, are gaining popularity due to their lower cost and big environmental benefits.

The Importance of Water Conservation

The Importance of Water Conservation

The average American household uses 300 gallons of water per day at home. With summer fast approaching, the time for swimming pools and sprinkler systems is almost here. Warmer months can lead to significantly higher water usage, meaning that water conservation is increasingly important!

Rain Gardens: Pretty or Functional?

Rain Gardens: Pretty or Functional?

Rain gardens are typically depressed garden beds where rain accumulates and slowly soaks into the ground. By directing downspouts to rain gardens, we can reduce the amount of runoff that reaches the street, then the storm sewer, and ultimately erodes the banks of our local creeks and lakes. 

How Earth Day Was Invented

How Earth Day Was Invented

 

Prior to the first Earth Day in 1970, regulations to protect our air, water, and land simply did not exist. It took one Wisconsin native, Gaylord Nelson, to start the conversation of how to put environmental protection on the national agenda. He accomplished this incredible task by inventing Earth Day, a day to celebrate our earth's natural resources and recognize the importance of protecting them. 

Biking: The Greenest Form of Transportation

Biking: The Greenest Form of Transportation

Bicycles are actually the world's most widely used transport vehicle, outnumbering automobiles almost two to one. However, the U.S. is a major exception to biking's popularity around the world with less than one percent of trips made in the U.S. done by bicycle.