Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Grant Program
Federal Agency
Sub-Department
EPA Region 3 & Chesapeake Bay Trust
Purpose
To help communities develop and implement plans that reduce stormwater runoff, increase the number and size of green spaces in urban areas, improve the health of local streams and the Chesapeake Bay, and enhance quality of life and community livability.
Applicant and/or Project Eligibility Requirements
Eligible projects are within the Chesapeake Bay watershed portions of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and Virginia. This grant program prioritizes the planning, engineering design, and/or implementation of green street/green infrastructure projects.
Decarbonization Considerations
Consider enhancing urban and suburban tree canopies, especially where heat islands and flooding are more common. Trees can be strategically deployed to help cool pavement and buildings alike, reducing energy needs in particularly hot areas. Another strategy to mitigate both heat islands and flooding could be to deploy solar canopies on large parking surfaces as a part of a water catchment system, which would not only generate clean electricity but could be strategically designed to redirect rainfall into bioswales and other stormwater retention areas. Check out this example in Brooklyn, NY: https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/showcase-projects/whole-foods-market-brooklyn-third-and-3rd
Equity Considerations
Cooling communities that historically have hosted a disproportionate amount of heat-absorbing surface with fewer investments in greenery and parks can advance local equity and improve quality of life, especially during intense periods of heat. In many non-white neighborhoods, there has consistently been a lack of investment in green space and tree canopies. The NYTimes examined how racist housing policies continues to impact heat islands throughout the country: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/24/climate/racism-redlining-cities-global-warming.html
Helpful Tips
To determine if a project site is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed see the online map at https://cbtrust.org/g3.
Other Notes
Since 2010, the G3 Partnership has awarded 60 grants to Mid-Atlantic communities. These grants have infused over $4.9 million into green initiatives and resulted in over $9 million in G3 Projects. For additional information and case studies, visit: https://www.epa.gov/G3/g3-grant-fact-sheets