Embedded Files
Presented by the History Team: Nicholas Plummer, Maria Van Eerden, Jennie Golaszewski, Avery Edwards, Caden Shannon
Rain Gardens and Green Infrastructure
Rain Gardens and Green Infrastructure
Rain gardens are landscaped areas designed to collect and filter rainwater runoff from impermeable surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and roofs. Traditionally, when rainwater hits these surfaces, it eventually finds its way to a storm drain, collecting pollutants on its way before reaching a river or lake. Rain gardens are planted with deep-rooted native plants which, along with the soil, trap pollutants as the water seeps into the ground and refills groundwater aquifers, thus protecting our waterways.
Rain gardens are part of a bigger initiative known as green infrastructure. Green infrastructure is an approach to water management that combines engineering with earth’s natural processes to manage stormwater, improve air and water quality, and provide environmental benefits within urban areas. In addition to rain gardens, green infrastructure includes things such as green roofs, permeable pavements, and urban green spaces.
Photo provided by Nicholas of a Bioswale called
"The Meadows" at Plaster Creek Family Park
Our Project
Our Project
Working with American Rivers, LGROW, WMEAC, and Plaster Creek Stewards, our project's mission is to develop an equity framework for the education and accessibility of rain gardens. The project also involves setting community members up with their own design tools to potentially create their own rain garden, regardless of where they reside. Teaching the community about rain gardens is essential for community health, bringing the public closer together, and strengthening the connection to the watersheds we live on.
Rain garden at Sunrise Park, Hudsonville, MI (above), and a curb cut rain garden in Garfield Park, Grand Rapids (below)
Photo provided by Jennie Golaszewski of a rain wall in Grand Rapids
Our Team's Goals
Our Team's Goals
As the history team, we were tasked with reporting the perception of rain gardens, common knowledge of rain gardens and how people access information about rain gardens.
An equity framework is integral to the rainscaping project as it focuses on accessibility and education throughout West Michigan. Communities may be overly burdened by pollution and water quality issues, highlighting the need for resources to be targeted to the areas with the most substantial issues. This supports a diverse, equitable, and inclusive framework as rainscaping opportunities are distributed to diverse communities with a focus on inclusion and neighborhood input, ensuring all voices are heard.
American Rivers
American Rivers
American Rivers is the primary client and stakeholder of our rain garden project. Most people live within miles of a river. However, many don’t know what the river provides. All life depends on safe running water. As our climate changes our rivers have many threats such as pollution, floods, and dams negatively changing ecosystems. American Rivers goal is to renew and provide safety for our rivers. Through habitat restoration, updating outdated policies, connecting with local people, and prototyping new ideas to help our rivers.
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
WMEAC is a stakeholder in our project and member of the alliance. With fifty years of experience, they hold a voice in protecting our water cycles. They host workshops for community education, such as creating rain barrels. They provide a lot of community engagement with focusing on public education through community ecological workshops.
Lower Grand River Organizations of Watersheds
Lower Grand River Organizations of Watersheds
LGROW has a mission to understand, protect and improve the natural resources of the lower Grand River watershed for all to enjoy. Their vision is to connect water with life. Their work includes expanding education on watersheds and water management. The organization partners with WMEAC along with American Rivers to do activity and education workshops. They also have an amazing “Adopt-a-Drain” program, which allows community members to maintain storm drains.
Plaster Creek Stewards
Plaster Creek Stewards
Plaster Creek Stewards is an initiative of Calvin University that partners with their neighbors and other organizations, such as American Rivers to make restoration practices possible. Plaster Creek Stewards have been around for eight years and have accomplished the creation of 150 gardens within the Plaster Creek Watershed, originally named Kee-No-Shay Creek, which covers 58 square miles. The region is the most polluted waterway in West Michigan. The Stewards work to educate and restore this region via workshops and other community activities. Through their partnership with Calvin, research efforts are made possible, for example testing E. Coli levels. If community members are unable to implement rain gardens, Plaster Creek has alternative methods such as tree planting.
Photo from American Rivers on Exploring Rivers Page www.americanrivers.org/
Rainscape Alliance
Rainscape Alliance
Rainscape Alliance is the coalition of stakeholders in West Michigan focusing on the implementation of green infrastructure that supports community wealth building strategies. All connect in rainscaping for the people through water restoration, community involvement, and the management of Earth's natural processes.
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