Green infrastructure is paying off in Illinois

Green infrastructure is a concept that may be foreign to many, but is an impactful way to conserve our water and land as well as benefit the bottom line.

When you hear green infrastructure, your mind probably runs to solar panels and windmills. It's so much more than that. Here in Illinois, we've made investing in these new techniques a priority and it's paying off. We are restoring wetlands, planting greenery in our cities, and investing in methods that reduce overhead maintenance costs and conserve our natural resources.

These may sound like simple measures, but they have impacts far beyond the beauty of nature. By reducing the sewage runoff after major storms, green infrastructure improves our water quality and reduces instances of flooding. And by reducing the amount of runoff our sewage systems have to manage, we're saving the taxpayers money. In cities where there has been large investments in green infrastructure, we've seen reduced costs for paving, landscaping, and reduced development expenditures.

Now let's imagine that we make this kind of infrastructure available globally. American investment in international conservation projects helps us take the knowledge we've developed surrounding green infrastructure and apply it globally. We can improve water quality in developing nations, create a stronger water supply, which reduces conflict over water, and we could farm more efficiently, preventing illegal slash-and-burn farms that undercut Illinois agriculture prices.

American conservation efforts abroad are having an impact, and we must continue to support them.

Maggie Soliz

West Dundee