As we prepare to celebrate Arbor Day next Friday, the time seems apt to consider the steps we can make to improve the ongoing greening initiatives in our respective communities. Communities across the world have taken progressive steps towards reducing their environmental footprint, though some communities have served as beacons for others through their determination and innovations in greening practices. The following is a list of impressive greening programs and resources that bring new ideas to the work of preserving our environment.

• The National Association of Counties casts a lens on the greening efforts of Alachua County, Florida in their case study “Green Infrastructure Investment Plan.”
• ICMA’s Landfill Gas project called on the City of Annapolis, MD to share expertise in green technology with landfills across China, to help reduce the landfills’ greenhouse gas emissions.  
• In their report “Cultivating Green Energy on Brownfields,” the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals maps out development plans for several renewable energy sources that can be developed in brownfield environments.
• Read about the City of Philadelphia, PA and their lauded $2 billion green infrastructure project, “Green City, Clean Waters,” in this post from the In the Know blog.

Before you celebrate Arbor Day with your community, read through these resources that highlight Arbor Day celebration practices from across the country, and search around the Climate Change, Environmental Liability, Forestry, and Parks & Recreation Management topic pages. Share your thoughts and stories of innovative greening practices in the comments section below this post.

Aloha,

James Davidson

James Davidson is an intern for ICMA’s Knowledge Network. You can reach him for questions and comments at jdavidson@icma.org.