Greenprint Partners Brings Green Infrastructure Knowhow
In St. Louis, a combined sewer system means stormwater and wastewater have only one place to go. With intense rain events increasing due to climate change, this has resulted in flooding, sewer backups and an influx of service calls to the St. Louis Municipal Sewer District. This strain on the system disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income areas. Many American cities face similar issues. This is where green infrastructure enters and changes the game.
Meet Greenprint Partners, the social venture working in deep partnership with organizations like Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church to bring green infrastructure solutions – bioswales, rain gardens and other ways of managing water runoff – to Black and Brown communities. Greenprint does community engagement to ensure its work is community-driven and matches what residents envision for their neighborhoods. And it closes a persistent funding gap, as nonprofits don’t have the upfront, pre-development dollars needed to plan and prepare for this work.
Speakers:
April Mendez, CEO of Greenprint Partners
Dr. Donald Ray McNeal, Senior Pastor, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church
Bruce Litzsinger, Assistant Director, Engineering, Municipal Sewer District of St. Louis