Growing Together – Southeast Michigan Commits to a GREEN Future

Southeast Michigan’s verdant beauty is not merely a fact to be admired; it is a precious regional asset that must be protected. This is precisely the purpose of SEMCOG’s GREEN initiative: to enhance and protect this beauty by Growing our Resilience, Equity, and Economy with Nature (GREEN).

As such, GREEN infrastructure projects are resilient, equitable, and improve the quality of life in Southeast Michigan communities. SEMCOG held a GREEN Summit on Thursday, April 27 in collaboration with and at the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC). The GREEN Summit provided an exciting conclusion to the GREEN Initiative and Task Force.

It was also a launching point to support nature-based solutions for addressing some of the region’s most pressing challenges, including:

• Managing floods,
• Fostering climate resilience,
• Improving community health,
• Protecting our natural assets,
• And creating vibrant places where people want to live and where businesses will thrive.

GREEN Partners Commit to New Goals

Those in attendance consisted of elected officials, government staff, funding entities, land managers, environmental organizations, and sustainability advocates. SEMCOG Executive Director, Amy O’Leary, kicked off the summit with context on the GREEN initiative and background on task force. From early conversations with key partners to widespread engagement with both experts and the public, this process has aimed to provide a regional framework of green infrastructure opportunities, demonstrate the impact of local projects toward shared goals, and provide data and advocacy resources to support successful funding and partnership opportunities.

GREEN Task Force Co-Chairs – Bryan Barnett, Mayor of Rochester Hills, and Abdullah Hammoud, Mayor of Dearborn – announced Southeast Michigan’s targets for “Growing Together,” key metrics for Southeast Michigan to reach by 2050. These include:

• Plant Trees – Target 40% tree canopy in all urban census tracts, with a particular emphasis on tracts below 20% canopy;
• Restore Wetlands – Target 500,000 acres of wetlands in Southeast Michigan, representing a 10% restoration of historic wetland coverage;
• Protect Land – Target 850,000 acres of protected land for agriculture, conservation, and recreation, representing 30% of the region’s land area;
• Connect People – Target 85% of the region’s households to have 10-minute walking access to a park, representing 100% of the region’s walkable community contexts, and;
• Think Big – Target one site per watershed to implement large-scale green stormwater infrastructure to strategically manage flooding.

New Funding Opportunity

The Michigan Conservation Fund announced a new funding opportunity that will help meet GREEN objectives. The forthcoming program will provide revolving loan funds for conservation projects in urban areas, and catalytic grants that will be available for financially struggling communities to match other grant funding opportunities. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, and we’ll share more details as they become available.

The event also featured:

• Informational displays from regional environmental organizations
• Tours of environmental features in the EIC’s 120-acre outdoor study area along the Rouge River
• The public premiere of Planet Detroit’s short film, Claiming Connection: BIPOC Detroiters and Michigan’s Outdoor Resources

Building Momentum

The GREEN Summit was planned in coordination with two environmental holidays: Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 28). The planting of native trees and vegetation is a major element of SEMCOG’s GREEN initiative to prevent flooding and enhance the natural beauty of Southeast Michigan. Growing awareness of climate change and its impacts has continued to drive interest in protecting the world’s resources and environment. Regional leaders from public, private, and non-profit organizations pledged their support for the region’s “Growing Together” benchmarks and symbolically pledged support by writing their organization on a leaf and adding it to a tree. In addition to showing how these organizations plan to assert the “Growing Together” benchmarks in their communities, it illustrates what has already been accomplished and an ongoing commitment. Similar to the root system of an actual tree, the efforts of Southeast Michigan’s partners are deeper and more broad-reaching than we can see on the surface.