The PA Environmental Council and the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the International Facility Management Association are partnering on a project that seeks to improve water quality benefits, enhance habitat, and reduce pollutant loadings to streams through the engagement of new commercial landowners as adopters of green stormwater infrastructure in their existing and new properties.

Funded in part by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, PEC will work closely with IFMA-GPC leadership to understand education and training resources needed to help encourage investment in green stormwater infrastructure at existing and/or proposed facilities.

As part of the project, PEC will jointly develop and implement four programming activities aimed at promoting the use of GSI as part of facility management activities, provide consultation and evaluation of six properties for potential GSI retrofitting or new construction, and provide technical assistance to advance two projects to preliminary design status.

PEC hopes to identify a new model to engage commercial property owners in the practice of stormwater management as part of their routine property investments, building awareness through education and outreach events, building capacity via targeted technical assistance, and sharing through peer-to-peer learning and interaction.

Although initially focused within the Philadelphia metropolitan region, we hope to utilize our experiences for potential expansion throughout the state.

Contact Susan Myerov, PEC Watersheds Program Director, by sending email to: smyerov@pecpa.org for more information about this new initiative.

9/21/2015