MMSD Green Luminary® Award | City of Glendale

09/15/20 05:00:pm

The City of Glendale is taking action to manage water where it falls. With the Milwaukee River running through the Community, Glendale knows the value of protecting our local waterways and promoting a more sustainable lifestyle. This summer, Glendale Residents took part in the Glendale Green Summer program to help manage water where it falls on their own properties.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and the Fresh Coast Resource Center, along with the help of Bayridge Consulting worked with residents to promote green infrastructure strategies that capture, infiltrate, and slow the flow of stormwater. This program encouraged residents to think about stormwater and take an active role with simple solutions like rain gardens and rain barrels, to help protect Lake Michigan and the waterways in their community. Working together with residents, Glendale’s elected officials, and community groups, significant progress was made towards a more sustainable future and healthier waterways.

It should be noted that this was not an ordinary Green Summer, the format of the program had to be changed in order to meet social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions. Through virtual workshops, social media, and socially distant art projects, the message of Glendale’s Green Summer reached residents. The response was so great that over 500 participants signed up to receive rain barrels, rain gardens, or soil amendments in an effort to manage water where it falls. In total, more than 216 rain barrels and 14 rain gardens were distributed through the program and can capture over 12,000 gallons every time it rains. The community in Glendale showed immense support and enthusiasm for the program.

What is a Green Luminary^® Award?

MMSD gives Green Luminary^® awards to businesses, organizations, and communities that implement exceptional green infrastructure design projects in the MMSD service area that benefit our lakes and rivers, as well as our communities.

Ways You Can Protect Lake Michigan:

Fresh Coast Guardians

Are you a homeowner, organization, or business looking for help on installing green infrastructure? Contact the Fresh Coast Guardians Resource Center to get started today.

Green Luminary ^® Recipients

A Green Luminary® helps protect our rivers and Lake Michigan by adopting practices that harvest rainfall for other uses, or mimic nature, by helping it soak into the ground to reduce water pollution. View previous Green Luminary^® award winners from the MMSD service area.

Install a Rain Barrel

Get FREE water by the barrel from your roof and use it when it’s dry outside to use in your landscape. Rain barrels help keep excess water out of the sewer system and help reduce water pollution.