Introducing the East Bay Green Infrastructure Coalition!
The RI Green Infrastructure Coalition (RI GIC) formed in 2014 because of a shared concern about water quality impairments from polluted stormwater run-off, aging, inadequate and failing infrastructure, and increased enforcement of stormwater management requirements. Knowing that stormwater management is most challenging in urban areas, the Coalition decided to focus on the Providence metro area and Newport and the surrounding Aquidneck Island communities. These areas were chosen to prioritize work in urban communities where the work would benefit low-income communities with the multiple benefits of natural stormwater infrastructure. 

Over the past 5 years RI GIC partners have engaged in a wide range of approaches to advance the Coalition's vision. This has brought tremendous exposure statewide to the RI GIC and its very effective work. Because of these very successful efforts, we are expanding our work and efforts further into the East Bay to include local programs in Jamestown, Tiverton, Bristol, Warren and Barrington. The GIC Leadership Committee unanimously agreed to increase the RI GIC's efforts to these East Bay municipalities.
The Eastern RI Conservation District (ERICD) will staff the East Bay expansion efforts. ERICD is a member of the RI GIC Leadership Committee, along with Audubon Society of RI, The Nature Conservancy, Save the Bay and Clean Water Action.  The ERICD provides direct financial and technical assistance to individual Newport and Bristol County landowners and municipalities on natural resource concerns. A large focus of organizational concentration is stormwater management/climate resiliency, design and implementation of stormwater mitigation projects and non-point solution reduction. 
On November 20, 2019, the East Bay Green Infrastructure Coalition was born and had its first meeting. In attendance were municipal staff from towns throughout the region as well as members from non-profits and the public. At this meeting we shared stories of resiliency and stormwater management challenges and successes from across the region and identified issues of common support and interest.

These meetings are open to anyone interested in discussing stormwater management and are scheduled quarterly. Our next meeting is February 25, 2020 at Portsmouth Public Library, at 10:00 AM. Please Join Us!
Please join us at any or all of these upcoming meeting dates!

*Newly Formed* East Bay GIC
February 25, 2020
10:00AM
Portsmouth Public Library

Providence GIC 
January 22
February 26
March 25
April 22
Meetings are held at 9:30 AM at The Nature Conservancy, 159 Waterman St, Providence RI

Statewide RI GIC 
January 16
April 16
July 16
October 14
Meetings are held at 10 AM at Save The Bay
The newly formed East Bay Green Infrastructure Coalition will focus on issues unique to the East Bay to include local programs in Jamestown, Tiverton, Bristol, Warren and Barrington. Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District will staff the East Bay expansion efforts.
The Statewide RI GIC will continue to offer and share expansive communication resources, trainings on maintenance of green infrastructure installations and shared knowledge on successful sites and green infrastructure installations around the state.
Nature At Work is a newsletter designed and distributed by the Rhode Island Green Infrastructure Coalition to bring more green space news to our cities and encourage the use of nature to clean, protect, and cool our neighborhoods.  Because of climate change, we are seeing increased heat impacts in our city, especially where there are fewer trees, as well as issues with flooding and polluted runoff in our neighborhoods.

The Green Infrastructure Coalition is a collaborative of more than 40 non-profit organizations, businesses, and government agencies focused on using nature to reduce stormwater pollution. We develop projects to demonstrate the powerful role nature can play to create healthier urban environments. We promote policies to create sustainable funding for stormwater management and green infrastructure solutions. And we connect a wide range of partners to share lessons learned in the Providence Metro area and Aquidneck Island.

 
Facebook
RI-GIC Website