As the EPA begins its decades-long superfund clean-up of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, a landscape architect has plans to make the area a beautiful, natural sponge for storm water runoff. The designs for creating the Sponge Park out of the 1.8-mile long canal was just approved by the city's Design Commission on January 30.

The first phase of the park has begun, which will include a series of bioswales leading up to a bioretention basin at the end of Second Street. These initial natural elements will allow the park to absorb 4,500 cubic feet of water from Second Street on a rainy day, which easily meets the demands of nine out of 10 typical storms that shower New York, without the need for costly new underground tunnels and tanks. The cost of traditional storm water infrastructure upgrades is a major motivation for the city to try and implement some new, greener options.

The next phase will include planting a variety of plant species that can handle large amounts of rain, periodic drought and also help remediate the toxicity of the soil surrounding the site. Some of the species that have been chosen include tulip poplars, northern blueflag iris, holly, yarrow, honey locust, American sweetgum, switchgrass, sunflowers and sassafras. The plants will not only serve a great environmental benefit, but also make the current eyesore a nice place to take a walk.

The Gowanus Canal could be just one of 100 of these sponge parks put in place throughout the city over the next 20 years, which could save the city $2.4 billion over traditional storm water infrastructure.

via Huffington Post Green

Image via dlandstudio

Landfills are a necessary component of contemporary life. According to the US EPA, the average person in the U.S. produces nearly 1,130 pounds (513 kilograms) of waste per year, and the vast majority of that ends up in landfills. Much of that trash decomposes, and releases methane and CO2, both of which are greenhouse gasses. However, methane is also a gas which can be used as a fuel, and increasingly, landfills are beginning to realize this is an energy resource and are making use of it.

At present, landfill gas is the source of power for more than a million homes and of heat for over three-quarters of a million homes in the US. In addition, it is also provides fuel for natural gas-powered vehicles as well as power and heat for industrial process uses. Nearly 600 sites throughout the country are using the mathane from landfills to produce electricity, heat, proces energy, and even pipeline-quality natural gas and compressed and liquified natural gas for vehicle fuel.

Methane is 20 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas for trapping heat, and landfills are a major source of methane emissions. However, according to the EPA, 60 to 90 percent of the methane produced by a landfill is captured by a typical landfill gas energy project.

Capturing and using the methane from landfills serves the dual purpose of keeping these greenhouse gasses from directly entering the atmosphere and providing an alternative to fossil fuels. These programs have been encouraged through tax credits and grants as well as by the renewable energy portfolio standards many states are adopting for their public utilities.

Even if the volume of waste per capita could be cut significantly, landfills and trash are still going to be present. As with other materials recycling programs, it only makes sense to tighten the loops and take better advantage of the available resources in ways like this.

image: US EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program

via: Smart Energy Portal