Flip Your Strip gaining traction, leading to removal of water-guzzling turf

An experimental water treatment plant in Florida has been performing as efficiently as other conventional treatment plants for the last 24 years. Known as the Living Machine of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, it filters 6,000 gallons of wastewater per day and is inspired by how natural wetlands and marshlands filter water. While government officials were skeptical at first, the Living Machine continues to pass monthly inspections, is less costly, and is not as noisy so visitors can enjoy the wildlife in the sanctuary.

A wastewater treatment plant in Oregon not only cleans water that is released into the local river, but it also creates fertilizer that is sent to farmers to use on non-food crops and it produces renewable power from methane. The green energy created at the plant heats five buildings on the site and produces half of the energy the facility uses. This kind of co-generation system is growing in other places in the United States, China, Brazil, and Norway.

The city of Amsterdam funded a blue-green roofs program to reduce both flooding and the urban heat island effect. The water collection system stores and releases rainwater, the variety of indigenous plants increase biodiversity, and the connected digital network allows them all to be controlled remotely.

Replacing nonfunctional grass lawns that require excessive amounts of water with a mix of desert plants and a few plants that need more water can help save water and keep cities like Las Vegas cool.

Residents of St. George, Utah, replaced the turf in their yard with native plants and rocks to conserve water. Now they’re using 14,000 fewer gallons of water per month than the year before.

In a science class in a local New Jersey school, students came up with a green solution to a storm water management and flooding problem in their parking lot when it rained. With help from the Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program out of Rutgers University and funding from city agencies, they were able to build planters and install concrete to absorb the runoff. The project galvanized the community, encouraging the school to expand their STEM curriculum.

As Tucson works to combat the effects of climate change, the Arizona city has been implementing policies to conserve its limited water supply through initiatives like a city rebate program. By focusing efforts on water harvesting — both rainwater, which can be drinkable, and stormwater, which can be used for irrigation — the city can use that water to create more green spaces and lower water bills. The rebate program pays back residents as much as $2,000 for purchasing water harvesting systems. During one year, the program saved 52.1 million gallons of water, which is enough for 160 households.

Ranchers and conservationists in Florida are working together to lobby for policies that preserve their farmland, protect wildlife species, and conserve water instead of turning it over to be developed. The Sunshine State has experimented with conservation incentive programs like payments for panther habitat restoration, reimbursements for livestock losses, and water storage projects but most of these programs have had mixed success and are often underfunded.

A workforce development initiative, PowerCorpsPHL, pays participants to learn skills and gain hands-on experience for jobs that offer long-term career opportunity in the field of environmental sustainability. Participants generally have criminal records or have been in the foster care system. In addition to job training and education, PowerCorpsPHL also provides services such as mental health counseling, securing childcare, navigating SNAP and AmeriCorps tuition benefits and helping with paperwork. The program helps 92 percent of participants secure either a job or post-secondary education.

A New Jersey nonprofit, Sustainable Jersey, is taking a collaborative approach to environmental health, action, and sustainability. The organization is primarily a certification program, giving New Jersey towns guidelines to follow when it comes to energy use, waste, water, and health, and spotlighting those that are doing it well. At its annual summit, it brought together organizations from across the state, calling upon them and others to take more drastic actions, especially when it comes to waste reduction.