The Ripple Effect

Improving Public Health Through Green Stormwater Infrastructure

A newly installed public rain garden featured outside of the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center in the District of Columbia.

This summer, I spent 10 weeks interning with the Alliance’s DC office. Being a student interested in environmental health in urban populations, as I dug in and learned more about the green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) the Alliance helps create around DC, I found myself asking; “how might these subtle efforts to improve our city translate to positive public health outcomes?”

The idea that environmental conservation work improves public health outcomes is by no means a new one. In the world of public health, it’s widely accepted that medical care alone is insufficient to improve health disparities without addressing the context in which people live. As scientific communities have come to recognize the negative impacts of concrete-laden industrial scapes, green urban renewal projects are praised for their ability to improve environmental conditions, get people outdoors, and fulfill their human need for biophilia.

However, these influences of green infrastructure are far more nuanced and multifaceted than many realize. Enter, the Greening Theory of Change (GTC), a useful framework for understanding the all-encompassing public health impacts green infrastructure can have.

GTC is derived from other public health theories of behavior, which imagine each of us as being surrounded by a series of concentric circles that influence our health outcomes. First is individual factors, such as perceived safety, stress, or physical activity. Then come the interpersonal factors such as volunteerism or social connectedness. Lastly, are the environmental factors like air and water quality, which are most directly affected by conservation work.

The Benefits of Greenspace

Community volunteers, Alliance employees, and contractors for the landscaping company DC GoGreen come together for a training on how to properly install rain gardens.

So…how can this be applied to GSI across DC? Well, to start answering this question I first spoke with various government officials, environmental health experts, and community organizers in the DC area. After gaining this additional insight, GSI began to take on a new shape, with each rain garden installation and bioswale starting to resemble a stone thrown with cascading impact.

From a top-down perspective, GSI provides beautification, combats urban heat, reduces flooding, and helps improve water quality. In DC’s wards 7 and 8, targeted greening efforts might even be considered a form of restorative environmental justice due to past industrial activities that historically concentrated polluting infrastructure east of the Anacostia River. This led to degraded air and water quality, heightened exposure to contaminants, and long-standing public health disparities. For this reason, I narrowed my focus and decided to interview community members from those wards, as they serve to benefit the most from GSI development.

Leveraging the Alliance’s ties within the community, I reached out to members of the Earth Conservation Corp, RiverSmart Homes ambassadors, and a few kind attendees at a Friday night fishing event sponsored by Anacostia Riverkeeper. I then conducted standardized interviews with these generous folks in an attempt to capture the day to day impact on health experienced across the city as a result of these greening efforts.

Public and Partner Response

Corps members Matthew George and James Banks taking a quick break from working on a new green roof on the at the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center.

The direct physical health implications are perhaps the most obvious. Gardening and yardwork in general get people active in their own backyards, and by all measurable standards, can be considered moderate-intensity exercise. Rain gardens and other forms of GSI require regular maintenance, and in cases like the RiverSmart Homes program (RSH), have incentives in place to encourage said maintenance. Tavis Chase notes, “I go back to check periodically and I find that residents are motivated to keep the rain gardens functioning properly.”

This encouraged engagement with greenspace comes with decreased mental stress, and emotional relief. Tawanda Johnson, another RSH ambassador mentioned that, “it (rain garden) can also be used as a meditation space”, while Mathew George (Corps member) finds designing these projects can be a creative outlet. Others also reported stress relief and emotional catharsis, either as a result of taking part in conservation activities, or simply enjoying the beauty and tranquility of green space. Some respondents even noted feeling a renewal of their spiritual connection to nature after their property had been beautified by GSI.

Almost all of the participants noted how getting involved in greening efforts gave them an increased sense of efficacy, pride, social connectedness and stewardship. James Banks (Corps Member) takes pride in the opportunity to educate school age children on their conservation efforts. For him “Teaching the kids something they don’t know, and helping them build a connection to the plants and animals they see everyday“ puts a smile on his face and gives him a sense of greater purpose.

For Sharita Slayton (RSH ambassador), these projects create resilience. She recounted, “When there was a water outage in the community, I shared water from my rain barrel with my neighbors so they could flush their toilets.” Across the board, learning about native plants and environmental impact through these projects spurred folks to strengthen not only their own ties to the environment, but increased their capacity to make meaningful contributions to the surrounding community.

GSI projects are more than sources of beautification, flooding reduction, or a bit of extra shade on a walk through town. Perhaps most importantly, these projects inspire hope for a greener, healthier, more equitable future. These projects have very tangible impacts that increase efficacy by creating more environmentally conscious, purpose-driven communities. GSI is a public health tool as well as cascading source of empowerment, resilience, and stewardship with an impact that ripples through DC communities, and beyond.

Learn more about Alliance intern projects

Support the Alliance’s efforts

By Isaiah Hodges, former fellow of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay