The Rhode Island Green Infrastructure Coalition (RIGIC) will host its sixth annual Stormwater Innovation Expo on October 16, 2024, at the Roger Williams Park Casino in Providence. The event, running from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, will focus on “Partnerships for Statewide Climate Resilience,” showcasing current trends and practices in stormwater management.
The expo will feature keynote remarks from Kate England, Director of Green Infrastructure for the City of Boston, and a panel discussion on building strong statewide partnerships for climate resilience. This panel will include David N. Cicilline, President & CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation; Kimberly Korioth, Chief Resilience Officer for the State of Rhode Island and RI Department of Environmental Management; and Curt Spalding, Principal Consultant at Spalding Environment/Climate Strategies and Senior Consultant at GZA GeoEnvironmental.
This year’s GIC Expo will focus on effective partnerships between a wide range of organizations implementing green infrastructure and nature-based solutions, said Sara Churgin of the GIC Leadership team. These partnerships are crucial for making RI communities more resilient to the effects of climate change, including sea-level rise, flooding, increased precipitation, and warmer temperatures. The expo will highlight how green infrastructure practices can help mitigate the effects of climate change by slowing down stormwater runoff and allowing it to be absorbed naturally into the environment. This is in contrast to traditional “gray” stormwater infrastructure, such as storm drains, which can contribute to pollution in local waterways.
General admission tickets are $35 and include access to the full day of events, including lunch and a light breakfast. Tickets are available for purchase online at https://2024GICExpo.eventbrite.com. Rhode Island state and municipal employees can attend for free using the “State & Municipal Staff” option at checkout, with admission covered by RIDOT. RIGIC is a coalition of over 50 non-profits, businesses, and government agencies dedicated to promoting nature-based solutions for stormwater management. For more information about the expo, contact info@greeninfrastructureri.org.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
