EPA between Smart Growth and Sustainable Development

Green Infrastructure

EPA's Green Infrastructure program promotes a new approach to storm-water management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. EPA's Greens-capes program provides cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for large-scale landscaping that are designed to help preserve natural resources and prevent waste and pollution.

EPA's Sustainability Program offers individuals, communities and institutions the ability to develop and implement sustainable practices. EPA's Smart Growth Program provides tools to develop healthy
communities, promote economic development, build strong neighborhoods and helps to make smart transportation choices.

• EPA's Location page highlights location-efficient siting, or locating a building within or near an existing community. This smart growth strategy connects particularly well with green building practices, as how people and goods get to and from a site affects the environmental performance of its buildings and occupants.

Solar smart growth strategy

EPA's Urban Non-Point Source Pollution Program provides information on how to reduce the run-off of pollutants from urban environments into our waters, including low-impact development strategies.

EPA's Brown fields Initiative works with public, private and non-profit partners to sustainably reuse sites whose redevelopment may be complicated by the real or perceived presence of contaminants.

EPA's Environmentally Responsible Redevelopment and Reuse (ER3) Initiative uses enforcement and other Agency-wide incentives to promote sustainable redevelopment of contaminated sites.

Green Roof

EPA's Heat Island Reduction Initiative works with communities and other partners to reduce the heat island effect caused by urban patterns of development.

• Cool Roofs provides information about energy saving roofs.
• Green Roofs provides information about water and energy saving vegetated roofs.