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friends@therouge.org | 734-927-4900 | Fax: 734-927-4920

Green Your Neighborhood Community Forum

Green Your Neighborhood connects community members to programs and resources to help make their homes and neighborhood more sustainable through nature-based solutions. It highlights Detroit-based stormwater projects to inspire residents and professionals alike!

This free (virtual) event is open to EVERYONE and is a fun event to learn more about how to Green Your Neighborhood! Learn about Detroit’s water quality concerns and actions YOU can take to make a difference in your home and throughout your community.

2022 Virtual Forum

Keynote Speaker – Torri Smith

Watch our 2022 Forum for a conversation on biodiversity, environmental justice, and design. Michigan Mellon Design Fellow, Torri Smith, presents Equitable Landscapes which explores ways to address systemic and structural racism through natural design.

Michigan Mellon Design Fellow in Egalitarianism and the Metropolis | Taubman College
Economic Development & Design Manager | EJDEVCO
Architectural Designer & Fine Art Consultant | Detroit

Read Torri’s Full Bio HERE!

Learn more about Torri’s project here: https://detroitbioproject.cargo.site/

Immediately following this presentation, hear from Friends of the Rouge and Sierra Club Michigan Chapter for an informational session for the Storm Water Specialist Training program and Rain Gardens to the Rescue.

Brought to you by Sierra Club Michigan Chapter and Friends of the Rouge; Generously funded by the Erb Family Foundation

Past Sessions

View our Green Your Neighborhood Playlist of all 2021 session recordings!

Session 1: Green Your Neighborhood: A Resident’s Resource Guide

  • Greening Your Neighborhood: A Resident’s Resource Guide connects Detroit and metro-Detroit residents with local programs that can help make their homes  and neighborhoods more sustainable. Presenters include the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Friends of the Rouge, Wayne State University – Office of Campus Sustainability, Eco Works, Zero Waste Detroit and Keep Growing Detroit.

Session 2: Green Infrastructure & Public Space: A look at Eliza Howell Park

  • Green Infrastructure & Parks:  A look at Eliza Howell Park highlights  green stormwater infrastructure improvements at a 250 acre park on the westside of Detroit. Join us as we welcome Sidewalk Detroit and Greening of Detroit to discuss recent improvements and future plans.

Session 3: Trees as a Stormwater Management Tool: A Conversation with Karen Firehock

  • Trees as a Stormwater Management Tool: A Conversation with Karen Firehock is the keynote event for the 2021 Greening Your Neighborhood Virtual Community Forum. Karen Firehock, Executive-Director and Co-founder of the Green Infrastructure Center in Scottsville, VA,  will discuss the power of trees as a stormwater management tool and provide critical insight to help cultivate more sustainable communities. The webinar will include a presentation, followed by a brief audience Q&A.

Session 4: Deep Dive: An Infosession on Rain Gardens to the Rescue and the Stormwater Specialist Training Program

  • Learn more about FREE green infrastructure training programs open to Detroit residents. Rain Gardens to the Rescue provides training, support and native plants to homeowners in Detroit City Council Districts 1, 2 and 7 who would like to have and maintain their own rain gardens. The Stormwater Specialist Training program is a workforce development initiative that trains participants to maintain existing green infrastructure projects. No experience is required for either program, applications available NOW.

Session 5: Green Infrastructure in Placemaking Projects

  • Green Infrastructure in Placemaking Projects highlights green stormwater infrastructure management installations in Detroit’s cultural center. Learn more about the current and future green infrastructure projects at the Charles H. Wright Museum and the green infrastructure plans for the Detroit’s Cultural Center Planning Initiative.