Nature Based Solutions
by Sarah Voska (Director of ClimAcademy)
PART 1: NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS: THE LOW-TECH CARBON CAPTURE
When it comes to fighting climate change, there is no “easy fix”. Researchers from the IPCC, Project Drawdown, and governments around the world have been searching for decades for the “Silver Bullet” solution. Project Drawdown established 100 of the top solutions, ranking them in order of carbon capture/mitigation value compared to cost. The IPCC has measured just how much carbon is in our oceans, forests and atmosphere. And the Green Climate Fund is gathering and sharing funding from countries to support climate change mitigation and adaptation projects. But one strategy that has proved useful is biomimicry, a powerful design tool that encourages engineers and planners, among others, to think about how they can replicate the earth’s functions. In some cases, this may mean restoring natural areas, to bring back the benefits that the area provided prior to development.
Where I live, the land was once an expansive tallgrass prairie from horizon to horizon. These prairie plants sequestered carbon and drew their water from deep in the water table, thanks to their deep roots that stretched up to 15 feet into the soil. The prairie offered nutrition and fertile habitat to thousands of species of birds, mammals and bugs. Bison, elk and deer roamed the land, grazing peacefully. Turtles, frogs and salamanders populated the shorelines of creeks and glacial lakes.
Yet, maps of the land dating back to the early 1800’s show that fertile prairie soil being marked up and diced up for agriculture. The soil was tilled and left barren between growing seasons, and centuries of glacial till and biomass turned to dust by the 1930s. Drain tiles were installed to push groundwater and rainfall towards artificial lakes and carry it “away”. Unfortunately, these drain tiles have now formed rivers and streams, that in storm surges cause erosion, carrying stormwater, topsoil, and chemicals away with it. Now, only 1% of original, untouched prairie remains in the state. The state contributes 20% of the Nitrogen that is carried down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico (NSEC, 2019), where a huge dead zone has been created by the waves of algal blooms and die-backs that cause fluctuating dissolved oxygen levels in the water for marine life.
Ecological restoration provides a variety of benefits, including air and water purification, carbon storage, flood control and groundwater recharge. In my climatic zone, these five benefits of ecosystem services, converted into economic value for the community, shows that forests are valued at approximately $2,880, Prairies at $16,460, and Wetlands at $10,400. These prices are per acre, per year. Recognizing the value that these areas provide to communities and municipalities is imperative to protecting these natural resources.
In my state, our climatologist issued a multi-decade precipitation assessment (Illinois State Water Survey, Bulletin 70 Update. May 2019). The report showed stunning results. Compared to just 30 years earlier, precipitation levels in the state had increased by 5-10% and were slated to continue the upward trend. Dr. Angel and his team were unable to predict the extreme that rainfall levels would continue to increase due to climate change, but added that it would cause dramatic flooding statewide, especially in the river valleys of the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers, which are, of course, lined up and down with historic communities, industry and population centers. The report led to new standards for building and development to provide storage or detention ponds for all of the water that they would be expected to receive.
One way to reduce the need for detention is to use nature-based solutions to trap stormwater. Native plants are often used as a BMP because they have deep root systems that help bring stormwater deep into the ground to our shallow water aquifers from which much of our drinking water is sourced. Native plants also work to slow down water flow by working as an obstacle, and slowly releasing the water through it and into the pond or waterway.
Finally, native plants filter heavy metals and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which cause algal blooms, and provide habitat for important wildlife such as pollinators and amphibians. Native plants do a good job at this because they are specially adapted to the ecosystem, soil and rainfall conditions of Illinois. They are more drought-tolerant, while also acting like a sponge during large rain events to soak water into the ground. Because of their value in flood control, water purification and groundwater and carbon storage, natural ecosystems contribute at least $2 billion per year in economic value to the six-county area around the City of Chicago (The Conservation Fund and Lake County Forest Preserve, 2018).
PART 2: NATURE’S MEDICINE- HOW NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS SUPPORT HUMAN HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Providing inspiring and holistic natural environments provides benefits for the people who live and work there. They are more likely to go outside, take a walk at lunch, and socialize with friends and family outdoors. This “mental break” in a rejuvenating setting can improve productivity and focus. Even just staring out the window at natural landscapes can help realize these benefits.
Neuroscientific research points to spending time in natural areas as a powerful way of rewarding humans. Studies conducted by Nik Sawe of Stanford University on the impact of natural landscapes on the brain, as cited in Dr. Wallace Nichol’s book, Blue Mind, found that: “In some people, the sight of inspiring natural landscapes triggers the same rewards circuitry as food, sex and happiness” (Nichol, 2014). With current population trends, many cities and companies are attracting new people through their values and culture. Showing a dedication to preserving the environment, and offering an outdoor area for people to engage, relax, meditate, or step away can help them to be happier and more productive!
By investing in your natural areas, you are creating important habitat, cleaning the waterways, and sequestering carbon. Forbes wrote in January of 2019 that “consumers are seeking out brands that help them make better, more responsible choices” regarding the environment and human rights (Danziger, 2019). You can showcase your dedication to this by restoring your landscape, and making it part of your marketing. It creates an exciting area to show off to visiting clients or suppliers and has a positive environmental impact in your community and watershed. Your chamber of commerce or local environmental groups may offer some recognition to your company for the efforts. You can leverage the good done by pointing out all of the ecosystem and flood benefits that it provides to the community, as something you did for the good of all residents. Ecological landscape design can earn you LEED Building points, BOMA/ TOBY Award Building Points, and other real estate recognition.
In the Chicagoland area, nonprofit conservation group The Conservation Foundation provides a Conservation@Work certification. Upon certification, you receive a letter of recognition, small ceremony to tamp-in your sign and press release around the ceremony. This offers an opportunity to bring community members together to recognize you for your work.
The Nature Conservancy has spent nearly a decade working with Dow Chemical. An unlikely team, they have worked to develop tools and methodologies of tracking the economic benefits of ecosystem services. Their findings? Using ecological restoration to treat their wastewater and stormwater runoff, helped them add value to their business. Through cost-effective green infrastructure versus traditional grey infrastructure, they were able to create habitat, filter and clean water before it entered regulated waterways, and reduce contaminants, and improve the entryway to their community, bringing with it a better place for their employees and customers to live!
Are you Uniting for Climate Action through reforestation efforts, community gardens, or clearing of invasive species? Show us! Share a picture of you and your team with the #ClimateSign and tag us on social media.
Want to learn more about how you can support the health and well-being of your community through climate action initiatives? Get involved in one of Care About Climate’s education programs such as ClimAcademy! See you there!