Campus RainWorks Challenge

The U.S. EPA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Campus RainWorks Challenge. The U.S. EPA launched the Campus RainWorks Challenge in May 2012 to inspire the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers to develop innovative green infrastructure systems that mitigate the impacts of urban stormwater while supporting sustainable communities. Student teams were invited to create an innovative green infrastructure design for a site on their campus showing how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment. Winning teams earned a cash prize, as well as research funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure.  EPA plans to offer the competition again in the fall of 2013.

Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage stormwater and create healthier urban environments. While single-purpose “gray” stormwater infrastructure (e.g. catch basins, pipes, and ponds) is largely designed to move urban stormwater away from the built environment, green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls. By weaving natural processes into the built environment, green infrastructure can provide not only

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