Welcome to the Green Communities Guide
The Green Communities Guide is an essential tool to help communities plan and implement nature-based solutions and strategies to conserve water, protect water quality, preserve agricultural land, and protect critical open spaces and wildlife habitat.
The Forgotten Solution
Why Green Communities? Because nature is one of the most effective ways of combating climate change and nature-based climate solutions - actions that are in harmony with nature that incorporate nature conservation and support biodiversity protection - can provide cost-effective approaches to mitigate climate change.
A Complete Online Resource
Designed for use by municipal planners, developers, community groups and more, this living resource highlights innovative, nature-based approaches communities are taking to managing development with respect to its impacts on our natural systems. This Guide features innovative approaches to sustainable development including riparian management, xeriscaping, naturalization, storm water wetlands, brownfield reclamation, permaculture and much more, and includes recommended practices and project considerations as well as the business, nature and community-side of each nature-based solution.
Jump into the Guide
The Stewardship Directory
A valuable companion resource to the Green Communities Guide, this online directory helps connect community stewardship groups, organizations, businesses and governments to share their experiences and lessons learned in stewardship and natural resource management.
Browse the Directory
The Town of Olds is taking a forward-looking step towards sustainability with a new approach to greenspace management. The municipality plans to convert select public spaces into naturalized landscapes…
Despite a long history of implementing conventional engineering practices, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began an Engineering with Nature (EWN) initiative in 2010, "saying it now aspired to work with…
The European project NBSINFRA is exploring the implementation of NBS to help protect critical infrastructure during catastrophic events that are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change. While…
A motion by Ward 11 Councilor, Kourtney Penner, for roadside naturalization in the City of Calgary has passed its technical review. The motion calls for naturalization along roadways and paths as well…
An Edmonton-based active transportation advocacy group, Paths for People, has proposed a portion of 76th Avenue be closed and the underlying culvert be removed when the roadway is scheduled for…
To mark the International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) highlighted the importance of implementing nature-based solutions to mitigate the risks associated with climate…