Capitol green initiative reflects well on Richmond

Karey Harrigan
Columnist

Virginia’s Capitol Square and its surrounding areas will soon establish Richmond as one of the most environmentally-friendly Capitols in the nation.

Thanks to an almost $800,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Capitol Green will be taking on the green challenge.

The project will be based on low-impact development of rain gardens, tree planting, new sidewalks and storm water collectors that will absorb and filter rainfall. Not only will these changes minimize pollution in the James River, but the project will begin the beautification of Richmond’s streets.

The project will be complete by the spring of 2011, and the list of benefits runs long. As a result, summers will feel cooler, streets will face less flooding and VCU’s campuses will become more appealing to an even broader spectrum of students.

Hopefully, providing the project’s success and visual improvement of the city, other green projects and practices like it will become more common in Richmond. In the future, this would allow for the long-term cost profit to bring in more revenue for VCU – possible lower tuition rates anyone?

Clearly, the advantages of the Capitol Green Project are soaring past any potential drawbacks, and the small advances that were created will yield big opportunities for the city as well as VCU. Many of the previous attempts to go green around Richmond have gone unnoticed by students as well as most of the community because the hidden benefits are overshadowed by the city’s fast-paced and urban grunge. This lack of awareness and desire from the public are what bring possible green projects to a halt, but getting enough drive from the community can help ease resistance to these new innovative ideas.

Students and citizens alike recognizing the missions of these green renovations and their advantages to the environment and community is key to more projects being created and funded in the future. Eventually, the advantage can be universally understood and appreciated by Richmond’s citizens, and we may see the area take on a better appearance that brings even more value to the city.

Efforts to implement green initiatives in completely urban areas bring unexpected positivism and new life to disadvantages neighborhoods as well as bring new advantages. When landscapes like the Capitol Green Project are able to become more common in unlikely areas that are over populated with buildings, roads and commercial property, it should set a remarkable example that any community or individual has the power to change their environment.