Green Infrastructure, Heat Island, and Road-side Vegetation

The Advance Program ran from 2012 to 2025 and consisted of more than 600 programs to support efforts to attain and maintain the NAAQS. This website serves as a historical record of those plans. EPA is no longer updating program content as of June 12, 2025. 

• Green Infrastructure - is a cost-effective, resilient approach to managing wet weather impacts that provides many community benefits. While single-purpose gray stormwater infrastructure -- conventional piped drainage and water treatment systems -- is designed to move urban stormwater away from the built environment, green infrastructure reduces and treats stormwater at its source while delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits 
  • To join greenstream, an EPA listserv featuring updates on green infrastructure publications, training, and funding opportunities, send an email to join-greenstream@lists.epa.gov.
  • i-Tree Planting Calculator - helps with estimating the long-term environmental benefits from a tree planting project in terms of carbon dioxide, air pollution, stormwater impacts, and energy savings.
• Heat Island Effect - Urban areas, where these structures are highly concentrated and greenery is limited, become “islands” of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas. These pockets of heat are referred to as “heat islands.” Heat islands can form under a variety of conditions, including during the day or night, in small or large cities, in suburban areas, in northern or southern climates, and in any season.

  • Heat Island Community Actions Database - provides a list of actions taken by communities to mitigate heat island effects.

• Near-road Q and A Web Page - provides answers to near-road issues.