Building Your Green Infrastructure Workforce: A case study from Tucson

One of the greatest challenges that communities face when planning and managing green infrastructure programs is maintenance and upkeep of their green infrastructure installations. Green infrastructure (water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure that uses natural systems to mitigate water quality and quantity) requires management and maintenance – but do you have a knowledgeable, reliable, and enthusiastic workforce to get it all done?

The City of Tucson’s Storm to Shade program does. Listen in on a conversation with Brooke Bushman, the City of Tucson’s Storm to Shade Program Green Stormwater Infrastructure Maintenance Manager. She develops communication and technical systems to oversee and coordinate the upkeep of the city’s 800+ legacy and new green stormwater assets. In this interview with Shannon Sloane Pepper from the Southwest Environmental Finance Center, Brooke shares key insights, processes, and suggestions for anyone looking to develop or advise on green infrastructure workforce development.