In May, park professionals came together for a comprehensive course in green infrastructure design and management, in Philadelphia. The National Recreation and Park Association chose 27 professionals to receive scholarships for a two-day, hands-on training event. The event explains the importance of green infrastructure in the U.S. and about its environmental and public health benefits. It further teaches the professionals how to build green infrastructure systems and ways to maintain them.

NRPA hosted the educational event, with the support of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. As part of NRPA's Great Urban Parks Campaign, such training can greatly improve public parks and community health. After the event, attendees took the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) exam.

In a NGICP news release, WEF executive director Eileen O'Neill, expresses her endorsement of the green infrastructure training saying, "We are thrilled to partner with the National Recreation and Park Association and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to offer training in green infrastructure to individuals from municipal parks across the country. This highlights that green infrastructure is not only a valuable approach in urban settings but can have multiple benefits in park landscapes as well."

More training sessions will occur in September and October. For details on registration information, or on exam registration, visit https://ngicp.org/program/for-applicants/.

To learn about WEF, go to https://www.wef.org. For information about the Great Urban Parks Campaign, click HERE.