By Gabriel , 2024 Climate Corps Fellow
In deciding how to address the consequences of climate change, many turn to high-tech solutions that aim to suppress or engineer the problems away. Though industrialization is what brought us to this crisis in the first place, our faith in technology and development has led people to believe that the best way out is by increasing our domination of natural systems. This results in what is referred to as “gray infrastructure”, industrial structures such as concrete sea-walls, metal drainage pipes, or advanced water treatment plants that seek to impose more human control over nature. Though these can be effective in mitigating some of the impacts of climate change, they can also destroy habitats, generate pollution in their creation, and often require maintenance as they degrade over time. However, there is an alternative approach known as “green infrastructure”; rather than inventing and manufacturing new solutions, green infrastructure relies on the intelligence of our planet by mimicking existing natural systems. This process increases biodiversity, creates a self-sustaining solution that strengthens and evolves over time, and seeks to work with nature rather than against it.
My exposure to the potential of green infrastructure came from the bioscience component of Eastie Farm’s Climate Corps program, which involved partnerships with Northeastern University and the Emerald Tutu Project. We received lectures from members of Northeastern’s Hughes Lab, where we learned about the ecology of salt marshes, the threats climate change poses to coastal areas and various approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Our learning experience also involved immersive and hands-on learning with field trips to Belle Isle Marsh and the Northeastern Marine Science Center in Nahant, as well as through designing and conducting experiments with Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens, two common salt marsh grass species. By measuring the height and number of stems over time, we were able to study how various factors impacted their growth. We had learned that salt marshes are vital ecosystems in coastal areas as they provide services such as water filtration and serve as “buffer zones” that protect coastal areas from flooding during intense storms; however, many have been destroyed due to industrialization. This has prompted restoration efforts in order to increase biodiversity, improve watershed health, and mitigate the impacts of sea level rise. Because Spartina alterniflora and patens are the foundation of these ecosystems, our research could inform these efforts in how to create ideal conditions for their growth.
We were also able to actively participate in these restoration efforts through the work we did with the Emerald Tutu project, whose goal is to create floating salt marshes. To do this, we would go to coastal areas in East Boston and harvest an invasive species of grass called “phragmites”, which we then used to construct rafts. These were secured in coastal areas of East Boston that had once been salt marshes but were destroyed by industrial activity. We then planted seedlings of Spartina alterniflora and patens inside these rafts so that they could grow and create the foundation for salt marshes to become re-established. This work was often very labor intensive, but it felt satisfying to see the physical products of our day’s work. It was also rewarding being able to apply our knowledge from our lectures and take part in constructing green infrastructure for East Boston. This allowed me to realize through direct experience that solutions to climate change do not need to be based in expensive, inaccessible, resource-intensive industrial practices, but can instead be based in restoring nature in order to simultaneously promote the well-being of humans and the world around us.
