By Journal Staff

LANSING — The Michigan Green Communities Challenge, an annual benchmarking program that helps communities measure their progress toward sustainability, is open through March 31.

Local governments participating in the Challenge receive free technical assistance and peer learning opportunities through the MGC Accelerator Cohort and Catalyst Leadership Circle.

The MGC program, funded by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, this year launched the Accelerator Cohort, a free networking and technical assistance program for Bronze- and Silver-certified MGC communities. This cohort helps municipalities and counties accelerate their progress in embedding environmental sustainability in their operations, practices and policies, and move toward Gold-level MGC Challenge certification.

The Accelerator Cohort will first address green infrastructure — features such as green or vegetated roofs and walls, stormwater infrastructure, rain gardens, permeable pavements and surfaces, cisterns, rainwater collection and reuse, native landscaping, and more — through hands-on exercises with subject matter experts from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, Lawrence Technological University, and other partners.Once communities complete this green infrastructure module, they will identify another sustainability subject to address as a group. Funding for this technical assistance component of the MGC program comes from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

So far, Oakland County and the downstate cities of Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Birmingham, Ludington, Livonia, and Grand Haven have committed to participating in the Accelerator Cohort. Additional communities can join as they complete the MGC Challenge.

For more information on CLC, visit www.michigan.gov/egle/outreach/catalyst-communities/cohorts/catalyst-leadership-circle-and-fellowship. For details on MGC, visit migreencommunities.com.