Safety is Job #1 for everyone on your team: employees, consultants and especially your contractors. Your contractors should be running effective meetings to set the proper tone for safety on your sites. These meetings are a valuable way to teach best practices, share lessons learned and make your team aware of potentially hazardous job site activities.

Recently, Bryan Cole wrote a blog post  that defined Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development (LID) and discussed the benefits of Green Infrastructure thinking. Over the years, I’ve encountered a number of skeptics when it comes to integrating Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development practices into design.

What I’ve found is that there are many misconceptions, or myths, about Low Impact Development and a lot of confusion. There are numerous benefits to using LID practices, and today I’ll address some of the most common myths I've heard.

Roundabouts are an efficient and extremely cost effective transportation intersection improvement. 

Of course, they aren't a one-size-fits-all solution, but they do help solve challenging intersection and road design problems. They also move traffic extremely well.

That being said, it often takes time for the public to warm up to them. No doubt you've attended a public meeting and have heard from the naysayers. So, in an effort to help you sell the concept, we've put together the following infographic based on facts from the Washington State Department of Transportation and the US Department of Transportation.

Energy projects impact many people. Whether it's surveying, designing, or constructing transmission, distribution and substation infrastructure, you’re sure to meet neighboring property owners along the way. If your experience is anything like ours, some are friendly, and some...not so much. It’s important to leave a positive impression on these important stakeholders. Like all relationships, your relationship with these neighbors is a product of a thousand small interactions.

Public involvement at its core means to involve the public. Public involvement is really about creating a connection, listening and responding.  The challenge is that creating connections is as different as each of us.  It cannot possibly be a one size fits all approach.  It is simply not a checklist with tasks. It is about people with different perspectives, different experiences, different opinions.  The most talented and skilled Public Involvement communicators are chameleons.  They can juggle the needs of many, with an extensive toolbox at their ready.