From Pavement to Paradise: Retrofitting Parking Lots with Green Infrastructure in the Plaster Creek Watershed
Monday, October 20th, 2025 • 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Grand Rapids Public Library – Main Library – Downtown
111 Library St NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503
Presented by Haley Kornoelje, Project Coordinator, Plaster Creek Stewards
2-hour parking is FREE in the library lot with ticket validation in the library.
Public Welcome • Free Event • Wheelchair Accessible • Public Restroom
If you’ve spent much time in Grand Rapids, you’ve probably driven, walked, or biked past empty parking lots that seem to be begging for a makeover. Join us for a presentation about nature-based solutions for retrofitting underutilized and aging parking lots with native plants. This presentation will introduce various options for parking lot green infrastructure, then highlight lessons learned from two case studies of parking lot projects that Plaster Creek Stewards installed in the Plaster Creek Watershed. This presentation will provide an approachable look at how the power of native plants and community partnerships can transform urban spaces to absorb stormwater, support biodiversity, protect urban waterways, and activate communities around place-based stewardship.
Biography: Haley Kornoelje has served as the Project Coordinator for Plaster Creek Stewards since 2022. In this role, she oversees the planning, implementation, and maintenance of Plaster Creek Stewards’ ecological restoration projects. Her favorite parts of this work include building relationships with watershed neighbors, spending time outside, and encouraging a love of plants, water, and the outdoors in other people. Her educational background is in environmental science, and she has always called Grand Rapids, Michigan home.