Green Compass LLC, a Washington, DC-based company specializing in retrofitting commercial real estate with nature-based climate solutions, has launched its second community investment campaign on Honeycomb Credit. The campaign aims to expand green stormwater infrastructure that generates stormwater retention credits in the District, turning urban runoff into a resource for clean water, climate resilience, and revenue.
The company currently manages 10 urban acres using rain gardens, tree canopies, and infiltration trenches, capturing 5.3 million gallons of stormwater and avoiding 8 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified urban stormwater as a persistent source of water pollution, while recognizing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) as a way to use plants and soils to manage stormwater and create healthier urban environments. Green Compass applies this approach to commercial properties, transforming underused urban spaces into working environmental assets.
“Clean water is a climate solution,” said Nicole Whalen, founder, CEO, and employee owner of Green Compass. “When we build rain gardens, plant trees and create infiltration systems, we are not just managing stormwater. We are cooling urban spaces, reducing pollution, creating pollinator habitat, beautifying properties and helping people participate in the transition to a more resilient built environment.”
Washington, DC’s stormwater retention credit market allows green infrastructure projects to generate tradable environmental credits for development projects seeking flexible off-site stormwater compliance. Green Compass works with commercial property owners to design, build, and operate systems that reduce runoff while generating long-term value. The new campaign follows Green Compass’s first crowdfunded offering, which was repaid in full with interest and on schedule. Early momentum has come from investors across 25 states, reflecting growing interest in practical, place-based climate solutions that combine environmental benefits with community capital.
“Green Compass was built around a simple idea: the places we already have—parking lots, commercial properties and overlooked urban spaces—can become part of the climate solution,” Whalen said. “Community investment helps more people see that clean water infrastructure is not just something governments and utilities build. It is something communities, property owners and everyday investors can help bring to life.”
Green Compass projects provide multiple benefits: property owners reduce stormwater costs and improve aesthetics; residents enjoy greener spaces; pollinators gain habitat; local waterways receive less polluted runoff; and investors participate in scaling nature-based infrastructure in one of the country’s most innovative stormwater markets. Whalen founded the company to accelerate climate investment in the built environment, combining environmental markets, real estate retrofits, and community investment. The campaign is now live on Honeycomb Credit; more information is available at https://invest.honeycombcredit.com/campaigns/Green-Compass-Climate-Impact-Note-2nd-Offer and www.greencompass.co.
