Much like stormwater systems, living shorelines implement a train of BMPs that can slow water, filter sediment, clean water and create usable spaces. This presentation will dive into the principles of living shorelines and how they can be implemented in salt and freshwater environments as a healthy and resilient solution. The amount of grey shoreline infrastructure along our coasts, lakes and rivers continues to grow each year. Most of these systems are doing more harm than good, by increasing erosion, flooding and loss of infrastructure. We will look deeper into a variety of traditional and green shoreline systems and provide an overview of costs, benefits and lifetime of each system. From there, the audience will be introduced to the living shoreline concept through a view of projects in Chesapeake Bay and Puerto Rico. We will look at the design principles, habitat creation and the ability to sequester carbon. Upon detailing the living shoreline approach, we will move across the country and look at how the blue carbon / living shoreline approach has been successfully adapted for freshwater rivers, lakes, streams and even stormwater management systems.