New Castle County is partnering with Energize Delaware to help commercial and industrial property owners finance energy efficient and clean energy projects. Here’s how it works: Retrofits, renovations and new construction that qualify under the statewide Delaware Property Assessed Clean Energy program (D-PACE) can be financed through a voluntary assessment on property tax bills. New…
A former state legislator turned activist for sustainability from a business perspective has formed the Delaware Sustainable Business Council as a chapter of a national organization. Melanie George Smith, who founded Sustainable World Strategies after deciding not to seek re-election for her seat in House District 5, says sustainability builds on “the new conscious capitalism”…
By Tom Brandenberger & Trip Harrison Guest Columnists It’s peak hurricane season – July to October – and NOAA predicts four to eight hurricanes this year (including two to four major hurricanes). National Hurricane Center datashow that at least 13 hurricanes affected Mid-Atlantic states between 1995 and 2017. Business and hotel owners along the Delaware…
Poultry industry adapts to changing consumer demands The traditions of the poultry industry in Sussex County might feel timeless, but the industry continues to face its share of new challenges. Consumers are increasingly demanding chickens raised without antibiotics and with organic feed. A tight labor market is raising wages and requiring processors to offer perks…
The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays has installed the first artificial oyster reef in the state at Little Assawoman Bay off Fenwick Island. The reef is designed to restore oyster populations, create a habitat for fish and wildlife, and improve water quality in the bay. It was created using recycled oyster shells collected from…
Technology may allow us to play Candy Crush while waiting in line or take slick Instagram photos of our breakfast, but it has greater possibilities than day-to-day convenience — one of them being the ability to save the environment. For business owners, this can be easy to forget. But if you think sustainability is all…
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has fined Bloom Energy for $40,000 along with $5,454 in cost recovery for violating the state’s air quality regulations. Secretary Shawn M. Garvin issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty and Secretary’s Order to Diamond State Generation Partners, LLC, the parent company of Bloom Energy, for violations at…
Americans can have a growing economy and a cleaner environment. The two are not mutually exclusive. That’s the key takeaway from President Trump’s July 8 speech on American environmental leadership. Since the Environmental Protection Agency was founded in 1970, the combined emissions of the most common air pollutants have fallen by three-quarters while the economy…
By Patrick Jackson Contributing Writer The plan to put 14 brownfields in Delaware’s Coastal Zone back into action was touted as a game changer when lawmakers OK’d legislation allowing redevelopment in the zone two years ago. But how far it goes toward reaching that goal remains to be seen as officials at the Delaware Department…
As temperatures are expected to tip above 100 degrees this weekend, Delmarva Power is readying its system for the heat wave. Delmarva Power crews have completed essential work and will follow special protocols for managing the energy grid during upcoming extreme weather conditions. “Our staff and crews are at the ready, preparing daily for potential…
