Go Green!

Children who have enjoyed the weekly lessons on marine life, wetlands and other fun outdoor activities at the Bethany Beach Nature Center – and those that have yet to see what the fuss is about – are being invited on a special free guided kayak tour through the inland bays on Saturday, Sept. 11.

There’s nothing quite as “green” as eating food that was grown locally, in an outdoor setting, enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer. It seems miles away from rushing through a well-lit drive-through or even eating a home-cooked meal with ingredients from who-knows-where.

Four inns and a hotel have joined the Delaware Green Lodging program and received certification for implementing green hospitality practices that are designed to conserve natural resources, save money and enhance their marketing potential as environmentally-responsible businesses.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announced this week that it will host its Sixth Annual “Imagine A Litter-Free Delaware” Clean Up Day on Saturday, Oct. 2. DelDOT has designated this as a statewide cleanup day, when everyone is being invited to go out to clean Delaware’s roads, highways and community areas.

Imagine going to a local grocery store and buying produce that was grown directly on the store’s roof. This is precisely the type of innovation that Ryan Bunting and Derek Dutton, inventors of patent-pending AquaGreen Roofing systems, dream of.

When tourists come to the Delaware beaches, clean air and water is not something many of them think about. It is seen more as a given that the air is pure and the water is clear. That’s one of the beauties of the area – right?

State officials and environmental advocates officially kicked off the drive for volunteers to support this year’s Coastal Cleanup, a statewide effort to clean up Delaware shorelines, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 25.

At the Delaware State Fair recently, Gov. Jack Markell and DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara honored the 2010 Wetland Warrior, ecologist Martinr Martin of Georgetown, for “his tireless pursuit of restoring the largest freshwater wetland that remains in Delaware, the Great Cypress Swamp near the Maryland line in southern Sussex County.”

After a successful year, the SEU Energize Delaware residential appliance rebate program will end as planned on Aug. 31, segueing into rebates for energy efficient heating and cooling systems and discount efficient lighting.

Online volunteer registration is now open for the 25th annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 25. Sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the cleanup spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes river and ocean shorelines, as well as wetland and watershed areas.

Kayaking has traditionally been viewed as a low-impact recreational activity, but in Delaware’s Inland Bays, it has the distinction of having a huge impact – on wildlife habitat that is. Since the first “Paddlin’ for the Bays” event in 2007, more than $9,000 has been raised to support habitat restoration efforts in the Inland Bays watershed.

Clean Energy USA of Rehoboth Beach is gearing up for their 3rd Annual Renewable Energy Fair. The fair is scheduled for Aug. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center and will be open and free to the public.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has launched a new grant program aimed at helping businesses, state and municipal agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and/or non-profit assistance providers identify and implement plans to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in their organizations and communities.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has launched a new grant program aimed at helping businesses, state and municipal agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and/or non-profit assistance providers identify and implement plans to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in their organizations and communities.

Delaware this week hosted the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement’s (BOEM) offshore renewable energy task force meeting. BOEM used the meeting to update state and federal agencies and members of the task force on comments received pursuant to a Request for Interest (RFI) published by BOEM last April.

Renewable Energy Fair scheduled for August

Clean Energy USA of Rehoboth Beach is gearing up for their 3rd Annual Renewable Energy Fair. The fair is scheduled for Aug. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center and will be open and free to the public.

As the U.S. Department of the Interior begins to reorganize the Minerals Management Service (MMS) – now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) – following the Deepwater Horizon crisis, Delaware’s Congressional delegation urged Secretary Ken Salazar in a July 14 letter to ensure that developing offshore wind energy is not delayed.

Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) this week joined a majority of his colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee in supporting legislation that he says would help Delaware and other states clean up and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Like many people, Kevin Roberts of Bethany Blues watched, helplessly, day after day, the news about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, he said, he decided to do something about it.

Doing good deeds for the environment was certainly on the mind of Jeff Mumford of Warren’s Station restaurant in Fenwick Island when he first started researching renewable energy systems. Equally on his mind was the economic benefit and the sustainability of a installing such a system, including his recently completed 14 kw worth of solar panels.

The Delmarva Community Wellnet Foundation is inviting the community to learn about its new program, Energize Delaware Now, or EDEN. DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara will be the keynote speaker for the program’s launch on Friday, July 16, at 6 p.m. at the Milton Theatre. Award-winning singer/songwriter and Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival 2008 Performer of the Year Doug James will provide the evening’s entertainment. There will be hors d’oeuvres by Nourish, Dogfish Head beer and Bin 66 Wine, as well as time for networking and presentations. Tickets cost $39.

Currently in the final stages of its design, the designers of Ocean Park in Rehoboth Beach are considering an array of unique features to achieve their LEED Platinum certification, which will yield a minimum of a 33 percent reduction in energy demands and generate 33 percent less waste water compared to typical office buildings.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Agriculture (DDA) have issued water advisories for Delaware state and municipal lakes and ponds to alert the public to the presence of blue-green algae, now being seen on local ponds, and its possible harmful effects on pe

The health of the some of the inland bays is improving – but not by much – learned the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) to the Center for the Inland Bays at their meeting last week.

Tapa Homes, based in Dagsboro, Del., will be holding a grand opening and open house for their “No Energy Bill” model home on Saturday, July 17, starting at 11 a.m., and on Sunday, July 18, at their location just east of Milford, Del. Builder Brett Reilly said that, when completed with three additional home models, it will be the first “No Energy” subdivision on the peninsula.

It’s hard to imagine that it could have ever been more difficult getting to the beach when one is sitting in traffic on Route 26 or Route 1 on a summer Saturday morning. But getting to the beach in two hours instead of 24 or 48 should help people remember just how good they’ve got it today. Gone are the days that vacationers had to get into Bethany Beach by boat.

Nothing says summertime like a refreshing ice cream cone on a sweltering day, and the people behind Blue Scoop can attest to that. But the ice cream shop, situated beside Harris Teeter on Route 54 between Fenwick Island and Selbyville, Del., is much more than a place to satisfy your sweet tooth. They’ve become a business that’s just as good for the environment as they are for families.

Summer officially kicked off last Monday and, with that, the Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island farmers’ markets got under way. Each week this summer, through early September, farmers, growers and other local providers will bring their wares to the much-anticipated markets, providing shoppers with freshness and taste that can be hard to find in the produce section of the grocery store.

With a catchy name and only the freshest catches, the people behind Off the Hook in Bethany Beach hope it will become a place food appreciators come to think being synonymous with the “farm – or water – to table” concept.

Consumers looking to lower their home energy costs can now go to Delaware Electric Cooperative’s Web site for some fast – and fun – help. With just a few mouse clicks, DEC’s new Home Energy Calculator will analyze the home’s current energy use and allow the homeowner to simulate various energy-saving measures to see the corresponding dollar savings.