Going Green!

Despite chilly temperatures and the threat of rain, more than 125 volunteers joined Grow Berlin Green (GBG) and the Town of Berlin, Md., on Saturday morning, April 16, for the third annual Take Pride in Berlin Spring Clean Up Day.

With the price of oil continuing to rise, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) recently showcased a new energy-efficient vehicle that he said would reduce pollution and help save Delawareans money at the gas pump.

Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club on April 15, held an open house to showcase the club’s new solar operations, which were installed by renewable-energy company Flexera.

Sussex County Council members, state representatives and federal dignitaries, along with members of the Flexera team, were on hand this week for the groundbreaking for what will be the largest ground-mounted solar farm in Sussex County.

There are an immense number of ways people can help the environment, from recycling to carpooling, and many already practice several of these eco-friendly choices. The same goes for the youth at Next Step Learning Center in Selbyville, where students have been doing their part through the Roots and Shoots Club, raising money and awareness for sea turtle rescue, beach cleaning efforts and more, just in time for Earth Day, which comes around this Friday, April 22.

Looking for a way to celebrate Earth Day this year? On Thursday, April 21, 10 percent of all proceeds from the Greene Turtle Restaurants in Ocean City and Salisbury, Md., and Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Del., will go to the Center for the Inland Bays, in support of their Terrapin Education and Rescue Program (TERP).

This is a story with a happy ending.

On March 24, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara, along with Ned Farquhar of the U.S. Department of Interior, announced that NRG Bluewater Wind has been granted the exclusive right to negotiate a lease with the federal government to build an wind farm off the coast of Rehoboth Beach.

On a nondescript morning in March, I was beckoned into the home office by my husband, Daren.

For another option in the burgeoning community supported agriculture, or CSA, movement, produce-conscious consumers can turn to Fifer Orchards out of Camden-Wyoming, just west of Dover. Fifer Orchards also has a presence in Dewey Beach on Route 1.

Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and two of the state’s water suppliers announced this week that the water suppliers would install systems to effectively remove tetrachloroethylene, a chemical used in dry cleaning, from their drinking water.

One $1,000 college scholarship and three $500 summer camp sponsorships are available to Delaware students pursuing studies in forestry and environmental science. The nonprofit Delaware Forestry Association (DFA) is offering these 2011 educational assistance grants:

Tired of cardboard tomatoes, wilted lettuce and stale broccoli? Me, too! Every year about this time, I start craving real fresh-from-the-garden veggies. If you are, too, it’s time to get started.

Sussex County Council members this week reviewed a revised draft of ordinances related to wind-energy generating devices – windmills and more – as the county attempts to reconcile the restrictions of county code with the state legislature’s efforts to remove blockades that would prevent the devices from being installed on residential properties.

Last week, after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced major developments in support of offshore wind energy in the United States, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) expressed praise and appreciation.

Sussex County Council members this week moved to have an ordinance regarding wind turbines drafted. The council, at its Feb. 1 meeting, instructed staff to look at tackling how the county might change its restrictions on energy-generating wind turbines – particularly to address what some perceive as conflicts between county code and a 2009 state law that was intended to prevent local government and home owners associations from prohibiting windmills and other wind-energy devices from being installed.

Many people believe that living a sustainable lifestyle has to do with their actions on the outside – but it’s just as much about what happens on the inside, too. Sure, it’s great to recycle and to buy organic, outwardly, but what’s the use if the life you live is otherwise unhealthy, inside?

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) recently announced that Delaware State University (DSU) will partner with other universities in the Northeast region to create educational opportunities in math and science for students interested in bio-energy and bio-based products.

The best way to change people’s hearts? Start when they’re young! Witness any kindergarten classroom activity and see how much children understand, and how willing they are to soak up new information. Hence the phrase, “Children are sponges.”

The first in a series of free community forums titled “Energy & You: Achievable, Affordable and Sustainable” will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the theater of the Arts & Science Center at Delaware Technical & Community College in Georgetown.

The featured presenter will be Bill Andrew, president and CEO of Delaware Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Greenwood, Del.