The ocean is slowly creeping up Delaware’s shore, due to a warming climate. At the same time, Delaware’s landmass has been sliding back into the sea since the last ice age.

Dan Leathers, the state climatologist at the University of Delaware, says in 100 years, those minor moves could lead to a sea level rise of several inches to more than a foot, and an increased risk for flooding.

Staff at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is developing a Sea Level Adaptation Plan to help direct any future construction or restoration projects, says the Department’s secretary, Colin O’Mara.

O’Mara: As we’re entering this new climate reality we want to make sure we have the best science and data driving our decision making. So when we make investments in our parks and in out different public lands that we’re planning for 30, 40, 50 years out.

O’Mara says the new policy may affect how close to the water the Department builds structures, or whether roads need to be elevated.

Leathers says planning ahead is a good idea.

Leathers: For instance if the parks department would build a new building that right now is real close to having problems during coastal flooding events you can be almost sure that over the next 20 or 30 years that building’s going to be in real danger.

The Sea Level Policy will be completed in about one year.

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
By: Kerry Grens
kgrens@whyy.or

To date more than 1,000 cities across the country have endorsed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and 42 counties have endorsed the U.S. Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.

Cool Cities is a national initiative that encourages local governments to develop policies and programs that promote energy sustainability, environmental stewardship and climate protection.

Cool Cities are villages, towns and cities that endorse the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Download our Factsheet.

Cool Counties are counties that endorse the U.S. Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.

Delaware’s 57 villages, towns and cities represent 30% our state’s population and  70% of Delawareans live in unincorporated counties.  Improving energy and environmental policies on the local level can dramatically improve our environmental quality.

To date, more than 1,000 cities across the country have endorsed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and 42 counties have endorsed the U.S. Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration.

Lewes is the first town in Sussex County to accept this. ]]> http://www.thegreenroadshow.com/2010/07/04/lewes-becomes-a-cool-city/feed/ 0 http://www.thegreenroadshow.com/2010/06/17/get-a-volt/ http://www.thegreenroadshow.com/2010/06/17/get-a-volt/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:09:20 +0000 Susan Pomerantz http://www.thegreenroadshow.com/?p=1036 Early buyers of the electric Chevrolet Volt could be eligible to get a free home electric charging station worth up to $2,000 — paid for with economic stimulus money administered by the Obama administration, General Motors says.

The program could give the free electric installation to up to 4,400 Volt buyers from among 15,000 total installations among purchasers of all electric-car brands, according to GM. The program’s goal is to install charging stations in residential, workplace and public areas to encourage consumers to purchase electric vehicles to studying electric vehicle usage to optimize future electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The home units will record data like average charge time, energy usage and the starting and ending time of the charging process. This data will be analyzed by the U.S. Department of Energy to understand how electric vehicles are driven, how and when they are charged, and ultimately what is required for widespread adoption of electric vehicles, GM says.

Those numbers would be paltry compared to the overall number of electric cars the industry hopes to sell, but at least could spur interest.

The program will provide Volt owners with a 240-volt charge station from either ECOtality, Inc. or Coulomb Technologies. In many cases, it will include the cost of home installation. The projects are made possible with a grant of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Energy Department.

The Volt can be charged from either a standard 110-volt home outlet or the 240-volt outlet:

The upgraded one is much faster in recharging the car. Volt runs on electricity, then can switch to a backup gasoline engine. It has enough range that Chevrolet says most commuters may never need to buy much, if any, gas. They will just plug in instead.

“Many owners will plug their Volt into a normal 120-volt electrical outlet, charge overnight and drive to work in the morning using only battery power,” said Tony DiSalle, marketing director for the Chevrolet Volt. “For Volt owners who want to install a faster 240-volt charge station, we expect the Department of Energy project to save $1,000 and $2,000.”

To encourage consumer purchases of electric vehicles, federal grants and other funds have been awarded to install more than 15,000 home charge stations. That total includes 4,400 home charge stations for Volt owners; 2,600 as part of The EV Project from ECOtality, and 1,800 as part of the ChargePoint America project from Coulomb Technologies.

USA Today June 17

Governor Jack Markell, Senator Harris McDowell, Co-chair of the Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU), Secretary Collin O’Mara of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), and Mark Grahne, President of the Home Builders Association of Delaware announced the launch of “Green for Green” – a first-of-its-kind rebate program for Delaware homebuyers who purchase nationally certified, energy-efficient green homes. The program is a collaborative effort among the SEU, DNREC, and the Home Builders Association of Delaware.

The program provides homeowners with rebates of $3,000 – $6,000 towards the costs of newly constructed homes that have been upgraded to national green standards for energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, building materials and other conservation-oriented, energy-saving features.

“Improving energy efficiency is both financially and environmentally responsible,” said Governor Markell. “We want smarter, more sustainable home building that drives down energy use and energy cost. By encouraging green building, we are creating new opportunities in the building industry and ultimately, new jobs.”

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) through the U.S. Department of Energy at a level up to $300,000, the rebates will fund energy upgrades for approximately 80 homes throughout the state. Over its first year, the program could produce an estimated 284 local construction and related jobs and $22.5 million in local income, according to a Delaware-specific study performed by the National Association of Home Builders in 2009.*

To qualify for a rebate, a home must be certified by third-party inspection to meet the standards of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Standard (NGBS) or LEED-H (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes), and follow the guidelines of the Delaware Green for Green Program.

Three levels of rebates are being offered: $3,000 for a NGBS Silver certified home; $5,000 for NGBS Gold certified home; and $6,000 for NGBS Emerald certified home. LEED certified homes of Silver or greater qualify for a $5,000 rebate.

So make a note of these websites so the next time your shopping finger twitches you can give something a second life:
1800recycling
shopgoodwill.com
Craigslist,
ebay
Freecycle
NoLongerNeedIt.com is a site dedicated to allowing people to buy, sell and trade their stuff – or even just give it away – saving money and keeping items in the consumer stream and out of landfills
Rentalic is a site that was recently started up in California’s Bay Area and they’re seeing booming business as people decide to rent out items they rarely use, such as workshop tools or kitchen devices. It’s like a tool lending library, but you can earn some cash for stashed items you rarely need.]
Tradeaway The world’s largest.barter site.
Barterquest Goods for services (I saw an Ipod there). Think a Mazda for massages..