Environment
Delta Township is Green…and Going Greener!
Delta Township has over eight hundred developed and undeveloped acres of park land and green space. In addition, building walkable pathways continues to be a high priority of Delta Township.
The new library building has been designated a “greener build” because of the environmentally friendly materials that are being used in the construction of the inside and outside of the building.
Delta Township’s Utility Department has received the highest classification from the State of Michigan as it relates to energy efficiency. For over 20 years the wastewater treatment plant has provided their bio solids, which act as a soil conditioner, to local farmers to use on their fields so they use less chemicals on their crops. Additionally, the methane gas that is produced at the treatment plant is used to heat the facility’s buildings in the winter and used to generate electricity in the summer.
Close Wells Program
Delta Township is closing unused wells where the property is served by Delta’s public water system. The Township is paying half of the cost, up to a Delta share of $600. To have your well placed on the closure list, please contact the Engineering Department at 323.8540.
Help Protect Our Water!
To report suspicious activity, or if you see someone dumping anything but clean water in the storm sewers, streets, rivers, or even on the ground, please contact the Engineering Department at 323.8540. Visit www.mywatersheds.org to learn more about protecting this precious resource.
Things you can do to help save our environment!
provided by http://www.climatecrisis.net
- Change a light – Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
- Drive less – Walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. You’ll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive!
- Recycle more – You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.
- Check your tires – Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!
- Use less hot water – It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year).
- Avoid products with a lot of packaging – You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.
- Adjust your thermostat – Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer you could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
- Plant a tree – A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
- Turn off electronic devices – simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Wind Energy
Wind is simple air in motion. It is caused by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. Since the earth’s surface is made of very different types of land and water, it absorbs the sun’s heat at different rates.
During the day, the air above the land heats up more quickly than the air over water. The warm air over the land expands and rises, and the heavier, cooler air rushes in to take its place, creating winds. At night, the winds are reversed because the air cools more rapidly over land than over water.
In the same way, the large atmospheric winds that circle the earth are created because the land near the earth’s equator is heated more by the sun than the land near the North and South Poles.
Today, wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity. Wind is called a renewable energy source because the wind will blow as long as the sun shines.
Wind Energy Conversion Systems FAQ’s
Source: American Wind Energy Association
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
How has the new Stimulus bill affected the tax credits for energy efficient home improvements?
On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed a stimulus bill (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) that made some significant changes to the energy efficiency tax credits. The highlights are:
The tax credits that were previously effective for 2009, have been extended to 2010 as well.
The maximum credit has been raised from $500 to $1500 for the two years (2009-2010). However, some improvements such as geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, and solar panels are not subject to the $1,500 maximum.
The $200 cap on windows has been removed, but the requirements for windows has been increased significantly. Not all ENERGY STAR qualified windows will qualify