Who We Serve: Business

Delta creates, funds, and implements programs that integrate environmental, economic, and community health to help businesses become more sustainable. We provide technical assistance, research capacity and consulting services in a variety of green economy impact areas, including green buildings, carbon credits, brownfields, green purchasing, sustainable manufacturing, green collar jobs, urban food systems and solid waste.

Delta supports businesses who want to make their operations more sustainable. Green Building and Sustainability Consulting includes comprehensive LEED-EB O&M certification, technical support and project management, as well as Delta’s wide array of program implementation tools. Delta’s focus in the green building field is on operations, maintenance, and business practices, in recognition of the critical importance of ongoing sustainability to the success of green design and development.

Green purchasing is another way that businesses, government and institutions are greening their operations. Delta is making this easier and more affordable by establishing green purchasing consortiums for the Chicago region, the Milwaukee area and Western Michigan. Delta established a building deconstruction initiative and opened the Rebuilding Exchange, a formal market for used building materials that makes them available to the public at affordable prices.

Delta is helping businesses by:

Reducing Impacts and Improving Operations: Developing and implementing sustainability plans, including assessing current impacts, helping set goals, establishing action plans, developing carbon footprints and other metrics, and assisting with plan implementation whether operating on a local, regional or statewide basis.  This includes helping green public and private buildings, developing energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts, improving municipal water management and waste handling, and facilitating green purchasing, and establishing destinations for green meetings and tourism.

•    Developing markets:   Emerging industries such as renewable energy, alternative fuel vehicles, energy efficiency, green building, green purchasing and many others are creating new markets and opening up new avenues for struggling sectors, such as manufacturing.  Delta is providing hands-on assistance to help new and existing businesses develop products and services, connect with potential customers and suppliers and access financing.  At the same time, Delta is working with states, regions and municipalities to improve the climate for green business and helping them develop plans for supporting sustainable businesses at the local level.

•    Maximizing financial return:  Delta understands that many businesses are looking for help understanding, choosing, and implementing the best opportunities to grow with the Green Economy. Delta’s consulting expertise gives small to medium businesses access to essential business tools such as feasibility studies, financial proformas, business and marketing plans and matches green growth sector businesses with affordable real estate in the form of remediated brownfield sites.

•    Reducing risk and avoiding pitfalls: The federal government and a number of states have enacted or are developing various policies and programs designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, large corporations and industry groups are setting voluntary carbon reporting standards up and down the supply chain.  Delta stays abreast of these development and helps businesses anticipate and meet these evolving requirements while benefiting the bottom line through our carbon footprinting, reduction and offsetting program.

•    Building internal capacity:  Building the capacity of business and industry to reach for ever-increasing levels of sustainability is a key to transforming the region into a centerpiece of sustainability. That’s why Delta is committed to giving our clients the information, resources and tools to make greening an integral part of their planning and operations.