Who We Serve: Communities

The Green Economy holds great promise for a healthier and more vibrant future for the Great Lakes Region. But many communities, especially those in disadvantaged urban and rural areas, may not recognize the full potential of the opportunity.  Gaps in information, education and funding for sustainable infrastructure, remediation and clean-up, green economic development and workforce development may prevent these communities from fully participating in the new Green Economy.

Delta Institute works to ensure that every community in the region is able to participate in and benefit from the Green Economy, with special consideration for underserved and at-risk communities. These communities often have untapped assets and a vision for what the Green Economy could do for them, but they lack the information, models and resources to get there. We work with community-based organizations to assess and identify local assets, develop plans, find funding and other resources and connect them to networks that can help them succeed.

Delta is helping communities by:

•    Making Green Affordable:  Delta is improving the health and safety of residents in affordable housing by applying green building standards and educating tenants about how they can improve the environment around them. We are also saving low-income homeowners money while reducing carbon emissions by providing free weatherization services and energy-efficient appliance upgrades.  In addition, The ReBuilding Exchange--Delta’s building deconstruction and reuse center--provides low-cost, high-quality used building materials to budget-conscious homeowners and contractors.

•    Developing Green Jobs and Workforce: Delta is working to stimulate green business development and job growth in weak markets impacted by the economic downturn. Through the Green Business Development Center, we are encouraging entrepreneurs and community-based nonprofits to promote local sustainable businesses and support green entrepreneurs that have the potential to build local economies and create green collar jobs.  Our workforce development program is training hard-to-employ individuals for jobs in growing fields such as deconstruction and home weatherization.

•    Enhancing Food Security:  The existence of “food deserts,” economic disparities, cultural barriers and poor education systems has placed a large part of the region’s population at risk for food insecurity, malnutrition and obesity, factors that contribute to long-term health impairment.  Urban agriculture is gaining popularity as a strategy to improve community health, engage and educate underserved populations, and provide job training opportunities for needy populations like formerly incarcerated individuals, the homeless, marginalized communities, and disadvantaged youth. Delta has partnered with several organizations to establish agricultural-based social enterprises--some using remediated brownfields--to help them meet these goals.

•    Increasing Education and Engagement:  Environmental literacy and involvement in the Green Economy vary across socio-economic, ethnic and geographic lines. Delta is working to eliminate these disparities by promoting sustainability education for communities and schools and collaborating on programs that engage community stakeholders in local sustainability initiatives.

To explore your green opportunities and find out how Delta Institute can help your community, visit our Green Economy Navigator.