What We Do

Delta Institute works with communities throughout the Midwest to solve complex environmental challenges. We envision a region in which all communities and landscapes thrive through an integrated approach to environmental, economic, and social challenges. Since our founding in 1998, Delta Institute has worked throughout the Midwest, in both urban and rural communities.

Thriving
Communities

Thriving
Landscapes

Resiliency and Community Planning

Delta provides critical planning efforts for communities to identify economic, social, and environmental challenges, develop strategies to overcome them, and leverage community expertise assets and financial resources. Learn more >

Brownfields and Coal Plant Redevelopment

We work with communities to remediate vacant, polluted lands (commonly known as “brownfields”) through phytoremediation to then spur more sustainable redevelopment. A key component of our brownfields work involves Delta equipping communities with the tools they need as they redevelop closed—or closing—coal power plants. Learn more >

Deconstruction and Waste Reduction

Delta is leading efforts for recycling, reuse, and salvage—while creating economic development, new jobs, and diverting tons of materials from landfill. Learn more >

Green Infrastructure

Delta advances proactive stormwater management through green designs such as permeable pavements, bioswales, and stormwater tree plantings. Learn more >

Sustainable Buildings

Utilizing energy efficiency best practices and innovative approaches, we help our partners create vibrant and efficient spaces for people to live and work in. Learn more >

Land Stewardship

We expand conservation practices on public and private lands to preserve both natural and working landscapes throughout the Midwest. Learn more >

Regenerative Agriculture

Delta is creating marketplaces for regeneratively produced crops and piloting financial tools to better support farmers transitioning from conventional to regenerative practices. Learn more >
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Tools and Publications

Featured Projects

Storywood: Utilizing Reclaimed and Unique Wood in Design and Architecture

Delta Institute released our Toolkit for Using StoryWood on December 12th ahead of the holiday season. We encourage you to use its release as a reminder to appreciate all material gifts – big and small – as every material has a story, and wood is no different.

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Stormwater Tree Planting on the Hart Montague Trail in Oceana County, Michigan

Stormwater runoff from parking lots, roadways, buildings, and other impervious surfaces carries oils, grease, pesticides, sediment, and excess nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen into groundwater and nearby natural bodies of water--including to Lake MIchigan through watershed tributaries. Due to the increased frequency and severity of storms as a result of global climate change, volumes of stormwater runoff continue to increase.

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Examining the State of Land Stewardship in Illinois

Roughly 50,000 acres of the 1.5 million total acres of conserved land in Illinois are owned by non-governmental conservation groups, also known as conservation land trusts. Traditionally, conservation land trusts have protected land, often restored it, and later transferred it to government entities for long-term ownership, which effectively transfers the responsibility of land stewardship to those governmental entities.

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Soil Wealth Report Identifies 67 Investment Approaches to Grow Regenerative Agriculture

Delta Institute—with partners including the Croatan Institute—released Soil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture across Asset Classes, the most comprehensive look to date at investment opportunities in regenerative agriculture.

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Reimagining the Closed Shenango Coke Plant Site outside Pittsburgh, PA

Delta Institute has worked with numerous communities who are faced with a closed--or closing--coal power plant. These sites have unique needs for redevelopment, ranging from environmental remediation to replacement of lost tax revenue and jobs. Delta facilitated a coalition of community groups located outside Pittsburgh, PA to create Guiding Principles for sustainable redevelopment of the closed Shenango Coke Plant property located on Neville Island, located on the Ohio River.

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Reducing Water Pollution through Agricultural Conservation in Western Michigan

Delta Institute is leading a coalition of partners to implement best management practices in the Rabbit River watershed, a tributary to the Kalamazoo River, Michigan. Up to 4,500 acres of highly erosive lands will be addressed through cover crops, exclusion fencing, no-till and mulch-till practices to reduce sediment loading by 1.5 million pounds annually.

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Merchandise Mart LEED Certification

Delta led Merchandise Mart through initial LEED Operations and Maintenance Certification at the silver level in 2007 and recertification at the gold level in 2013. These efforts included assistance for the LEED Commercial Interiors Certification for the Designer Lounge. Through this work Delta has helped the Merchandise Mart establish waste diversion, tracking and monitoring strategies, including developing a scale and bar code system for measuring waste daily by location. We continue our collaboration today to reduce the Mart’s overall waste footprint.

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