Embracing earth-friendly practices requires a willingness to support new policies, standards, and infrastructure, so communities throughout the First State are taking steps to make Delaware a cleaner, energy-efficient, sustainable, and environmentally just place. Here are 10 neighborhoods leading the way.
Southbridge, Wilmington
Surrounded on three sides by the Christina River, Southbridge is the oldest historically African American neighborhood in Wilmington, much of it built on filled marshland. For decades, streets and sidewalks were flooded with raw sewage and stormwater after heavy rainstorms. And the threat was intensifying, propelled by sea-level rise created by climate change.
The Southbridge Civic Association, an advocate for the close-knit community, pressed for a solution. The remedy was the South Wilmington Wetlands Park, a prime example of green infrastructure, an approach that mitigates an environmental challenge such as flooding by using plants, soils, and the natural processes of infiltration and absorption.
Encompassing 20 acres, the park acts as a giant sponge for more than 2 million gallons of stormwater that would otherwise flood Southbridge streets and homes. Water quality improves as stormwater is filtered through more than a mile of wetlands with 62 different plant species.
Southbridge’s crumbling sewer system was re-engineered to allow the wetlands to absorb the stormwater, while the sewer pipes go directly to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The city of Wilmington worked with the state and nonprofit agencies to pay more than $20 million for the project. The park also contributes to a healthier socioeconomic climate for Southbridge. Since the wetlands project was completed in 2022, crime is down. Residents also have enhanced access to jobs and shopping on the Wilmington Riverfront via an ADA-accessible boardwalk in the park.
“Unlike bike lanes, sharrows do not designate a lane for bicyclists but rather alert motorists that they should expect to see cyclists on the street and give bicyclists 3 feet of space when passing.”
Downtown Newark
Five days a week, Pete McLaughlin hops on his bike and pedals 1.5 miles to his job as a senior scientist at the Delaware Geological Survey.
McLaughlin rides a meticulously restored 1977 Schwinn Superior he bought with money he earned as a paperboy for “The News Journal.” He’s been cycling to work for 20 years, during which he has seen his route grow safer and easier to navigate.
“It’s been really nice to see how Newark has progressed into a truly bikeable town,” he says.
Biking to work saves McLaughlin money—he gave up his parking permit in 2011—and helps keep him fit. Cycling benefits the environment by reducing carbon emissions and decreasing the need for parking lots that gobble up green space.
The League of American Bicyclists named the city of Newark a Bicycle Friendly Community, an award presented to communities with remarkable commitments to bicycling. To encourage biking, the city installed “sharrows,” or shared-lane markers, on East Main Street, starting at Library Avenue and continuing to the intersection of South Main Street at Deer Park Tavern.
Unlike bike lanes, sharrows do not designate a lane for bicyclists but rather alert motorists that they should expect to see cyclists on the street and give bicyclists 3 feet of space when passing. Bicyclists should align their bikes with the middle of the sharrow’s chevron markings.
McLaughlin’s route used to include crossing White Clay Creek via bustling Paper Mill Road—“a harrowing experience”—but now he crosses via a bridge that’s reserved for bikers and pedestrians. He appreciates the infrastructure that supports green modes of transportation.
“It’s good for me—and good for the environment,” he says.
Fairfield, Suburban Newark
Newcomers to Fairfield are greeted with welcome gifts delivered in a reusable Food Lion shopping bag. That sets the tone for this 304-home development that is centered around a 7-acre community park and also is walkable to a nearby shopping center anchored by a supermarket.
“It demonstrates that we are environmentally observant here,” says Evelyn Hudson, who serves in the development’s civic association.
Each day, residents walk, jog, bike, and push strollers past Fairfield Park. Some stop at one of the three free libraries in the community.
“You can walk to the park in the center of our neighborhood from wherever you like,” Hudson says. “You don’t have to get in the car to enjoy green spaces.”
The park is home to a community garden, a playground, and a soccer field, as well as basketball and tennis courts. Gardeners grow veggies, herbs, and flowers in 4-foot-by-10-foot plots. The neighborhood also blossoms with home gardens, including a number of pollinator gardens designed to attract bees and butterflies. Hudson’s garden is a certified monarch butterfly habitat.
Trees are an essential element in a healthy environment, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, which helps to slow down climate change. Fairfield is shaded by massive trees, many of them planted when the neighborhood was established in the 1960s.
“People care about our trees, and every house has at least one big tree,” Hudson says. “It’s like a bird sanctuary.”
Old New Castle
Today, folks who live in this historic neighborhood get around just like residents did when New Castle was founded in 1651, walking down red-brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets to shops and taverns.
Unlike their colonial forebearers, people who live in this community on the Delaware River are dealing with climate change and are developing a plan to minimize the risks associated with flooding caused by coastal storms in the short term and sea-level rise over the long haul.
“Conservative projections indicate that an increase in sea level and flood elevations of 2 feet, with worst case of 5 feet, by 2100 can be anticipated,” says the city of New Castle Resilient Community Partnership’s Vulnerability Assessment and Adaption Plan.
The local Flood Resiliency Committee meets monthly to make recommendations, work with state agencies, and identify resources to cover the costs of keeping the environment safe. The (302) STOPPIT water pollution hotline allows residents to report those who dump chemicals, yard waste, or other debris into their storm drains.
The riverfront Battery Park was the landing place for William Penn and was first developed as an artillery fortification against enemy ships. In the 21st century, it’s an important preserved green space featuring 2.5 miles of paved biking and walking trails with spectacular water views.
Downtown Dover
Delaware’s capital city is setting the tone for green living with public buildings and government workplaces designed to exist harmoniously with nature.
A decade ago, a new 46,424-square-foot library earned a Gold LEED Certification by virtue of such features as a green roof crowned with hardy plants that reduce storm water runoff and mitigate the impact of the sun’s heat. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the leading green building performance and project management system. Point-based rating factors in a building’s design, construction, operations, and performance in terms of sustainability.
The Dover Library is heated and cooled with a closed-loop geothermal system with water-to-water heat pumps and thermal ice storage. Light monitors prevent wasted electricity. Other green features include sunshades, natural ventilation, and gray-water recycling systems.
In 2017, the Dover campus of DNREC (Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control) became the first state-owned building to earn LEED Certification for maintaining and operating an existing building, one of only three existing structures in the state to receive that certification.
Built as a cannery in 1881, the building was converted to a state office nearly 40 years ago. Since 2009, state employees have reduced energy use by 40% and water consumption by 24%. As part of the initiative, ink cartridge and battery recycling boxes are stationed around the building. A rain garden of native shrubs and perennials, planted in a depressed plot to temporarily hold water runoff, removes up to 80% of sediments and allows 30% more water to soak into the ground.
Three hotels—Bally’s Dover Casino Resort, Mainstay Suites, and Microtel Inn and Suites—are affiliates of the Delaware Green Lodging program, an initiative that promotes such practices as eliminating Styrofoam use, installing bulk soap and shampoo dispensers, buying recycled paper, and offering environmentally friendly packages for conferences.
City of Milford
Milford launched its Tree Preservation and Advisory Council to establish policies, regulations, and standards to plant and maintain robust tree cover on public lands and maintain an inventory of its trees. The goal is to create and nurture an urban forest of native species that will contribute to a healthy environment.
Known historically as the birthplace of seven Delaware governors, Milford celebrates its past while keeping an eye on the future. Milford City Council approved an Ecotourism and Resilience Investment Strategy, the culmination of the Waterways Infrastructure and Investment Network (WIIN) project. The two-year initiative showed that going green makes economic sense, as the natural resources of the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek watersheds generate millions of dollars for recreation and leisure.
The link between a healthy environment and a thriving economy extends to individuals and commerce. The city, in partnership with the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC), offers an Efficiency Smart service to help its residents and businesses reduce their energy use. In addition, the program provides advice on products and/or projects, as well as rebates and discounts on energy improvements.
Milford also has earned DEMEC’s Gold Designation as a Reliable Public Power Provider, awarded to utilities that are dedicated to operating a safe and efficient distribution system.
Downtown Milton
Milton is known for its history of shipbuilding. Increasingly, the focus is on the town’s future, and the Milton Economic Development Committee has founded a subcommittee tasked with establishing the town as a sustainability destination.
Best practices range from encouraging residents to choose reusable water bottles over single-use plastic bottles to promoting native plants.
Most of the stormwater that runs down Milton’s streets drains directly into the Broadkill River. Milton is working toward a greener solution in advocating for hold-up basins designed to retain stormwater until it can percolate into the ground, allowing the earth to filter contaminants that would otherwise pollute the river. So far, Milton has obtained grants for the installation of rain gardens near the library and H.O. Brittingham Elementary School that would divert stormwater from directly flowing into the river.
Laura Scharle, founder of Scharle Outdoor Recreation, an ecotourism consultancy, notes that some communities spurn Mother Nature through such practices as banning hanging out laundry or planting gardens.
“Pollinator gardens sometimes don’t look manicured enough for many homeowners associations, but they are wonderful for our environment,” she says.
A pollinator preserve established by the Women’s Club of Milton thrives in the middle of the city, with more than 300 plants that attract bees, birds, and butterflies.
The Peninsula
Sited on the Indian River Bay in Millsboro, The Peninsula is a luxurious resort-style community, with a glamorous clubhouse, Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course, and multiple swimming pools, including a wave pool.
Among its amenities is a natural gem, a 225-acre protected nature preserve, with views of Lingo Creek and tidal marshes frequented by herons.
Ellen Spell and her husband, Tom, walk the trails and wetlands boardwalks every day with their three dogs: Ellouise, an English mastiff; Archer, a boxer; and Taz, “a mega mutt.” Their house is outfitted with energy-efficient appliances and high-density foam insulation.
“There are a lot of solar panels in the neighborhood,” she says. “There’s definitely an interest in being green, in being respectful of the environment.”
Spell owns Sea Barre Fitness and Yoga, which operates a studio nearby. Her husband is chief of police in Lewes. “We feel a strong connection to Sussex County and all that the outdoors has to offer.”
At The Peninsula, beaches provide a launch pad for kayaks. There’s a gardening area where residents can grow herbs, veggies, and flowers.
“The vistas are beautiful, and our community is a place where nature is valued and preserved,” she says.
Bay Forest, Coastal Sussex County
Located near Holts Landing State Park on the Indian River Bay, Bay Forest is a 55-plus community that proves it’s never too late to go green.
The National Association of Home Builders bestowed Bay Forest with the Best in American Living Award in the large-scale residential community category. In awarding the prize to Natelli Communities, builder of the 950-home development, the judges note, “The project team maximized water and green spaces and created a nice sense of micro-communities inside the natural habitat.”
At the mouth of the Collins Creek Tributary, Bay Forest encompasses more than 400 acres of forested woodlands and open meadows. There’s a shallow-water marina where community kayaks and canoes sit at the ready. Clusters of homes within the community connect with one another and with the Bay Forest Clubhouse via several miles of walking and biking paths and foot bridges.
A collective herb garden offers residents an opportunity to get to know one another better while growing aromatic, culinary, and medicinal plants. A shuttle to the town of Bethany allows residents to make the trek without burning additional fossil fuel or contributing to traffic congestion and wear and tear on roads. And there are abundant opportunities to volunteer in environmental preservation and conservation programs at Holts Landing.
South Bethany
In South Bethany, population 519, the community has long drawn its charm from a network of canals that define residential neighborhoods. Storm runoff and other challenges have taken their toll, however, and the local Canal Water Quality Committee is working to improve canal waters that are no longer in their original fishable and swimmable state.
“Observations over the last several decades have indicated a decline in water quality in South Bethany canals,” says the South Bethany Canal Sediment Evaluation by the Woods Hole Group, an environmental engineering group. “The canal system and resulting infrastructure were developed prior to [the] Federal Clean Water Act, as well as water quality and stormwater management regulations instituted by the state in the 1990s. The area of impervious surfaces [roads, roofs] and direct runoff pathways into the canals has contributed to the issue.”
Working in partnership with the Center for the Inland Bays and DNREC, local volunteers have initiated research, obtained grants, and explored options to improve canals. The committee also has educated local residents on such green practices as making their own canal-friendly weed killer.
Already completed are algae harvesting and a forebay cleanout. On the agenda in 2025 are a dredging plan and an expansion of the water-quality monitoring and reporting program.
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