Environmentally Speaking

It requires a lot of training, but when they are finished, the N.C. Marine Patrol will have a certified swift water rescue team, yet another way they can help save lives during emergencies.

Clark Purvis could not have known just how remarkable that striped bass he recently caught would turn out to be.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program, in partnership with the Oregon Inlet Artificial Reef Committee, sank the first of three tugboats off the coast of Pea Island on Monday.

Solid Waste Section Chief Ed Mussler has been recognized with the Governor’s Award of Excellence for his work in public service.

The Division of Waste Management’s extensive work to protect the environment and public health can be seen across North Carolina.

What happens to the black plastic film or mulch that sits on mounds of newly planted produce on North Carolina’s nearly 50,000 farms?

The much anticipated opening of North Carolina’s first Wegman’s grocery store is an achievement for two of DEQ’s important programs.  

Some North Carolina communities have found ways to turn trash into treasure – with the help of the department’s Brownfields and Pre-Regulatory (PRLF) Landfill programs.

The term “energy” is normally associated with big power plants and turbines pumping electricity to our homes. But that’s not the case everywhere. At the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, North Carolina, energy is turned into art.

At this year’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI) Conference, DEQ Secretary Michael Regan had one message: we’re all environmentalists. From business leaders to students to ESI stewards, environmentalists see that environmental stewardship and economic development go hand-in-hand.

Started in 2002, the Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI) has been a long-standing resource for many North Carolina companies looking to reduce their environmental impacts.

Last month, staff from the Division of Mitigation Services participated in the National Mitigation Banking Conference in Minneapolis where topics of conversation included North Carolina’s in-lieu fee program and utilizing technology for environmental monitoring.

With summertime already here, many folks are working hard to keep their gardens in tip-top shape. Their gardens might be beautiful, but there are some serious consequences of planting: high quantities of plastic waste.

Last month, Governor Cooper visited Navassa, a community with a long history of industrial pollution, to announce the redevelopment of a former boat factory site into a manufacturing operation that will bring an economic boost to the area with no environmental risk.