Resources
Greening the University
· Second Nature Visit Website
Second Nature's mission is to accelerate movement toward a sustainable future by serving and supporting college and university leaders in making healthy, just, and sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education.
· Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Visit Website
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. Their mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. They provided resources, professional development, and a network of support.
· University Leaders for a Sustainable Future Visit Website
The mission of the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) is to make sustainability a major focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities worldwide.
For more than a decade, NWF's Campus Ecology program has been helping transform the nation's college campuses into living models of an ecologically sustainable society, and training a new generation of environmental leaders. Campus Ecology supports and promotes positive and practical conservation projects on campus and beyond.
· The Natural Step Visit Website
The Natural Step provides a visionary blueprint for a sustainable world. Their upstream approach addresses problems at the source and turns them into opportunities for innovation. As an international advisory and research organization, they work with some of the largest resource users on the planet to create solutions, models and tools designed to accelerate global sustainability.
Local Resources
In professional and voluntary roles, ABSN has been providing Alaskans with residential construction and energy efficient building services for over 20 years. ABSN has useful information for homeowners looking to make energy efficiency improvements to their home. Additionally, the site contains information about training programs and upcoming events for building science professionals in Alaska.
· Alaska Youth for Environmental Action- AYEA Visit Website
AYEA inspires and trains diverse youth leaders to impact environmental issues through community action projects and campaigns; skills training in leadership, environmental education, civic engagement, and community organizing; and green jobs that sustain our communities and future.
· Alaska Conservation Solutions Visit Website
Alaska Conservation Solutions was founded to draw attention the pervasive consequences of climate change in Alaska and the pursue solutions to the problem. The site features an Alaskan Carbon Calculator, links to numerous articles, presentations and podcasts, and helpful advice on reducing your carbon footprint.
· Alaska Conservation Alliance Visit Website
The Alaska Conservation Alliance is a statewide umbrella group for over 40 member organizations. The group agrees to pursue shared Environmental Priorities. At the site make sure you check out each of the member organizations, sign up for Conservation Watch and get involved in state environmental policy.
Green Star is a non-profit organization, based in Anchorage, Alaska, that encourages businesses to practice waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention through education, technical assistance, and an award-winning voluntary "green business" certification program. The website includes links to local training opportunities, access to a wealth of information about local efficiency projects and tip sheets, and contact information for securing green star certification for your business.
Blogs
· TreeHugger Visit Website
TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. The site is a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information. You can find all you need to go green in their up to the minute blog, weekly and daily newsletters, weekly video segments, weekly radio show, Job Board and user-generated blog, Hugg.
· Ecogeek Visit Website
Ecogeek devotes its site to exploring the symbiosis between nature and technology. The writers post information about innovative and new environmental technologies daily.
· Worldchanging Visit Website
Worldchanging.com is a nonprofit media organization headquartered in Seattle, WA, that comprises a global network of independent journalists, designers and thinkers. Their blog covers the world’s most innovative solutions to the planet’s problems, and inspire readers around the world with stories of new tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future.
· Five Thirty Eight Visit Website
The five thirty eight aims to accumulate and analyze polling and political data in an accurate and attractive way. Look for the analysis on Climate Cap and Trade legislation, energy and the environment.
· The Pigou Club Manifesto Visit Website
This site is home to Harvard Economist Gregory Mankiw’s personal blog. In this post Mankiw argues in support of increasing the gas tax in the US. A gas tax is a form of pigovian taxation which aims to correct market inefficiencies, internalize what economists call externalities and to improve environmental outcomes.
Institutes
· Rocky Mountain Institute Visit Website
The Rocky Mountain Institute is an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to make the world secure, just, prosperous, and life-sustaining. The institute’s consulting efforts center around four thematic areas: Built Environment, Energy & Resources, Mobility & Vehicle Efficiency and Sustainable Cities. The institute also has a variety of resources including numerous publications, videos and podcasts. RMI also offers competitive internships for sustainably minded individuals.
Founded by Lester Brown in 1974, the Worldwatch Institute offers a unique blend of interdisciplinary research, global focus, and accessible writing that has made it a leading source of information on the interactions among key environmental, social, and economic trends. Their work revolves around the transition to an environmentally sustainable and socially just society and how to achieve it.
Founder Kenny Ausubel coined the word Bioneers 1990 to describe an emerging culture of social and scientific innovators who are mimicking nature¹s operating instructions to serve human ends while enriching the web of life. We take a "solve-the-whole-problem" approach: Taking care of nature means taking care of people - and taking care of people means taking care of nature.
World Resources Institute is an independent nonprofit organization with a staff of more than 100 scientists, economists, policy experts, business analysts, statistical analysts, mapmakers, and communicators working to protect the Earth and improve people's lives.
Redefining Progress is the nation’s leading public policy think tank dedicated to smart economics. They work to find solutions that secure a sustainable and equitable world for future generations. They also offer internships for college students.
Sustainability Networks
Earth Day Network promotes a peaceful, just, and sustainable world through education, community empowerment, capacity-building, campaigns, events, and publications. Earth Day Network serves as a point of focus for national and worldwide Earth Day organizing, with thousands of Earth Day events taking place around the world each April. Their website is also a great source for information about ecological footprints, sustainable communities, and the green school movement.
The Sustainable Communities Network is for those who want to help make their communities more livable. The site offers advice on how to create a sense of community, how to grow a sustainable economy and how to protect natural resources. This website aims to increase the visibility of what has worked for other communities, and to promote a lively exchange of information to help create community sustainability in both urban and rural areas.
The Earth Charter is the product of a decade long, worldwide, cross-cultural conversation about common goals and shared values. The drafting of the Earth Charter has involved the most open and participatory consultation process ever conducted in connection with an international document.
UCS is an independent nonprofit alliance of more than 100,000 concerned citizens and scientists. They augment rigorous scientific analysis with innovative thinking and committed citizen advocacy to build a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world.
Green Building
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The website contains information about current green building policies, contact information for workshops and seminars, access to local green building organizations and information for building owners seeking to gain certification.
· The U.S. Green Building Council: Build Green Schools Visit Website
A green school is one that creates a healthy environment that is conductive to learning while saving energy, resources and money. The site includes information and resources for expanding the green school movement.
· International Living Building Institute Visit Website
The Institute works in conjunction with the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most advanced green building rating system, to promote innovative green building technologies all over the world.
