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GEM has assembled a large list of websites that will assist you along your journey to environmental sustainability. Each link is followed by a brief description of the site. If there is a particular site you would like to see on this list please forward it to us and if appropriate we would be happy to add it to our list. Immediately below are links that will help you to gain a better understanding of the current environmental issues, the end goal of sustainability and the organizations dedicated to creating a sustainable future. |
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David Suzuki’s Foundation that is dedicated to developing and promoting ways that society can sustainably live in balance with the natural world. There are tons of educational resources, latest news regarding environmental issues and lots of other resources to bring and keep you up to speed on the latest environmental issues. Paul Hawken is one of the world’s leading environmentalists. He is also an entrepreneur and author of six best selling books. His Web site will introduce you with recommended further reading as well as the organizations that he is involved with. Much of his work has been “game changing” stuff and becoming familiar with it is highly recommended. The Natural Step is an organization that many believe to be one of the pioneers of modern day sustainability. Reference this Web site for some great case studies as well as a number of educational resources and tools to help you in journey toward sustainability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site. There is so much information regarding the environment that it is hard to summarize. Everything from tips on going green to the latest in the development of environmental legislation. Big Picture TV streams free videos from the leading thinkers and doers in the world of sustainability. You can join as a member and download the videos to use in presentations. Environmental Organization dedicated to providing the latest information regarding environmental jobs, volunteer opportunities and environmental events in your region. TED, standing for technology, entertainment, and design is an organization that brings forth talks by the worlds leading thinkers and doers. Centered around their annual conference in Long Beach that is packed with talks from these leading individuals, they now make available these talks for free to inspire others to make a difference. Natural Resources Canada Web site full of information on a wide array of topics such as earth sciences, mining, forestry, and (of course) energy-related issues. A good starting point to dive deeper into the increasingly important topic of Natural resources. Environment Canada’s official Web site. This is a great portal to all the different environmental programs offered by the government of Canada. Everything from grant and incentive programs to educational resources. The Canadian Green Building Council is responsible for administering the LEED certification program in Canada. If you are looking to certify your building become an accredited LEED professional or looking for ways to green your building this is a great resource. The U.S. Green Building Council is responsible for administering the LEED certification program in the United States. If you are looking to certify your building become an accredited LEED professional or looking for ways to green your building this is a great resource. World Wildlife Fund’s Web site. Dedicated to the conservation and preservation of wildlife around the world. If you’re looking for ways to get involved in your community or general information related to the current environmental issues affecting wildlife around the world, this is a great resource with a long standing reputation of actually making a difference. A sustainability think tank that is devoted to providing business and other organizations with the risks and opportunities that come along with sustainable development. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization was founded in 1945 and yields a tremendous amount of ability to progress the movement toward sustainable development. The United Nations Environment Program is the voice for the environment within the United Nations. There is a wealth of information on this Web site of everything from educational resources and tools to specific ways to get involved and make a difference. The Sustainable Asset Management Group works with the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in doing research activities and helping to identify the worlds leading sustainability driven companies. Their studies, research and reports is an important part of the growing interest in the investment of sustainably driven companies. www.sustainability-indexes.com The Dow Jones Sustainability Index tracks the financial performance of the world’s leading sustainability driven companies. Marks and Spencer is a UK based department store that is taking a lead in their industry in terms of sustainable development. There is a lot to be earned from these pioneers on what we can do in our own backyard. The International Society for Ecological Economics Web site. There goal is to promote cooperation and understanding between ecologists and economists to advance sustainable development. The field of ecological economics pulls from many different fields of academia to make sense of the issues surrounding population with shrinking environmental resources. The Rocky Mountain Institute is a think tank for environmental and sustainability related issues. Founded by Amory Lovins this organization can no doubt answer or help with many of your questions or issues related to the environmental challenges you may be faced with. A non-profit, green news organization. They are dedicated to bringing you the latest and most up to date news in the world of environmental sustainability. Read news and articles on everything from biofuels to polar bears. This is one of the worlds largest providers of trusted environmental news. A leading environmental blog dedicated to bringing you insight and discussions on the latest environmental topics and issues. A Canadian NGO helping decision makers and businesses bring environmental issues to the forefront. They champion a number of environmental campaigns and offer up educational resources such as free downloads of published environmental reports and studies. www.acee-ceaa.gc.ca/index_e.htm The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is a branch of the Canadian government, helping organizations make informed decisions when it comes to the environmental issues. The International Institute for Sustainable Development is committed to helping organizations move toward a world of sustainable development. Includes a publications center with latest articles, books, and papers. www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/sd-dd/index_e.html Natural Resources Canada Sustainable Development Web site provides you up to date information regarding Canada’s Sustainability policies as well as a wealth of information, tips, best practices, case studies and so on in order to help your organization move toward sustainable development. The Earth Policy Institute’s Web site. The EPS is headed up by Lester Brown, a leading environmentalist, author and advocate for a sustainable economy. A resource that contains a plethora of articles and papers relating to a sustainable economy and ways of achieving it. Bill McKibben is an author and educator in the field of environmentalism. One of the “big boys” in this field, McKibben offers up a great deal of insight on how we can personally make a difference. The Environmental Defense Fund partners up with organizations of all levels to help them find solutions that move toward sustainable development. These guys are a major player in the environmental arena. MSN’s green site. This is a great resource bringing you feeds of the latest environmental news, practical tips and interesting stats relating to environmental issues. Possibly the world’s leading environmental blog. You will find information here on everything from greening your business to greening your personal life. Includes tons of videos, articles and discussions all relating to the environment. Definitely one to put in the favorites list.
Possibly the most trusted and useful resource for lean information, this is Jim Womak’s non-profit organization dedicated to helping organizations become leaner. It contains, articles, library of books, workshops, and so on. Association for Manufacturing Excellence is dedicated to helping manufacturers move toward operational excellence and has some great resources for those looking to educate themselves on lean, network with those who are already doing it or be exposed to the latest in manufacturing excellence. Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association is dedicated to helping Canadian manufacturers and exporters succeed in an increasingly competitive global market. From lobbying government for manufacturers rights to holding information sessions on everything from health and safety to doing business in other parts of the world, to networking with some of Canada’s top business people and holding Lean 101 workshops, these guys are here to help in a number of ways. High Performance Solutions, Inc. is Canada’s leading lean consulting firm. Their approach is to teach you and empower you to be able to carry out lean activities on your own without their help, an approach you very rarely see from consultants. When you are looking for help in your lean efforts you can count on the most trusted guys in the industry today. The high performance manufacturing consortium is a lean manufacturing consortium bringing together a small group of companies that share best practices and offer training sessions in order to compete and win at the highest level. Visit its sister consortium at www.afee.ca. For industry’s largest collection of organizational improvement books and materials, these guys are a great resource when first starting your journey, well into your journey or just keeping up with the latest material in organizational improvement.
U.S. Department of Energy Web site that contains a slew of information relating to energy, energy efficiency, biofuels, the latest issues, government policies, incentive programs and a number of energy related topics. International Energy Association Web site. The IEA is an energy policy advisor to twenty-seven member countries and advises these countries one everything from energy security to environmental issues. They produce a large number of reports and studies that are useful in getting up to speed on global energy issues. Canadian Energy Information Web site provides a number of great tools for getting up to speed on energy issues and the energy market in Canada. It provides insight into the market as well as a number of educational resources for everyone from K-12 students to business leaders. Association for Energy Engineers is a non-profit professional society providing professionals in all areas related to energy management, measuring, and planning. They also training courses and certifications related to all things “energy.” www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/calculators The U.S. Department of Energy’s various energy related calculators to help you in determining your carbon footprint and overall environmental footprint. Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator. These guys balance the supply and demand of energy in Ontario. A great resource for energy related items such as determining how you are billed, tips for identifying, measuring, reducing and managing your energy consumption. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers Web site. This organization is a great resource and plays a big role in determining energy efficiency standards for the green building industry. They offer a number of publications, educational tools and certifications regarding energy, or more specifically HVAC’s contribution to energy consumption. A carbon emissions calculator. www.cleanerandgreener.org/resources/calculators.htm Another carbon emissions calculator. U.S. Energy Star Web site. We see this logo everywhere from our fridge to our computers. This Web site will help you to locate energy efficient products for everything from lighting to computers to HVAC components. They also provide educational resources and other tools such as typical paybacks and calculators for determining paybacks. They also determine the standards for energy efficiency levels and govern those standards. Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency is a government run office that provides education and resources for minimizing your energy consumption. They also offer a number of incentive programs for commercial and industrial organizations. Canada’s Eco Logo Program is green product certification program. A number of their certified products, although not all, will help you in your quest to minimize energy consumption in your organization. U.S. Green Building Council administers the LEED certification program in the United States. The leading green building certification program in the world, they offer a wide array of tips, techniques and tricks for reducing energy consumption from your building level systems such as HVAC and lighting. You can find a lot of these tips in their reference packages. Canada Green Building Council administers the LEED certification program in Canada. Just like their U.S. counterpart, they offer a wide array of tips, techniques and tricks for reducing energy consumption from your building level systems such as HVAC and lighting. You can find a lot of these tips in their reference packages as well. Illuminating Engineering Society of North America is the recognized technical authority on lighting. You can refer to them for ideas, tips and technical information regarding the latest and greatest ways to conserve energy through lighting retrofits. Renewable Energy Web site that provides a wealth of educational information regarding renewable energy. They give you everything from the overall basics of renewable energy to the specifics of each form of renewable energy such as solar, wind and biomass. The Canadian Hydropower Association Web site. Use this resource to contact the major players in the hydropower industry as well as to learn more specifically about hydropower. Bullfrog Power is a green power provider. This is an excellent alternative to purchasing carbon-offset credits once you have minimized your consumption of energy. These guys are the green power provider in Canada. The Pembina Institute’s mission is to advance sustainable energy solutions. This group advocates, educates, and raises awareness around renewable or sustainable energy solutions. A great launching pad to find more in-depth, detailed information on specific solutions. Renewable Energy Solutions is a private company that has installed thousands of renewable energy systems.
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