Green Resources
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Advocacy Groups
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Born out of the oil embargo of the 1970s, the Alliance to Save Energy set out to improve the efficiency of America’s energy resources to ensure that we never use more energy that we need to.
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The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection.
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The mission of the American Wind Energy Association is to promote wind power growth through advocacy, communication, and education.
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The Center for Ecoliteracy offers books; teaching guides; professional development seminars; a sustainability leadership academy; keynote presentations; and consulting services.
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Fresh Energy is a nonprofit organization working to transition to a clean, efficient and fair energy system. They promote an innovative energy system for the 21st century through research, advocacy and policy models, and engage citizens to take action.
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An online resource focusing on the Green Economy. Provides current news, information on training programs, and job opportunities from around the country.
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The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) is a non-profit 501(C)3 tax-exempt organization founded in 1990 to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through education and demonstration.
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A network of people who believe in teaching people how to think about the environment, not what to think. Learn how to use high-quality teaching methods to show people how to make a difference in the world through a positive, non-confrontational approach.
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RMI is a group of industry experts, thought leaders and engineers focused on driving the profitable transition from coal and oil to efficiency and renewables.
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Education Programs & Resources
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A research, development training, and technology company committed to developing a skilled workforce to provide clean and affordable renewable energy to people worldwide. Provide a state by state guide for solar installation requirements.
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Boots on the Roof, delivers top-quality market-ready training programs for solar energy industry professionals. These solar energy courses are ideal for fast growing solar companies, Electrical and General Contractors and other related businesses
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A national provider of LEED and energy efficiency education for the US Green Building Council and the Building Performance Institute.
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The mission of the center is to help the community and region address environmental and energy concerns through training, workshops, classes and conferences.
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Web based portal for educational seminars and presentations from the sustainable industries most knowledgeable experts.
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Energy Efficient Homes
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Energy saving tips related to the appliances in your home.
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Energy saving tips for your home from the US Department of Energy.
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A collection of tips for every home appliance.
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Information about choosing energy efficient products and designing an efficient home.
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Resource for desiging, building and remodeling green homes.
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Practical tips and resources to save energy and save money in your home.
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Do it yourself home energy audit.
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Information and resources to help Americans make their homes more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy.
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The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.
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Financial Programs, Grants and Incentives
Green Mortgages, Low-Interest Loans and Rebate Programs-
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project
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Tax credits available for Energy Star products, geothermal heat pumps, small scale wind turbines, solar thermal water heaters and solar panels.
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This program helps homebuyers or homeowners save money on utility bills by enabling them to finance the cost of adding energy efficiency features to new or existing housing as part of their FHA insured home purchase or refinancing mortgage.
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A coalition of organizations in the energy efficiency field designed to give consumers information to make use of the federal income tax incentives for energy efficient products and technologies passed by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
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Learn how to receive money to fund energy efficient upgrades in your home.
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General Green Resources
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Chasing Green is a consumer resource site dedicated to spread the word that ordinary people can positively impact our world in their everyday lives. They provide practical tips for living a more sustainable lifestyle.
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A searchable database created by the Environmental Protection Agency contains articles, studies and other documents related to environmental issues.
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An online resource to provide visitors with information and tools to help recycle easily, save natural resources, track conservation through recycling and re-use, and to educate and reward conservation.
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The Playbook provides local governments with guidance and resources to rapidly advance green buildings, neighborhoods and infrastructure.
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Everything you want to know about the design and installation of greenroofs.
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A database of premium environmental information for everyone to access and use to green their lives. This is also a place for environmental activists to share their stories, ideas, and lessons learned.
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10 Ways To Green Your Auto Shop
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Information on insulation provided by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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A collection of infographics explainging a variety of sustainable issues.
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Green Building Products & Construction Resources
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Wide variety of information on building systems, techniques and products.
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A website dedicated to sifting through "green-washing" to provide the most reliable information to builders and homeowners.
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A green building resource portal that includes environmentally friendly services, sustainable and renewable products, alternative energy resources and green building information.
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Organization promoting the use of ICF in construction and working to overcome industry obstacles.
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Information and resources on the Passive House building standard and its use in the United States.
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Resources and information for the use of pellet stoves.
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Resources and information on the use of SIPs panels in sustainable construction.
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The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation.
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An online product database of Home Depot products that meet LEED standards.
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High Performance Schools
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A collection of case studies provided by the Illinois EPA and WMRC looking at various schools and their Green strategies.
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Interactive map showing the location of installed and planned school wind energy projects in the United States. Find school wind projects for K-12, community colleges, universities, and more. Created by the Department of Energy.
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Online Shopping Resources
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Environmentally friendly, 100% stainless steel prodcuts including reusable water bottles. Be sure to purchase GreenTown branded merchandise.
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Renewable Energy Resources
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Additional listing of sustainable resources provided by iFloor.com
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Directory of GeoExchange contractors, manufacturers , drilling contractors, ground loop installers, engineers, designers, distributors, architects, builders, utilities, training, financing, software and suppliers.
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The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is a non-profit, member-driven organization established in 1987 to advance ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology on local, state, national and international levels
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A resource for all information relating to solar panels.
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Learn about solar energy powered products including solar panels, solar panel installation, and solar water heaters. Also you can learn how solar panels work, how they are manufactured, where to get solar panels, and more.
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A guide to home solar panels. This site has resources and information on types of solar panels, components of a solar system, how to callculate the payback period for a system, and much more.
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WindTurbines.net is positioned to be the largest social network for the wind turbine community where the public and the wind energy profession can come together to get advice, share ideas and network for career advancement.
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Water Conservation & Efficiency
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A resource dedicated to the advancement of sustainable water management practices for individuals, families, communities, and businesses.
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A helpful guide for rain barrel use.
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Information provided by the Department of Energy on properly sizing a water heater and other factors to consider for energy efficiency.
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Use this calculator to explore the energy usage of your water heater, and to estimate whether a solar water heater could save you money.
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The 9 best practices for choosing and installing a tankless hot water heater brought to you by the United States Green Building Council.
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