Resource Links
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.
Thinking Lean Links
Energy Links
Water Links
Material Links
Garbage Links
Transportation Links
Emissions Waste Links
Biodiversity Links
The Global Reporting Initiative is the world’s leading reporting framework for organizations to report their performance on sustainability.
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.
www.naturalcapital.org: The Natural Capital institute is one of the organizations that Paul Hawken is involved with and in their own words they “serve the people who are transforming the world.”
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.
Thinking Lean Links
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.
If you are looking for help or coaching in implementing lean within your organization, see the following resources:
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.
For help in minimizing the amount of energy waste you have in your organization or value stream, you can turn to the following resources for help:
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.
Finally, for help in moving toward the elimination of energy use and providing your own self generated clean energy, you can turn to the following resources to help you get started and find more information:
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.
Water Links
EPA’s Water Web site dedicated to all things water from water science to water education to water education and conservation. This Web site is a good resource for getting your feet wet with water.
www.water-ed.org: The Water Education Foundation Web site. The goal of this non-profit organization is to provide a better understanding of water issues and help solve water resource problems.
National Water Research Institute of Canada. This is Canada’s freshwater research institute. With research sites across Canada, these people are the experts in linking water issues to environmental policy.
www.on.ec.gc.ca/reseau/waterCalculator/login_e.html
Government of Canada’s water use calculator.
www.standupfortheearth.org/green-tools-education/roi-calculator
A water usage calculator that helps to determine the ROI on water reduction investments. Provides typical payback scenario for an office building. For help in the minimizing the waste of water you can turn to the following resources:
The Irrigation Association Web site. This organization is a member-based organization that also serves to define and educate on best practices of water management.
America’s oldest and largest water conservation company. Experts at tapping into the savings available from water conservation. Contains a list of nearly 100 water saving tips that you can use both at home and at work.
If you are looking for help in harvesting rainwater you can turn to, check out the following resources:
American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association Web site. This organization is dedicated to the promotion of rainwater harvesting. They offer educational resources, training and workshops as well as forums for discussions on the latest techniques and technologies relating to rainwater harvesting.
For more information on cleaning water yourself and moving toward the elimination of this waste, the re-use of water, the following resources will give you a better understanding of what is involved and help get you going in the right direction
American Water Works Association Web site. This organization is over 125 years old and has a wealth of information regarding all things water. With over 60,000 members it is the largest association of water professionals in the world.
This resource opens the floodgates when it comes to issues surrounding the protection of water resources. They will help you get up to speed on water related issues, the latest debates and water related events that are taking place.
Materials Links
Web site for McDonough/Braungart Design Chemistry. This is the Web site for all things cradle-to-cradle, these guys invented it, and no one knows it better or can provide you more information regarding the cradle to cradle process than these guys. Also the Web site if you are looking for cradle-to-cradle certification for your products.For help and support in minimizing material use and phasing out the bad materials here are some resources to help you get started with theses steps:
A resource that will bring you up to speed on the latest issues surrounding hazardous materials. There are tons of articles, papers and discussions helping you to deal with you hazardous materials issues.
The Basel Convention’s Web site. The Basel Convention is the leading source on international movement and disposal of hazardous waste.
The Green Clean institute provides certification of Green Janitorial services.
www.greenseal.org/about/index.cfm
Green Seal is a non-profit organization that provides certification to products that meet minimum environmental requirements.
We saw that having the ability to re-use materials has to start at the design stage so if you are ready to start moving toward the elimination of this waste and re-using materials here are some places you can turn to for help and inspiration:
Ontario Waste Materials Exchange Web site. This program is designed to facilitate the re-use or recycling of postindustrial waste. You can post your waste for someone else to buy or check out whether there is something that you can use.
Another materials exchange Web site, this one located in Georgia. These programs are great for finding a new home for your garbage so that it does not end up in the landfill and saves you the waste removal costs, maybe even providing a revenue stream.
EPA’s Design for Environment Web site is committed to helping you design products that are good for the environment.
The Building Materials Reuse Association Web site. This non-profit association is dedicated to facilitating the re0use and recycling of building materials. They also aim to educate the public on the benefits of this increasingly popular practice.
Garbage Links
Turtle Island is a recycling company who specializes in diverting your waste from the landfill. They have the ability to recycle or reuse many different materials and are the leader in multi material recycling initiatives.
Natural Resources Canada’s Recycling Web site. Provides tons of information regarding what can be recycled and what can’t, the different recycling process and a database of the different companies who can recycle various of materials and minerals.
The Web site for the Recycling Council of British Columbia. This no profit organization promotes the principles of zero waste and offers up various tips, ideas and suggestions on how to help you minimize your garbage.
Recycling Council of Ontario Web site. This non-profit organization is committed to environmental sustainability by doing their part to eliminate waste. Check out this site for a vast amount of resources related to the three Rs.
Transportation Links
The U.S. Department of Energy’s fuel economy Web site. A great resource for not only getting tips about improving your gas mileage but also learning about alternative transportation.
This carbon offset retailed is focused on providing both businesses and individuals with a solution to offset their environmental impact caused by travel and transportation. They offer calculators and make the process of purchasing offsets a simple one. They of course also offer offsets for other areas of environmental impact such as emissions.
Another provider of carbon offsets, they also provide carbon footprint calculators and offer other products and services to reduce that footprint.
Once you are ready to move toward green or eco transportation, you can turn to the following resources:
This Web site compares the eco-friendliness of a number of different vehicles on the market. You can use this resource when you have made the decision to move toward eco-transport and are deciding on which vehicle s best for your organization.
Web site of the Advanced Transportation Technology Institute. This organization is on the leading edge of Alternative Fuel Vehicles that emit low or zero emissions. They can assist your organization in determining and implementing an eco-friendly transportation solution that will work best for you.
www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/consumer_tips/index.html
A California based organization that helps bring you up to speed on environmentally friendly transportation options.
www.cta-otc.gc.ca/index_e.html
The Canadian transportation Agency Web site. Providing news and information related to the issues and policies surrounding travel and transportation in Canada.
www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/UTEC/menu-eng.htm
Transport Canada’s emissions calculator.
www.carbonzero.ca/calculator/index.php
An offset company with a great travel and transportation emissions calculator. No commitment to buy for using their calculator.
Emissions Waste
A pollution prevention Web site supported by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resource. This site is packed with tons of information regarding pollution prevention solutions, everything from best practice case studies to technical and compliance assistance.
The EPA’s pollution Prevention Web site is full of great tips both for the beginner and the advanced pollution preventionist. Whether you are looking for basic information or information regarding different grants and funding or polices surrounding the issue, you can find it here.
Canadian Center for Pollution Prevention is an organization that encourages and supports positive environmental action through the sharing of knowledge and tools. They provide conferences and training, different tools and resources as well as networking opportunities with others facing the same challenges.
The International network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Web site. They are dedicated to providing awareness surrounding environmental compliance.
The U.S. National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. Dedicated to everything pollution prevention, a great resource for digging deeper into this issues surrounding this waste and helping you find solutions to eliminating it.
The Montreal Climate Exchange Web site. An open market vehicle for carbon (emissions) trading in Canada.
The Chicago Climate Exchange Web site. An open market vehicle for carbon (emissions) trading in the United States.
Biodiversity Links
The Canadian Biodiversity Information Network Web site. This site is a portal into the world of Canadian biodiversity. Get access to the national biodiversity strategy, information on the biodiversity or tips on things that you can do to protect the biodiversity in your area.
A Web site supported by Conservation International, this site lists the worlds richest but most threatened areas of plant and animal life. This site is a good resource if you are looking to get up to speed on the global issues of biodiversity.
Over twenty years old, The Society for Ecological Restoration is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of ecosystems throughout the world. They do not do the restoration themselves but rather facilitate and help others to gain the knowledge and ability to implement restoration projects on their own.
This organization is dedicated to moving native plants into the mainstream of landscaping practices. This site has a vast amount of information from finding out what plants are native to your area to different books, directories and how to’s on making native plants part of your landscaping.
The North American Native Plant Society is dedicated to the conservation of native plants. This organization, almost twenty-five-years-old can help you with any questions you may have about native plants and the issues that surround this important topic.
This organization was started Lady Bird Johnson, an entrepreneur, journalist, and former First Lady of the United States. Like the two resources directly above, this organization is dedicated to conservation and sustainability of native plants.
A green roof association dedicated to educating the public on the how to’s as well as the benefits of putting in a green roof. They offer a number of educational courses, green roof calculators and an accreditation program in addition to organizing an annual conference on green roofing.
A great resource for learning about site remediation and reclamation. Lots of information regarding the remediation process, the financial opportunities that exist in remediation and even includes best practice case studies as well as a toolbox.
The EPA’s remediation and reclamation Web site. Great place to start when looking into or being forced into cleaning up a site that has been contaminated.