Related Links
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- Green Building Resources
- Green Power Resources
- Renewable Technology Resources
- Energy Savings Performance Contracts Resources
- Water Conservation and Stormwater Management Resources
- Additional EPA Resources
- Other Government Resources
- Non-Government Resources
Green Building Resources
- Advanced Buildings A building professional's guide to more than 90 environmentally appropriate technologies and practices intended to improve the energy and resource efficiency of commercial, industrial, and multi-unit residential buildings.
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Philip Merrill Environmental Center The Merrill building was constructed as a green building and received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The website provides detailed information on the planning and construction process of the Merrill building.
- Environmental Building News A monthly newsletter on environmentally responsible design and construction, featuring comprehensive, practical information on a wide range of topics related to sustainable building—from renewable energy and recycled-content materials to land-use planning and indoor air quality.
- Environmental Management Systems - Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation (OPEI) This website provides information about EPA's efforts to develop policies and related materials about environmental management systems (EMS).
- EPA Environmental Testing Requirements for Furniture (PDF) (20 pp, 200K) This site contains the original criteria used in the furniture procurement for EPA Headquarters, including EPA emissions testing requirements for systems furniture.
- EPA's Furniture Manufacturers Environmental Assessment Checklist (PDF) (5 pages, 61K) During furniture procurement for EPA's new Headquarters offices, EPA assessed environmental policies at each manufacturer’s facility(ies), including issues of global pollution, energy conservation, resource conservation, and human health and safety.
- FacilitiesNet: Green This site provides current news, magazine articles, resource guides, and networking links.
- Green Building Initiative is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier, and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches for residential and commercial construction. GBI oversees and administers
- Green Globes™ is a green management tool that includes an assessment protocol and a rating system and guide for integrating environmentally friendly design into both new and existing commercial buildings.
- Green Buildings EPA's Green Building website is a “portal” site designed to give users one convenient gateway from which to access numerous EPA programs and topics related to environmentally friendly building.
- GSA Public Buildings Services - Sustainable Design The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is committed to incorporating sustainable principles into the design, construction, and renovation of its buildings. The site outlines the basic principles for sustainable development and explains that sustainable development will become an integral part of every business.
- Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21®) Labs21 is an initiative sponsored by EPA, DOE, and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) to improve the environmental performance of laboratories. The program holds an annual conference for laboratory owners, operators, and designers to promote energy and water efficiency. The next conference will be held October 2 to 4, 2012, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.
- National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) NIBS is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization focused on identifying and resolving the problems and potential problems hampering the construction of safe, affordable structures for housing, commerce, and industry throughout the United States.
- Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) SBIC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of residential, institutional, and commercial buildings nationwide.
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) The 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.
- Whole Building Design Guide The Whole Building Design Guide is a complete Internet resource to a wide range of building-related design guidance, criteria, and technology for all federal and private-sector building criteria.
Green Power Resources
- Green-e Green-e is a renewable electricity certification program that sets consumer protection and environmental standards for electricity products, and verifies that Green-e certified products meet these standards. Electricity products that meet the Green-e Standard for environmental excellence are denoted by the Green-e logo.
- Green Power Partnership EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program designed to reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation by promoting renewable energy.
- Green Power Network The Green Power Network offers news and information resource on green power markets and utility green pricing.
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) IREC works to accelerate the sustainable utilization of renewable energy sources and technologies in and through state and local government activities.
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) EERE develops and deploys efficient and clean energy technologies that meet the nation's energy needs and enhance the environment.
Renewable Technology Resources
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network This U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) website includes information on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory This DOE laboratory performs research on energy efficiency.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the only federal laboratory dedicated to the research, development, commercialization and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Energy Savings Performance Contracts Resources
- Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) DOE's Federal Energy Management Program provides information on financing alternatives for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects.
Water Conservation and Stormwater Management Resources
- WaterSense® WaterSense, from EPA's Office of Water, provides information and tips to help homeowners, government officials, and industry professionals achieve greater water efficiency.
- Stormwater Management at the EPA Headquarters Office Complex Learn about EPA's Federal Triangle Headquarters stormwater management project on this site.
- EPA's Low Impact Development (LID) page This page includes resources on this stormwater control strategy.
- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program This page contains technical and regulatory information about the NPDES stormwater program.
- Low Impact Development Center Find information on site design techniques that replicate preexisting hydrologic site conditions on this site.
- EPA's Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success Stories This page features projects receiving grant funds from the section 319 program that have achieved documented water quality improvements.
- Technical Guidance on Implementing the Stormwater Runoff Requirements for Federal Projects under Section 438 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (PDF) (63 pp, 2.5MB) In December 2009, EPA, in coordination with other federal agencies as appropriate, issued guidance on the implementation of Section 438 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), as required by Executive Order (EO) 13514.
Additional EPA Resources
- Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) Through the CPG program, EPA designates recycled-content products for federal agencies to purchase and recommends recycled-content levels for those products. This site contains detailed product descriptions and purchasing specifications.
- Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris EPA's website provides information and links to extensive resources and organizations covering the characterization, reduction, reuse, recycling, and management of C&D debris.
- Conservation and Renewable Energy Incentives Learn about the economic and regulatory benefits of energy conservation and renewable energy projects.
- Energy Conservation Education Tool Box (PDF) (9 pp, 36K) This tool can help teachers integrate the concepts of pollution prevention and energy conservation into the classroom.
- ENERGY STAR® ENERGY STAR is a voluntary partnership between DOE, EPA, product manufacturers, local utilities, and retailers. Partners help promote energy-efficient products by labeling them with the ENERGY STAR logo and educating consumers about their unique benefits.
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) This program encourages federal agencies to purchase environmentally preferable products and services. The site explains EPA's guiding principles for including environmental performance in purchasing decision-making and posts case studies of successful pilot projects in the public and private sectors.
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) This EPA site explains what IAQ is, provides links to related publications, and provides specific information on how to meet IAQ goals.
- Natural Gas STAR Program This flexible, voluntary partnership between EPA and the oil and natural gas industry attempts to identify and promote the implementation of cost-effective technologies and practices to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
- Residential Energy Efficiency This page offers policy options for state and local governments to reduce energy consumption in their jurisdictions and save homeowners money with residential energy efficiency policies and programs.
- Office of Compliance and Enforcement Working in partnership with EPA regional offices, state governments, tribal governments, and other federal agencies, this office ensures compliance with the nation's environmental laws.
- Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances - Pollution Prevention This website provides general information about pollution prevention practices. The site's home page includes links to EPA Pollution Prevention websites. Resources provide contacts for further information at the national and regional levels.
- WasteWise Program WasteWise is a free, voluntary, EPA program helping U.S. organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste, benefiting the bottom line and the environment. WasteWise members receive free technical assistance to help develop, implement, and measure waste reduction activities.
Other Government Resources
- Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) CEQ coordinates federal environmental efforts and works closely with federal agencies and other White House offices to develop environmental policies and initiatives.
- Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) The Federal Environmental Executive is appointed by the President to provide clear national direction for federal agencies and to track the government's progress in waste prevention, recycling, the affirmative procurement of guideline items and the acquisition of recycled and environmentally preferable products and services.
- GovEnergy The 15th Annual GovEnergy Workshop and Trade Show will be held August 19 to 22, 2012, in St. Louis, Missouri. At this event, federal, state, local, and private sector energy managers, energy service companies, utilities, procurement officials, engineers, and other energy professionals will meet to discuss some of today's leading energy industry issues.
- Smart Communities Network This DOE project aims to help communities understand the concept of sustainable development. The website includes articles, slide shows, links to other sources of information, recommended books and videos, and educational materials and programs.
- Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) PATH is a voluntary initiative that seeks to accelerate the creation and widespread use of advanced technologies to radically improve the quality, durability, environmental performance, energy efficiency, and affordability of our nation's housing.
Non-Government Resources
- Green Seal Green Seal is an independent, nonprofit organization promoting the manufacture and sale of environmentally responsible consumer products. It sets environmental standards and awards a “Green Seal of Approval” to products that cause less harm to the environment than other similar products.