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Resources

Here you will find links to various resources for Green Living. More links are being added regularly.

Every effort is made to maintain the integrity of this list. If you come across a broken link, or if you have a suggestion for a new one, please let us know. Thanks.

Sections: Calculators, Climate Change, Community Service, Economics, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Organizations, Food, Governmental Organizations, Green Building, Green Living, Green Transportation, Incentives, Recycling, Renewable Energy

Calculators

  • PVWATTS v.1 – Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed PVWATTS to permit non-experts to quickly obtain performance estimates for grid-connected PV systems.
  • Solar Hot Water Calculator – A simple calculator for an estimate of energy and CO2 savings at your location. If you’re not sure what to select: 1 – zip code; 2 – Gobi 410 Blue Sputtered; 3 – HPAK; 4 – 1; 5 – direction; 6 – most common is around 22.

Climate Change

  • Real Climate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. The aim is to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion is restricted to scientific topics, but not the political or economic implications of the science.
  • CO2Now.org is focused on the “what is” of CO2, including scientific data for CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
  • Danger of Carbon Sequestration – Carbon sequestration, once it gets started, will allow 19th century energy technologies to dominate the U.S. throughout most of the 21st century.

Community Service

  • Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas builds single family homes throughout Clark County for working families earning less than 80% of Area Median Income. The home is sold at no profit though a no-interest mortgage. Families are required to volunteer their labor to help build Habitat homes in order to qualify.

Economics

  • First GREEN Bank promotes environmental responsibility and green building by offering lower interest rates for commercial projects that meet green building certification defined by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
  • Modern Earth Finance provides traditional mortgage broker services and also specializes in clients who are building green, or making their existing houses healthier and more energy efficient.
  • New Resource Bank – planet smart banking. Believes that efficiency and sustainability are new resources for community prosperity. Provides financing for home solar installations.
  • ShoreBank was America’s first “environmental bank.” Environmental banking uses banking services as a way to contribute toward a healthier environment. ShoreBank combined its environmental concerns with its community development focus to create its “triple bottom line.” Unfortunately, ShoreBank, unlike some larger but less socially-minded banks, was not considered “too big to fail.” This reminder remains online as a small token of gratitude to them and others who strive to do the right thing.

Energy Efficiency

  • The Alliance to Save Energy supports energy efficiency as a cost-effective energy resource under existing market conditions and advocates energy-efficiency policies that minimize costs to society and individual consumers, and that lessen greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global climate.
  • Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) – A national standards making body for building energy efficiency rating systems. Developer of Home Energy Rating System (HERS). Maintains list of certified HERS raters. The Residential Energy Services Network’s (RESNET®) mission is to ensure the success of the building energy performance certification industry, set the standards of quality, and increase the opportunity for ownership of high performance buildings.
  • The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is an public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Environmental Organizations

  • The Center for Biological Diversity works through science, law, and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction.
  • Sierra Club – working to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself. We are the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States.

Food

  • The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics.

Governmental Organizations

  • The Department of Energy‘s overarching mission is to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.

Green Building

  • Architecture 2030, a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization, was established in response to the climate change crisis by architect Edward Mazria
  • The Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT) works to enhance the health of the planet and our communities by promoting a shift to sustainable construction and development through leadership, strategic relationships, and education.
  • Healthy Building Network – Working to transform the market for building materials to advance the best environmental, health and social practices.
  • HomeFree Nevada (HFN) is an emerging Home Performance with Energy Star program designed to improve the energy efficiency, comfort, health, safety and durability of Nevada’s existing homes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Passive House Institute US – The Passive House concept represents today’s highest energy standard with the promise of slashing the heating energy consumption of buildings by an amazing 90%.
  • Nevada Building Performance Professionals (NBPP) is a focal point where RESNET/BPI certified energy raters, contractors, retro-fitters, architects, materials suppliers, and others associated with the building performance industry can exchange ideas, obtain information on incentive programs, and discuss technical issues concerning building performance in our desert climate in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support.
  • The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation.
  • The U.S. Green Building Council – Nevada Chapter‘s (USGBC-NV) mission is to promote and advance healthy, sustainable, socially responsible, and economically viable built environments through collaboration, diversity, education, networking, and environmental stewardship.

Green Living

  • GreenDream – Learning to Live Lighter on the Planet. Green Living columns and related information (this site).

Green Transportation

  • The California Cars Initiative is a Palo Alto-based nonprofit startup of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists and consumers promoting 100+MPG plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
  • The Electric Auto Association‘s mission is to act as a public source of information about developments in electric vehicle technology, to encourage experimentation in the building of electric vehicles, and to organize public exhibits and events of electric vehicles to educate the public on the progress and benefits of electric vehicle technology.
  • EV World provides a human face to the topic of sustainable transportation with a focus on the people and policy, as well as technology.
  • Plug In America is a coalition of RAV4-EV drivers, former lessees of Honda EV+, GM EV1, Ford Ranger and Ford Th!nk City electric cars, and advocates of clean air and energy independence.
  • RechargeIT is an effort within Google.org that aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use, and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. We have a demonstration fleet of plug-ins at our headquarters in Mountain View and make publicly available the statistics on the performance of those cars. Our vision is that one day millions of cars will be plugging into a greener grid.

Incentives

Recycling

  • PC Recycle Center – The Blind Center of Nevada has a PC Disposal department that manages the removal and recycling of electronic products (e.g., personal computers, peripherals, laptops, monitors, fax machines and copiers).
  • Residential Recycling – Republic Services – Do your part and participate in our curbside recycling program. For more information or to request containers call 702-735-5151 and follow the voice prompts to Residential service.

Renewable Energy

  • The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. We advance education, research and policy.
  • Home Power Magazine – Changing the way people generate and use energy, one rooftop at a time.
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the only federal laboratory dedicated to the research, development, commercialization and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
  • The Open PV Project (by NREL) is a community driven database of Photovoltaic (PV) installations. The goal of this project is to collect, organize and distribute knowledge of the location, size, cost and date of every PV installation in United States.
  • Solar Energy International – Working to empower people around the world through the education of sustainable practices. Renewable energy systems are practical, reliable, cost-effective, and healthier for people and the environment.