Other Demonstration Homes

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• Smart Home: Green + Wired
  Referred to as Greenest House in Chicago, this demonstration home is an exhibit on the grounds of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. It is a three-story home featuring modular construction; a home-automation system that controls heat, light, and window coverings to reduce energy consumption; sustainable landscaping with native plants; and a green-roof gardening system.
• Building America Demonstration Home
  This demonstration home was constructed at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in southwestern Arizona. It was one of two winners in the Sustainable Design/Green Building category of the 2004 White House Closing the Circle (CTC) Awards. The annual CTC awards honor Federal employees and facilities demonstrating significant environmental stewardship.
• The Idea House
  Green-built Idea House was built in 2005 as a collaboration between Sunset magazine, members of the state of California’s Sustainable Building Task Force, and builder Clarum Homes. The site contains a virtual tour plus interesting details like hours of operation and ticket prices.
• Pittsburgh Synergy House
  Currently the home of the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, this house was the winner of the 2005 Solar Decathlon, a competition 'to design and build a self-sustaining, solar-powered home that facilitates the normal activities of a household, a small business, and related transportation needs' (Pittsburgh Synergy, 2005).
• SENS House
  The SENS House is a sustainable living demonstration house that currently serves as a residence for students from the Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) Department of Berea College in Berea, KY. It serves as a gateway to Berea's Ecovillage, an ecologically-minded residential and learning complex.
• The TERRA Home
  The Center for Sustainable Design at the University of Memphis recently broke ground on this demonstration house. Named the TERRA Home, for Technologically and Environmentally Responsive Residential Architecture, this 'two-story, 1,500-square-foot home . . . will feature energy efficient and environmentally responsible techniques, materials, appliances, and fixtures.'
• The Utah House
  Utah State University Extension's sustainable building demonstration and education center.
• BaSiC Initiative
  The BaSiC (Building Sustainable Communities) Initiative is a collaboration of faculty and students at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture. This site describes the Alley Flat Initiative, a sustainable housing project in East Austin. The team is building two prototypes in the real world as well as a virtual prototype in SecondLife, the online virtual-reality community.

EcoConstruction

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• U.S. Green Building Council
  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) 'is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ . . . a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.'
• Green Building
  This site provides links to numerous sites for innovative products and design and construction guides related to green construction.
• Green Kitchen Remodel
  The kitchen is the heart of the home and is responsible for a major portion of a home's energy consumption. Therefore, remodeling a kitchen 'presents a big opportunity to improve the home's energy performance.'
• Minnesota Building Materials Database
  This is a tool for selecting sustainable materials. It was designed 'to assist designers and other stakeholders in the process of evaluating the comparative characteristics and properties of materials and products with respect to life cycle stages.' The site also has an extensive resource section.
• Historic Rehab Becomes the First Double Platinum Green Building
  Renovation of the Cristman Building in Lansing, Michigan, a 60,000 square foot historical landmark built in 1928, combined historic preservation and sustainable design at a cost no greater than conventional practices. The completed project received dual (exterior and interior) LEED Platinum certification.

Energy Efficiency

• Energy Efficiency
  This site provides links to numerous product sites and sites for construction techniques to help builders incorporate energy conservation and efficiency in homes.
• Energy-Efficient Lighting
  This site provides information on lighting alternatives to improve the energy efficiency of a home as well as contribute to occupants' comfort, health, and safety.
• Our Earth—Energy
  This site offers information on local rebate programs, energy-efficient devices, federal tax credits, and energy news.
• Seven Steps to a ZEH (Zero-Energy Home)
  A ZEH produces enough energy to offset the amount purchased from the utility—resulting in a net-zero annual energy bill, sending the electric meter in reverse. This site provides a brief overview of the steps required to create a ZEH.
• Solar Homes
  This is a discussion of several active and passive methods for employing solar energy—the ultimate renewable power source—in homes.
• A Little Change Will Do Us Good
  This Gulf Power site provides multiple resources to help people make energy-smart changes to their home and lifestyle. Included are an Energy Check Up to help assess household energy efficiency and consider options for becoming more efficient, an Energy Calculator to determine the operating cost of home appliances, and an Energy Library covering a variety of home energy subjects.

Water Conservation

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• Composting Toilets
  Composting toilets use little or no water and decompose wastes on site for reuse as compost. This site provides questions and answers and numerous links to information and resources.
• Greywater
  This site provides information about what it is, how to treat it, and how to use it.
• Our Earth—Water
  This site provides a home water conservation guide, information on water-efficient projects, and water pollution news.
• Rainwater Harvesting for Potable Water Use (pdf)
  This is an informational proposal regarding rainwater harvesting, which involves capturing rainwater to meet human water needs. 'Rainwater harvesting reduces pressure on groundwater supplies and results in a surprisingly large decrease in volume and rte of storm water runoff from the property' (Melby, 2006).
• The TAPP Campaign
  The TAPP (Think About Personal Pollution) Campaign promotes individual responsibility for the environment by helping people to understand how the way they live impacts water quality. It also provides pollution-prevention tactics to promote clean water.
• International Paper Water Quality Improvement Project
  This website provides information about International Paper’s transformative project to modify their discharge system so that it meets all applicable water quality standards and, wherever possible, serves to protect, enhance, and restore the Perdido Bay ecosystems.

EcoLandscaping

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• Florida-Friendly Landscaping
  This new website includes tips on environmentally friendly landscaping, a Florida-friendly plant database, and eco-resources for landscape professionals.
• What Is Xeriscape™?
  Xeriscape™ is a water-conserving landscaping alternative. This site provides the seven fundamental principles of xeriscape.

Sustainability

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• Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF)
  ULSF 'supports sustainability as a critical focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities worldwide through publications, research, and assessment.' The website includes access to a large database of sustainability resources and a page of downloadable publications on sustainability.
• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
  AASHE is 'an association of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada working to create a sustainable future. It was founded in 2006 with a mission to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education—from governance and operations to curriculum and outreach—through education, communication, research, and professional development.'
• International Society of Sustainability Professionals
  This is a professional association that opened for general membership in October 2007. It provides 'a forum to learn from each other and further the professional standing of this field of practice (sustainability).
• National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
  The NCSE operates programs in five strategic areas: (a) Science Solutions, (b) Strengthening Education and Career Development, (c) National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment, (d) Communication Science-Based Information, and (e) Promoting Science for the Environment.
• Sustainability Competency & Opportunity Rating & Evaluation (SCORE)
  'SCORE is a sustainability self-assessment that can help you determine where your organization is on the road to sustainability and also identify new opportunities.'
• Sustainability Coverage from American Public Media
  American Public Media^™ designed this website 'to showcase sustainability stories produced by our family of radio programs. . . . We will also highlight Web-exclusive material, including blogs and multimedia stories, and offer interactive features like our game, Consumer Consequences, where visitors can calculate the impact their lifestyles have upon the planet.'
• Sustainable Development Institute
  'Founded in 1993, SDI specializes in communications about environmental aspects of economic development in coastal and tropical forest regions.'
• Ecological Sustainability at Unity College, 'America's Environmental College'
  Many colleges and universities have sustainability centers. However, Unity College in Maine has made environmental stewardship part of its mission. The linked information shows their progress over 43 years in both physical campus sustainability and in sustainability education. What they have done and are doing shows what can be achieved when a community—whether a college, a town, a state, or a country—makes a commitment to environmental sustainability.
• Sustainability Centers Across the United States
  • Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy, at the University of Florida
  • Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering Center, at Florida State University
  • Center for Energy and Technology of the Americas, part of the Applied Research Center at Florida International University
  • Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development, at Georgia Tech
  • Energy Initiative, University of Colorado at Boulder. Although not technically a center, the initiative's mission is to address 'the world's pressing need for innovative solutions to the challenge of renewable and sustainable energy.'
  • Earth Institute at Columbia University
  • Center for Sustainable Building Research, at the University of Minnesota
  • Center for Sustainable Energy, at Kansas State University
  • The MIT-Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems
  • Sustainable Energy Research Center, at Mississippi State
  • California Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego
  • National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities, at San Diego State University
  • Caltech Center for Sustainable Energy Research
  • Center for Sustainable Energy, at Bronx Community College
  • University of Maryland Energy Research Center
  • Oregon Center for Sustainable Systems and Innovation
  • Cold Climate Housing Research Center, at University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  • Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, at Columbia University
  • SUNY Center for Sustainable and Renewable Energy, at the State University of New York
  • Center for Smart Sustainable Energy Technologies, which is associated with UC Berkeley and UC Davis and is part of the larger Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS).
  • EMS Energy Institute, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State
  • Cope Environmental Center, in Centerville, Indiana, 'inspiring and challenging our community to adopt sustainable lifestyles'
  • Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), at the University of Iowa.
    
• Sustainability Centers in Other Countries
  • International Centre of Sustainable Energy Development in Moscow
  • Energy Center at the Federal Polytechnical School in Lausanne, Switzerland

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• Environmental Websites for Kids
  This site provides links to several excellent websites designed to help children learn how to become better stewards of our environment while having fun exploring, playing games, interacting with other kids, and doing projects.
• Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education
  The Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education (SWFCEE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and expanding environmental studies and helping students from prekindergarten through postgraduate studies learn more about our unique Florida environment.
• Cope Environmental Center
  The Cope Environmental Center in Centerville, Indiana, sponsors field trips that allow children to experience nature and the environment first hand. There are several field trip plans. Each plan has been designed for a specific grade level and comes with a lesson plan and activities aligned to Indiana State Standards.
• Environmental Film Festival
  March 2009 will be the 17th year for the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, DC. The 2008 festival provided diverse perspectives on global environments to more than 24,000 people at 88 events. The 12-day festival featured films from around the word that are not available in commercial theaters. Filmmakers and environmental experts introduced and discussed the films. Most events were free and open to the public.
• The Gould Group
  The Gould Group is an independent, nonprofit organization based in Australia that has been a leader in environmental education since 1909, conducting environmental education and sustainability programs and projects for schools, businesses, and the community. The site contains a number of educational resources.

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• Escambia County Recycling Drop-Off Sites
  Recyclables are collected at several locations throughout the county.
• Escambia County Recycling Guidelines
  This site provides a list of materials that can be recycled.
• Live Green Escambia
  'The Leadership Pensacola Class of 2008 created Live Green Escambia to initiate a lasting change within the community regarding the environment.' The site contains recycling information, suggestions for small changes with significant dividends, and a calendar of events.
• Our Earth—Recycling
  This site offers information about curbside and local programs, national programs, recycling news, and special collection events. There is also a link to Catalog Choice, a free service to cut down on junk mail and let you decide what catalogs you want to receive.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
  This site provides reasons for getting involved in environmental protection and easy ways to do so.

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• Planet Green
  This is a website created to complement a new 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network. The network and the website both feature information and ideas to encourage a green lifestyle. Through the use of entertaining and relevant content suitable for all ages and backgrounds, Planet Green hopes to generate conversations and motivate people to take action in their own lives to improve the environment.
• Plant It Forward
  This website focuses on our abundant forests. Besides providing information about trees and forests, it has an "idea box" of activities involving conservation, sustainability, working and playing, playing with paper, etc.

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• Live Green Escambia
  'The Leadership Pensacola Class of 2008 created Live Green Escambia to initiate a lasting change within the community regarding the environment.' The site contains recycling information, suggestions for small changes with significant dividends, and a calendar of events.
• Pensacola's Suter Elementary School Receives National Award for Energy Conservation
  Suter Elementary School received the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Program's Elementary Level Award. Workman Middle School won at the state junior level.
• International Paper Water Quality Improvement Project
  This website provides information about International Paper’s transformative project to modify their discharge system so that it meets all applicable water quality standards and, wherever possible, serves to protect, enhance, and restore the Perdido Bay ecosystems.

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• Australia—Sustainable Homes Program
  'The Sustainable Homes program is a Queensland legacy of the national Year of the Built Environment (YBE 2004)—a year that highlighted the need for our built environments to become more sustainable through improved design and function. The Sustainable Homes program aims to provide communities throughout Queensland with display houses that practically include the principles of sustainable design.' The site has information on the various display houses as well as sustainable housing design principles.
• Canada—The University of British Columbia
  UBC is touted as Canada's leader in campus sustainability. The site includes links to videos on campus sustainability, including a green building tour.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 'is a scientific intergovernmental body set up by the World Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) . . . to provide an objective source of information about the causes of climate change, its potential environmental and socioeconomic consequences and the adaptation and mitigation options to respond to it.' In 2007 the IPCC received the Nobel Peace Prize 'for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.'

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• Gulf Coast Energy Network
  The Gulf Coast Energy Network was established as a 'nonprofit coalition of prominent business, government, and environmental leaders who promote the efficient use of energy and water resources to benefit consumers, the environment, and economic growth.'
• International Society of Sustainability Professionals
  This is a professional association that opened for general membership in October 2007. It provides 'a forum to learn from each other and further the professional standing of this field of practice (sustainability).
• Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future
  'The Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) supports sustainability as a critical focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities worldwide through publications, research, and assessment. ULSF is the Secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration (1990), which has been signed by over 350 university presidents and chancellors worldwide.'
• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
  The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is 'an association of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada working to create a sustainable future. It was founded in 2006 with a mission to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education—from governance and operations to curriculum and outreach—through education, communication, research, and professional development.'
• Emerald Coastkeeper
  Emerald Coastkeeper is 'an environmental group whose members are citizens in the Northwest Florida Gulfcoast area who are dedicated to protecting the environment and waterways of this area . . . through education, outreach programs and leading by example.' They are a part of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a group of 200 organizations around the the world devoted to protecting the world's waterways.
• Environment Florida
  Environment Florida is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. The website includes information on preservation, global warming, clean energy, clean air, clean water, environmental action initiatives, and a legislative scorecard. The organization also publishes an online newsletter three times a year to address current issues.
• World Resources Institute
  The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank whose mission is 'to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people's lives.' The institute has four key goals: (a) reversing rapid degradation of ecosystems to assure their capacity to provide humans with needed goods and services, (b) guaranteeing pubic access to information and decisions regarding the environment, (c) protecting the global climate system from further harm and helping humanity to adapt to unavoidable climate change, and (d) harnessing markets and enterprise to expand economic opportunity and protect the environment.
• Zero Waste Alliance
  'The Zero Waste Alliance is a non-profit partnership of universities, government, business and other organizations working to develop, promote and apply Zero Waste strategies.' The mission of the alliance is to support organizations in the creation of a more sustainable future through the development and implementation of practices that lead to the reduction and elimination of waste and toxic materials.
• U.S. Green Building Council
  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™, a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.