Design & Material Guides
American Indoor Quality Council
The American Indoor Air Quality Council promotes awareness, education, and certification in the field of Indoor Air Quality through learning, sharing, and networking.
Coatings Guide
A pollution prevention tool for paints and coatings users. The Coatings Guide contains several tools to help users identify low-volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutant coatings that may serve as drop-in replacements for existing coating operations.
The Collaborative for High Performance Schools
CHPS aims to increase the energy
efficiency of schools by marketing information, services, and incentive
programs directly to school districts and designers. The Collaborative's
goal is to facilitate the design of high performance schools: environments
that are not only energy efficient, but also healthy, comfortable, well
lit, and containing the amenities needed for a quality education.
Cradle to Cradle
The Cradle to Cradle design paradigm by William McDonough & Michael Braungart is powering the next Industrial Revolution, in which products and services are designed based on patterns found in nature, eliminating the concept of waste entirely and creating an abundance that is healthy and sustaining. The protocol promotes healthy products and processes. Their firm MBDC offers business services and tools to help companies generate economic, social, and ecological abundance.
Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies
(CREST)
This is a good site for sustainable energy and development information. The Site offers documents, databases, publications, and articles on information regarding sustainable living, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.
Educating the Educators: A Crash Course on Eco Design
Seminar/workshops to introduce faculty members to the history, theory, and teaching methodologies of eco-design.
Field Guide to Sustainable Construction
The Field Guide for Sustainable Construction is a joint project between PENREN/C and Pennsylvania State University. It is intended to be a helpful, practical reference for construction personnel working on building sites. It guides decision-making that helps the project team achieve sustainable project goals for planned and ongoing projects.
GreenBlue
GreenBlue acts as a catalyst to transform the making of things... encouraging and enabling the widespread adoption and implementation of sustainable thinking and design, providing the theoretical, technical, and information tools required to transform industry into an economically profitable, ecologically regenerative, and socially empowering activity through intelligent design.
Green Guide for Health Care
GGHC is a best practices guide for healthy and sustainable building
design, construction, and operations for the healthcare industry.
The Green Roundtable
The Green Roundtable brings professional people together to create effective collaborations and to implement sustainable design strategies for all scales of development through an integrated design process.
Green Spec
GreenSpec is BuildingGreen's premiere product information service. It contains detailed listings for more than 1,800 environmentally preferable building products with descriptions, manufacturer information, and links to additional resources. All listings are screened and written exclusively by staff. Unlike other directories, it does not charge for listings or sell ads.
Green Sage
Find and learn about healthier products and services for homes and lifestyles; green materials and products are organized by CSI divisions. Find continuing education courses in sustainability.
Healthy House Building Guidelines
Developed and reviewed by some of the leading indoor air quality experts in the United States, the American Lung Association Health House Builder Guidelines are among the most stringent in the nation for building a healthier, more energy and resource efficient homes.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This site features the Building Technologies Department of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which conducts research on all aspects of energy efficiency in buildings. The site provides information on past and current research activities and software tools for energy efficient building design
Life Cycle Assessment
Life Cycle Assessment is an objective process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, or activity by identifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, and to evaluate and implement opportunities to affect environmental improvements.
Whole Building Design Guide
A building professional's online gateway to up-to-date information on integrated "Whole Building" design, techniques and technologies.
Codes, Standards, & Certifications
American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
ASHRAE will advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration and related human factors to serve the evolving needs of the public and ASHRAE.
American Society for Testing and
Materials
ASTM is a standards development organization that serves as an open forum for the development of international standards. Its Website includes standards information, links to ASTM technical committees and training resources.
Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility
This group (ADPSR) works for peace, environmental protection, ecological building, social justice, and the development of healthy communities.
Building Codes Assistance Project
The Building Codes Assistance Project is dedicated to assisting states in the development and implementation of statewide building energy codes.
CRI Green Label products
To identify carpet products that are truly low-VOC, CRI has established a labeling program. The CRI Indoor Air Quality Carpet Testing Program green and white logo displayed on carpet samples in showrooms informs the consumer that the product type has been tested by an independent laboratory and has met the criteria for very low emissions.
Forest Certification Resource Center
A comprehensive resource offering information on forest management and product certification worldwide.
Forest Stewardship Council
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world's forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way.
Greenguard
An independent third party testing program for low-emitting products and materials.
Greenseal
A non-profit independent certification organization that promotes services and products that are eco- friendly.
International Code Council
The ICC was established in 1994 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes.
International Organization for Standardization
ISO is a network of national standards institutes from 146 countries working in partnership with international organizations, governments, industry, business and consumer representatives. It acts as a bridge between public and private sectors. The ISO 14000 family of international standards is primarily concerned with environmental management through enforcement of performance standards which minimize harmful effects on the environment; its goal is to achieve continual improvement of certified companies'
environmental performance.
Scientific Certification Systems
SCS offers evaluation and certification services to a broad range of manufacturing sectors including wood products, building materials, carpet/flooring, paints/finishes, furniture, and cleaning products, among others.
South Coast Air Quality Management District
As the agency for air quality in Southern California, SCAQMD provides information on clean air and air pollution. It is committed to undertaking all necessary steps to protect public health from air pollution, with sensitivity to the impacts of its actions on the community and businesses.
Organizations & Associations
American Lung Association
The American Lung Association fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health.
ASID Sustainable Design Resource Center
Access general information on sustainability and green design, and find multiple links to resources available online.
Canada Green Building Council
The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) exists to accelerate the design and construction of Green Buildings across Canada. The Council is a broad-based inclusive coalition of representatives from different segments of the design and building industry.
CRS: Center for Resource Solutions
A non-profit organization with national and international programs to promote clean and efficient energy use, encourage sustainable economic growth, and help preserve the environment for present and future generations.
The Centre for Sustainable Design
The Centre for Sustainable Design facilitates discussion and research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service development. This is achieved through training, workshops, conferences, research, consultancy, publications and the Internet. The Centre also acts as an information clearing house and a focus for innovative thinking on sustainable products and services.
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.
Healthcare Without Harm
Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of 440 organizations in 52 countries working to transform the health care industry so it is no longer a source of harm to people and the environment.
Healthy Building Network
HBN is a national network of green building professionals, environmental and health activists, socially responsible investment advocates and others who are interested in promoting healthier building materials as a means of improving public health and preserving the global environment.
The International Interior Design Association's Knowledge Center
IIDA offers a curriculum index reference guide; professional development guidance, and research to support projects.
The Natural Step
A non-profit international organization whose mission is to accelerate global sustainability by guiding companies and governments onto a sustainable path.
The North American Alliance for Green Education
NAAGE is a non-profit consortium founded by students and comprised of educational institutions and organizations with a commitment to environmental studies programs, located in diverse bioregions.
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
SBIC is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America's buildings.
World Green Building Council
This international organization provides a global platform to advance the work of national building organizations in their effort to develop green building projects and standards.
Federal Government Resources
US Department of Energy (DOE)
A gateway to hundreds of websites and thousands of online documents on energy efficiency and renewable energy
Energy Star
ENERGY STAR is a DOE government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a leader in the U.S. Department of Energy's effort to secure an energy future for the nation that is environmentally and economically sustainable.
U.S. DOE Program: Rebuild America – Schools and Commercial Buildings
Rebuild America is a growing network of community-driven voluntary partnerships that foster energy efficiency and renewable energy in commercial, government and public-housing buildings. At the federal level, it is the largest, most established technology deployment program within DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National programs on pesticides and toxic substances, pollution prevention and environmentally preferable purchasing.
EPA: Indoor Air Quality
The EPA's Indoor Environments Division (IED) coordinates research and develops and implements policies regarding the impact of indoor air pollutants on the general public.
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