Sustainability
Local Sustainability Groups
Sustainable
Sonoma County (Educational Nonprofit)
Educates people and organizations about sustainability, provides
tools and information, and serves as a network for ideas, projects
and communities. Projects include sustainability workshops, community
dialogues to bridge conflicts, and local government campaigns
to reduce climate change and measure Sonoma County's Ecological
Footprint. Site includes lists of resources: organizations, books,
products & services, more; and a community calendar of local
events. Also worth noting is the set of brief explanations of
key concepts used in their work, such as The Natural Step, Herman
Daly's Triangle, Transformation Cycle, Joanna Macy's Work That
Reconnects, and more.
Sustainable
Napa Valley (Educational Nonprofit)
Sustainable North Bay's Napa Valley group works toward the goals
of a sustainable North Bay Area with a focus on communities in
Napa County.
Sustainable
Petaluma (Educational Organization)
Local group promoting sustainability in Petaluma. Follow links
for info on their Study Groups, Film Series, General Meetings,
Listserves, Green Building Program (educating people, businesses
and government agencies about benefits of building using sustainable
methods and materials), Renewable Energy, Petaluma General Plan
Update, Sustainability Education Program (involving students in
the General Plan Update), and community building activities.
Ecological Footprint & Other Models
Redefining
Progress (Non-profit Educational
Org)
Developers of the General Progress Indicator (GPI) as an alternative
to GDP, to measure quality of life rather than quantity of consumption.
Organizational home of Mathis Wackernagel and the Ecological Footprint,
which measures the impact of a person, community, nation, or specific
activity on the Earth's resources. Current focus is on implimentation
of sustainable policies and attracting community involvement.
Other programs include climate change, true-cost pricing, and
community indicators.
Ecological
Footprint Calculator (Online Quiz)
Answer thirteen simple questions to find out what your personal
ecological footprint is - and how you might reduce it. Also includes
more info about Footprint, FAQs, and option to send the site to
a friend.
Basic
Sustainability Concepts (Introductory
Essay)
Tools for Understanding and Integrating Sustainability: Definition,
Concepts, Framework, Accountability, and Planning. (Article from
Sustainable Sonoma County website.)
Treehugger
is a very cool site about ways to green-up your lifestyle, be
trendy, and have fun doing it.
Books & Articles
Believing
Cassandra (book)
Believing Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist's World
- by Alan AtKisson. The best, most readable book on sustainability
we have found; very highly recommended. Paul Hawken wrote "Believing
Cassandra manages to be incisive, humorous, and hopeful while
examining unblinkingly the environmental holocaust enveloping
the earth. The gift of Alan's writing is that it is original,
credible and welcoming. It renews our sense of the possible and
expands the dimensions of our collective intelligence, transforming
our sense of the future from a curse to a blessing. A very important
work."
“Beyond
Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development,”
(book) by Herman E. Daly, former World Bank economist. "For
clarity of vision and ecological wisdom Herman Daly has no peer
among contemporary economists. For everyone concerned about the
transition to a sustainable and sustaining economy, Beyond Growth
is essential reading." David Orr, Professor and Chair, Environmental
Studies, Oberlin College.
Limits
to Growth
The 30-Year Update (book) - by Donella H. Meadows, Dennis
Meadows, Jørgen Randers
Essential reading for everybody who is concerned with the central
issue of our times: how to achieve a transition to a sustainable
global future
Local Government
U.S.
Department of Energy's Smart Communities Network
A menu of information and services on how your community can adopt
sustainable development as a strategy for well-being.
Sustainable projects:
Strengthen your local economy;
Improve and protect the quality of the environment; and
Enhance the quality of life and the well-being of all of the people
in your community.
As your community's environment, economy and quality of life grow
stronger, so does your future. That's because truly sustainable
development produces enduring benefits, not just today, but for
our children and their children as well. But sustainable development
projects offer real benefits in the short term, too. They create
jobs. They lower operating costs for homes, businesses and taxpayers.
They reduce pollution control costs. They make your community
more attractive as a place to live and do business. In the database
of case studies on this home page, you'll see hard evidence that
these benefits are real.
[We continually add resources to this
site; you may want to check back periodically to see what's new,
or offer your suggestions for additions.]
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