Whether you are beginning your quest, or want to explore every option for improving your existing green initiatives, education starts here. This page features tools and publications that enhance and support environmentally-focused businesses. The two links to the right will give you webinars, seminars, and published findings on a wide range of sustainable options.

REPORTS/ TOOLS

Building Design & Constructions - White Paper on Sustainability Released at USGBC's 2003 Greenbuild conference, this comprehensive white paper offers a brief history of green building; presents the results of a specially commissioned survey of its readers; and analyzes trends, issues and published research.

The Cost of Green Revisited (Davis Langdon, 2007) Similar to the 2004 Costing Green report but with more data and more project types. The 2006 study shows there is no significant difference in average costs for green buildings as compared to non-green buildings. Findings show that (1) many projects are achieving LEED within their budgets, and in the same cost range as non-LEED projects; (2) construction costs have risen dramatically, but projects are still achieving LEED; and (3) there continues to be a perception that sustainability is an added feature. We have also found that, in many areas of the country, the contracting community has embraced sustainable design, and no longer sees sustainable design requirements as additional burdens to be priced in their bids. Posted August 2007.

How To Operate as an Environmentally Aware Organization and Reduce or Eliminate Your Carbon Footprint
The report is a step-by-step guide helping companies evaluate their operations, calculate their carbon footprint and take action. It covers strategies for reducing or eliminating consumption of non-renewable resources like energy, paper and plastic, ideas for incorporating recycling programs, and suggests ways to offset the amount of carbon dioxide the company releases into the atmosphere through its activities.  DOWNLOAD NOW. (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
 

Clinton Climate Initiative - President Clinton announced a new program that brings together cities, building owners, banks and energy-service companies to make changes to existing buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For more information on how this announcement will allow cities to save money and help save our planet, click here.

In addition to coordinating this program, CCI is providing direct assistance to individual cities and facilitating the sharing of best practices. CCI is also working to organize a purchasing consortium that will help cities buy energy efficient technologies at lower prices and create a measurement and information tool to help cities take an inventory of energy use to help direct future activities. For the latest news and programs, visit www.c40cities.org/.