Council of Energy Resource Tribes

Beyond Codes

Provides examples of how Tribes may improve and adapt on existing codes for their region.

Appliances & Products

Federal standards for appliances and commercial equipment on eere DOE site – gives information by the year for standards.
New Window Prototypes from Sage Electrochromics – Windows can be changed electrically to reduce or increase the amount of light allowed inside.
New Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards on DOE – List of standards includes residential appliances including battery chargers and clothes dryers and commercial equipment including electric motors and heating and air conditioning.

Business

Energy efficiency for business on Energy Star – Information and tools to help businesses increase energy efficiency.
Industrial Best Practices on DOE website – Information on energy efficient best practices for industry as provided by US Department of Energy.
Industrial Energy Efficiency – US DOE's industrial energy efficiency.
Results on Industrial Energy Audits on Save energy now – Results from 'Save Energy Now' Industrial energy audits.
Programmable Thermostats on Energy Star – Webpage includes basic usage and guidelines, product list, manufacturer list, price calculator, and is updated.

Green Building

Building and Buying Green in Indian Country on California IWMB – Guide full of ideas and suggestions for Tribes and Tribal Leaders. Downloadable, 157 pages, also available from CIWMB for no charge.
Green Building on Ecoiq.com – Provides multiple resources, like magazines, covering an array of topics in Green Building, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and many others.
US Green Building Council – Federal Council that works to bring codes to a higher standard. Also sets standards for Green Building which is above codes standards in many cases. Website includes listings for local chapters within the US.
Gardening on Your Roof on Green Roofs For Healthy Cities – Green Roofs increase in popularity in cities such as DC and Chicago. Many benefits including decreasing heat. Toronto just included codes requiring Green Roofs.
Greening Buildings – Website includes topics of architecture and design, building materials, energy use, facility management, interiors, land use, waste management, water use. The focus is whole building design.
Seal of Approval from Green Seal – Green Seal is a nonprofit organization that reviews the effectiveness and environmental safety of products ranging from carpet, office supplies, and cleaning supplies.
Green Power and Market Research News on WAPA – Free weekly news service covering green building, energy efficiency, and benefits.
Green Building on Build-It Green – A California-based, professional, non-profit membership organization who connects consumers and building professionals with tools and technical expertise.
Greening America's Schools on USGBC – New study shows that green schools are onlly $3 extra per square foot, but may save $74 per square foot in savings, including energy, teacher retention, and other benefits.
Resources, reports, and information on Building Green.com – "We are an independent company committed to providing accurate, unbiased, and timely information designed to help building-industry professionals and policy makers improve the environmental performance, and reduce the adverse impacts, of buildings. We offer both print and electronic resources to help you design and build construction projects from a whole-systems perspective and take an integrated design approach that minimizes ecological impact and maximizes economic performance."
From Net Zero Buildings to Carbon Neutral Buildings by 2030 – Memorandum of Understanding announced May 7, 2007 by multiple entities including Department of Energy on a goal of Carbon Neutral Buildings by 2030.
Minnesota Green Building Design Guide – This guide was developed by the University of Minnesota, Center for Sustainable Building Research. It is a step by step guide.

Guidelines

Earth Craft House from Southface.com – A nonprofit corporation with a long standing history in environmental education.
North American Insulation Manufacturers Association – (NAIMA) is an association of fiber glass, rock wool, and slag wool manufacturers. Multiple resources on energy efficiency, environmental building concerns, recycling, and more.
Federal Green Construction Guidelines on Whole Building Design Guide Website – Multiple sections on this page.
Beyond Codes - Guidelines - Federal High Performance Buildings – Site includes design approaches, new technology, and information on existing buildings.

Natural Building Materials

Straw Bale Homes at Straw Bale Central – Information on Straw Bale Homes and other types of alternative and natural building techniques.
Eco-Dome at California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture – Provides information on multiple building techniques including Eco-Dome, a natural-materials building technique.

Permaculture

Permaculture from ATTRA.org – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service by NCAT provides information and resourced on Permaculture.
Permaculture.net – More information on Permaculture including definitions, resources, articles.
Permaculture Visions – More information on Permaculture on website from Permaculture practitioners in Australia.
Permaculture and Resources on La'akea Community website – Additional resources and information on Permaculture. Good resources page, not necessarily specific to tropical climate.
Energy Efficient home in Boulder, CO by Eric Doub – The Rocky Mountain News featured this home fall of 2005, and Eric spoke at CERT's EE Conference May 2006. Home features 600 gallon water tank under house heated by solar PV and a smart tight design that rarely requires the hot water for heat. Many other features.
High Performance Federal Buildings – Information on Department of Energy's (DOE) eere website.
Permaculture the earth – Another Permaculture site with additional resources. Not sponsored by cert, an example.
Urban Permaculture on "Path to Freedom" – Website by a family living a permaculture lifestyle within the city.
Building Sustainable Communities Fact Sheets from NIPC – Fact Sheets include: Intro to Sustainability, Agricultural Land Preservation, Air Quality Protection Improvement, Building Green Infrastructure, Community Character and Historic Preservation, Conservation Development, Reusing the Built Environment, and Strengthening Local Economies.

Recycled Building

Recycled Materials Guide at EPA – General information and databases on buying recycled materials.
Recycled Construction Materials on California's recycled products website – Provides information on multiple recycled products including construction materials. Very important to know the potential toxicity level when dealing with recycled construction material.
Build with Beetle Kill Trees – Beetle kill threatens forests while housing material is expensive. Article discusses a company who uses beetle killed trees to build housing using specific technology. One example of many companies and techniques used to build with beetle-kill trees.

Residential

Cellulose Insulation Manufacturer Assoc- Resources – Information on cellulose insulation from the manufacturers' organization.
Energy Efficient Home Articles. com – An environmentally conscious information resource article directory focused on energy efficient homes. Not a commercial site.
Landscaping for energy efficiency – page describes methods of using landscaping to increase energy efficiency of home.
New Window ProtoType from DOE and Sage ElectroChromics, DOE Press Release – New window allows changes using electricity to increase or reduce amount of light coming inside.

Smart Generation & Energy Efficiency

UFGS at Construction Criteria Base – Federal guidelines for projects and designs.
EE and RE on Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association – Nonprofit organization promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy. Works with local energy company.
NREL, energy use offset with renewable energy credits, press release – NREL offsets all its energy use with renewable energy credits. Energy use offset includes: buildings, vehicles, employee commuting, air travel, and lab operation. More links to NREL at "additional resources-Lab resources and reports.

Weatherization Program

National Weatherization Program through Department of Energy – Program to fund energy efficiency.
Insulation Fact Pages on ornl.gov – Information supported by DOE
Weatherization Providers from Energy Star – Energy Star's Partner list. Use search engine to narrow down.
Hope VI Revitalization Grant from HUD – Information page on Hope VI Grant for revitalizing public housing.
Energy Efficiency on Alaska Community Development Corporation – Founded in 1979, Alaska CDC is a non-profit corporation dedicated to improving the lives of Alaskans by working with communities, individuals, and other organizations to improve housing and conserve energy, and to further economic development throughout the state.
Alaska Building Science Network – The Alaska Building Science Network (ABSN) is a member supported association of individuals, businesses, and organizations dedicated to promoting energy efficiency as an essential component of durable, safe and affordable housing in Alaska. Our members include builders, energy raters, material suppliers, weatherization contractors, and other building industry members throughout Alaska and North America.
August 06 Indian Edition, Newsletter from HUD – First page of newsletter gives link to past newsletters and to subscription information.

Why Energy Efficiency

Why energy efficiency for Tribes FAQ on Berkley Lab site – Frequently Asked Questions on why energy efficiency is good for Tribes.
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy – "nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection."
New technology to save energy at the meter – Study combines brand new technology called conservation voltage regulators with existing smart meters and communications equipment to save energy at point of consumption.
1st 6 months of 2006 warmest ever – Article discusses warming trends.
Long Island, Heat Wave sets record on power demand – LIPA reports energy usage record all-time-high even after energy efficiency measures. Success to meet standards due partially to energy efficiency reduced an already high demand.
CA all time high energy demand for peak energy times – California's heatwave sets new records for energy peak usage.
Universities to assess industrial EE codes, press release – DOE providing funding to 26 Universities to assess industrial energy efficiency.
How Big is your Ecological Footprint? – Take the quiz to find out, then read about how to reduce this footprint.
Energy Outlook on Alaska Pipeline from DOE – Discusses DOE viewpoint on energy in light of Alaskan Pipeline repair.
Alaska Corrosion Response Website from BP Amoco – This website by BP Amoco specifically to update public on Alaska Pipeline.
Daily Fuel Gage Report – Track national fuel prices on a daily basis.
National Crude Oil Prices – NYMEX Market Data website. Must go through user agreement before accessing site.
United Nations Climate Conference Nov 6-17 – "Nairobi United Nations Climate Change Conference opens with warning that climate change may be most serious threat ever to face humankind."