Sustainable Development Links
Sustainable development from the perspective "down under." Simple interface offers information on the air, land, people, life and coastlines of Australia. Special categories on sustainable development, the environment in government, library services, information and education and the state of the environment. Information is well-structured and document intensive. For example, the section on air provides solid introductory information on the definition of climate change, how such change affects Australia, and efforts the Australian government is taking to solve climatological challenges.
Useful locale from the organization which "uses science, economics, policy and community to promote conservation in the rain forests and other endangered ecosystems worldwide." Site offers information about the organization as well as specific Conservation International programs and projects. Of particular note is the "Rain Forest marketplace," featuring a catalog (including descriptions, pictures and prices) of products made by local people from collected items found in the Rain Forest. Purchasing these products not only makes for interesting and uncommon gifts, it also helps builds a sustainable economy in this endangered ecosystem.
CREST, a project of the Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation, contains a directory of Internet resources on the subjects of energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable living. This site, however, is not simply a compendium of Web links, it also includes useful information, such as case studies on renewable energy drawn from the organization's extensive knowledge of the field. Also available is information on the organization's educational CD-ROM products and a form in which users can subscribe to CREST's various electronic mail-based discussions.
Colorful Web site manages to nicely balance education and activism from a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting coral reefs. Site includes excellent information providing a rationale for protecting the coral reefs (they comprise only 2% of land, yet are home to 25% of the earth's species). Educational maps showing where the coral reefs are, teacher's lesson plans for a coral reef education project, and action alerts on what we can all do to protect the reefs are part of this excellent resource.
This site offers less information about the environment, and more information about the Cornell Center for the Environment, dedicated to researching, teaching and outreach on the environment and building a sustainable future. The Center publishes an Environmental Update on its Web site and while it is not well organized or indexed, the material is a useful scan. The Center's "E Site of the Week" does feature a nice selection of interesting Web sites that one might not show up in a search engines making it a nice and selective browse.
An outgrowth of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, this Costa Rican-based organization serves as a network to promote sustainability. The Web site is heavily oriented toward extending that network on-line through a electronic mailing list, threaded discussion on the organization's mission and projects, and an NGO exchange featuring mission statements from organization's around the world.
If ever there was an argument for not judging a Web site by its design, this site is it. Don't be fooled by the inattention to visual presentation, the information on this site is excellent. Full-text articles presented in the respected Earth Island Journal are available and they cover a diverse range of topics--all well researched, and all completely available in text form. Topics include everything from paper and polluted food to money, transportation, dams, rivers, oceans and more. As far as environmental information is concerned, this site has some of the best of it on the Internet.
How well researched? Consider the following introduction from an article on Diapers as a waste management issue: "Each year approximately five million tons of disposable diapers accumulate in US landfills (410 tons per hour). The disposable diaper industry annually consumes one billion trees. A diaper-donning infant typically will wear the equivalent of 10-to-20 trees until he/she is toilet-trained. Manufacturing a one-year supply of disposable diapers consumes 3.5 billion gallons of oil and costs buyers an estimated $3.5 billion."
The strength of this site is the variety of options on the home page. It is also a weakness--it is hard to tell where to go, what to look at and why. Yet, despite the confusion, there is a clear purpose to this organization--one of the oldest, largest and most respected sponsors of scientific field research in the world. Understanding that provides a clue to the numerous expeditions, projects, regional offices and host of other information found on this site.
ECONET, which supports ecological sustainability and environmental justice, purports to be the only unionized Internet Service Provider in the United States. The information on this site is extensive and broad covering issues such as the atmosphere, activism, Africa, Asia, species, media, the middle east, seas and women to name a few. The headlines section, updated frequently, provides useful bulletins on sustainable issues nicely summarized making this network an excellent bookmark to check weekly for important updates.
Simple, yet informative site from an organization dedicated to providing reliable information on environmental issues and developing a plan for action on resolving those issues. Two interesting projects noted on the site include a travel and tourism directory and an environmentally efficient home technology showcase which reduces waste and builds efficiency into the construction process. Also available are the Foundation's other projects and plans of action which are all detailed and quite informative.
Parts of this site take a long time to download. Some are worth the wait, but much of it is disjointed and not well structured. Somewhere the information gets lost and it is questionable whether or not implementing Java is necessary, particularly for an organization promoting a more restrained use of technology. However, Friends of the Earth does important work and much of that is detailed on this site including terrific bulletins which appear at the top of the home page.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the activities and raison d'etre for this venerable environmental organization which defines itself as "an independent, campaigning organization which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future."
Information quality is the hallmark of this site which is divided into four main sections: environmental news and information, an on-line journal, technical information on the environment, and a guide to resources on the Internet. The on-line journal, Amicus, is well-presented and includes in-depth features, reviews and poetry. The technical information on the environment presents full-texts of reports all organized like their print counterpart and very detailed on subjects such as agriculture, biodiversity, health and legislation. One in-depth report, divided into click-able sections might be as long as 50 plus pages and the information is worth it.
Clean, well done site by a non-profit, tax-exempt organization formed by a group of business and professional people with no vested interest in the national forests except that of private citizens concerned about the quality of life in America. Back issues of the less-well known, but well-articulated activist publication, Forest Voice, are available as well as smart, positive sections such as "Do Something!"
How effective is the Council. Consider the following: "We were the first to advocate an end to all logging on public lands and called our position Zero Cut. We were called 'politically unrealistic' and "naive" but, eight years later, the Oregon Natural Resources Council and the Sierra Club have both adopted Zero Cut for public lands. Now, one of our staff members, Chad Hanson, is in Washington DC and has received a commitment from several Representatives to introduce Zero Cut legislation in the Congress."
There is a lot of solid information about the Conservancy's work on this site. Unfortunately, an inefficient use of frames, makes it a little disorienting. In addition, the fancy type is extremely hard on the eye and depending on your browser unreadable. But stick with it, there are some real gems here including a several interesting papers such as Technology for Conservation which outlines the organization's plans to use network computing to increase cooperation and activity.
Not well-designed, and a bit unwieldy, yet this is still a great site providing information about one of the premier indoor aquariums in the world, its projects and programs, and the importance of understanding and protecting our aquatic resources.
Full-text archives of the final report made by President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development, which included interests and viewpoints from the labor, business, civil rights, and environmental community. Analysis on how the U.S. can build a more sustainable future includes chapters on: sustainable development as a national goal, building a sustainable framework, information and education, increasing communities, resource management, population and international leadership on sustainable issues.
If you are interested in the rain forests, and in protecting them through political and consumer activism, spend some time at this colorful site. Features include action alerts, urgent bulletins and practical activist information such as how to join, who to boycott, victories and demonstrations. Information about the rain forest and a special kids section makes this site an educational one for children and adults.
Don't let the colors fool you (or hurt your eyes, for that matter), there is a lot of content on this site. A nice touch is a site counter which shows how many acres of the rain forest have been lost and how many have been saved. In the real world, this organization works on progressive and impactful projects (such as its smart wood program which has led to the development by manufacturers of rain forest friendly guitars) all of which you can read about. There's also plenty of information for children and educators.
Created by and with children for children, this site is predominantly educational in its orientation featuring information about temperate and tropical rain forests as well as lesson plans for teachers to review and use in their teachings.
This well-known and well-respected institute founded by solar energy pioneers Hunter and Amory Lovins is dedicated to the goal of fostering efficient and sustainable use of resources with a focus on the following areas: energy, water, economic renewal, agriculture, global security, green development and transportation. The Institute is also an important publisher of information on sustainability.
Web Directory bills itself as Earth's biggest environmental search engine. After spending some time using it, compared to the more generic search engines such as Alta Vista, you will probably end up in agreement. Topics are divided in a way that makes sense (agriculture, sustainable development, transportation, for example) and there are plenty of categories that you wouldn't think about that represent important topics in sustainability (such as disasters, landscape architecture, and remote sensing satellites, for example). If you are looking for something on the Web pertaining to sustainable development--this might be the best specific search engine out there.
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