NCAT Websites for a Sustainable World

Looking for in-depth information on sustainable development? A family of websites created by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) offers information and links to other resources on sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable community development. Browse NCAT's websites--you're sure to find something that fits your needs.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Clearinghouse (LIHEAP) expands and enhances information exchange on low-income energy issues through the national low-income energy network. The LIHEAP Clearinghouse serves as a web-based information service for state, tribal and local LIHEAP providers, as well as others interested in low-income energy issues. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds LIHEAP Clearinghouse.

Montana Green Power is Montana's electronic gateway to solar, wind and other renewable energy activities. The website features current news releases, funding opportunities, information on planning and designing solar, wind, and micro-hydro systems, hands-on activities for Montana classrooms, and news about Montana utility deregulation. NCAT designed and operates a similar site on behalf of the Arkansas Energy Office, called ArkansasRenewableEnergy.org.

NHT, Inc., Since 1992, NCAT's for-profit entity has dedicated its activities to helping entrepreneurs and small technology firms improve their chances for success in today's increasingly competitive marketplace. After 15 years of experience in the public and private sectors, NHT offers expertise in a variety of business areas, with specialization in market research, strategic planning, government accounting, and business operations, including proposal development and Web site usability and marketing. To date, NHT has completed more than 300 consulting engagements with agencies and companies throughout the country.

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ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service provides technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, extension agents, other agricultural professionals and the organizations who serve them throughout the US. NCAT has managed the nation's premier information source on sustainable agriculture since 1987, funded by a cooperative agreement with the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. The website offers online publications, news, and events related to sustainable and organic farming production practices, alternative crop and livestock enterprises, and innovative marketing.

Grow Montana is a broad-based coalition whose common purpose is to enable Montana's food producers to meet more of our state's food needs. Grow Montana promotes economic development policies that support sustainable Montana-owned food production, processing, and distribution, and that improve all of our citizens' access to Montana foods. NCAT is a founding member of the Grow Montana coalition.

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The Montana Climate Action Project
The Montana Climate Action Project is a collaboration of partners in Montana working to find solutions, create opportunities and empower people around the issue of climate change. Our goal is to provide Montana citizens with the information and tools they need to understand climate change and make personal changes that will have a positive effect on the climate change crisis.

Smart Growth Online
In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns — dominated by what some call "sprawl" — are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.

Energy Corps
The Energy Corps AmeriCorps project is an initiative of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in cooperation with The Corporation for National and Community Service. It was created to address unmet community energy needs by promoting sustainable energy consumption and education, fostering community sustainability and helping to mitigate the effects of global climate change.

Energy Corps members are placed in host organizations in communities throughout several states to implement solutions for sustainable energy consumption.

The National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities (NECSC) is dedicated to the pursuit of research, demonstration and capacity-building initiatives that enable development professionals to profitably build sustainable communities...

...Communities that consume energy, water and material resources in the most sustainable manner possible while maximizing productivity, security and prosperity and minimizing the release of greenhouse gases, solid waste and regulated pollutants to the local and global environment.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Leadership Summits for a Sustainable America are a series of four summits being held during 2006-2007 to review the nation's sustainable development goals in light of global warming, and to build a five-year action plan. Each summit will involve 40 of the nation's top sustainability experts, focusing on themes of Energy and Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Communities. The summits are convened by
The Global Energy Center for Community Sustainability (GEC), in partnership with
The Johnson Foundation. NCAT is a co-sponsor.

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In the course of its work on dozens of projects, NCAT has created numerous websites on subjects related to sustainable energy, agriculture and communities. Though these websites are no longer updated with current material, they contain useful reference information on topics such as energy efficiency, green building, affordable energy, and irrigation efficiency. They also offer examples of the scope of NCAT's past project work.

The Presidential Climate Action Project
In collaboration with the Johnson Foundation and additional co-sponsors, the Wirth Chair at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences is leading a national initiative to develop a bold and decisive climate action plan for the next President of the United States.

The initiative will gather the most promising proposals for new policies, programs, legislation, regulations, incentives and agency authorities, and will compile them in a Presidential Climate Action Plan (PCAP). The PCAP will provide the President with options for action in his or her first 100 days in office, first 1,000 days, and first Congressional budget package.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Operation Fresh Start helps individuals and communities incorporate sustainable principles and technologies into their plans as they recover from a flood, earthquake, or other disaster. The website provides technical assistance to disaster-affected communities as they plan community-scale, long-term recovery efforts, including relocation of buildings and neighborhoods and reconstruction of infrastructure.

Smart Communities Network website has been called "The Number One Source for Sustainable Development Information." Managed by NCAT for the U.S. Department of Energy, the Smart Communities Network website is NCAT's longest-running internet-based information program. The website contains hundreds of community success stories, model codes, breaking news on community sustainability, a national conference calendar, and a compendium of links to sustainable community information.

Energy TechNet: Inventions & Innovation's Toolbox for Energy Technology Developers was developed and is maintained by NCAT's for-profit subsidiary, New Horizon Technologies, Inc., with the involvement of NCAT staff members. The site was created with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Inventions & Innovation (I&I) Program, and serves as a comprehensive source of information and resources for individuals and small-business owners engaged in the development and commercialization of energy technologies.

The Montana Rivers Project develops partnerships with ranchers who use sprinkler irrigation, especially in places where using less river water for irrigation benefits Montana's fish and wildlife. Participating Montana ranchers receive a package of services that will improve their irrigation efficiency, reduce their operating expenses, and keep dollars in their pockets.

The National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project (NEAAP) is a resource tool for anyone interested in the impacts of energy restructuring and energy market changes on low- and moderate-income households. This website has not been updated since December 2003, however, it does provide a history of restructuring legislation prior to this date. For current information on states that have implemented utility restructuring and have public benefit or universal service programs for the low-income consumer, please visit the
LIHEAP Clearinghouse.

NCAT's Center for Resourceful Building Technology (CRBT) encourages resource efficiency in building design, materials selection and construction practices. The online Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements offers a searchable database of building materials from reused, salvaged, currently underutilized, and waste materials. CRBT also promotes building practices that reduce resource use, and that produce less pollution and waste than conventional building materials and technologies.

Green Tree: Decisions for Environmental Buildings, is designed to introduce architecture and construction management students to resource efficient building materials and practices. The website offers a decision-making process that students can use to evaluate materials for their appropriateness to particular projects. By introducing considerations relevant to resource efficient materials, and providing examples of their application, the website familiarizes students with the use of a range of resource efficient materials.

Sustainable Poultry showcases NCAT poultry projects, offering information on sustainable production, processing, marketing and entrepreneurship. The site gathers a variety of NCAT educational materials on sustainable poultry in one one place, making them available to the public.

ASTA (Affordable Sustainable Technical Assistance), funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides design help to developers of low-income housing who receive funds under HUD's HOME program. ASTA educates developers on cost-effective, sustainable design practices in affordable housing development, modernization and rehabilitation projects. Low-cost/no-cost alternatives to standard construction practices are suggested, helping developers build comfortable, energy and resource-efficient houses without added costs.

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