APPENDIX A
Resources
Global Warming Science and Impacts
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
The website of the Union of Concerned Scientists has extensive information about climate science and impacts. The organization also offers an individualized online tool to help you reduce your emissions at www.coolersmarter.org.
NOAA CLIMATE SERVICES
This website by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides many government resources on climate change and the impact it is having across the country (and around the world).
REALCLIMATE
RealClimate provides information about climate science by well-respected climate scientists currently working in the field. It was developed as a resource for the interested public and journalists to provide scientific context often missing from mainstream commentary on climate science.
SKEPTICAL SCIENCE
This website provides a helpful iPhone app to debunk common contrarian claims about climate change. It draws its material from the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Carbon Calculators
COOLCLIMATE NETWORK'S CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu
This tool, developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, calculates household emissions accounting for car, air, and public transportation, household energy use, and shopping habits, and enables you to compare your emissions with the emissions of those with similar incomes. For greatest accuracy, you'll need energy bills, car mileage, and your checkbook to use this tool.
HOUSEHOLD EMISSIONS CALCULATOR
www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
This tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates household emissions based on your energy bills, car travel, and recycling habits.
Car choices
HYBRID SCORECARD
All hybrid cars are not created equal. This scorecard looks at the environmental value provided by U.S. hybrid makes and models.
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE
This tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows users to compare the emissions and gas mileage of cars by make, model, and year.
This website, run jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides a range of information to help consumers improve the gas mileage of current vehicles. It also provides a tool similar to the Green Vehicle Guide that allows users to compare mileage per gallon, annual fuel costs, global warming emissions, and air pollutants by make, model, and year.
ACEEE'S GREEN BOOK
This online database, offered by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy for a small subscription fee, scores the environmental impacts of cars and trucks.
Other Travel Choices
THE CAR SHARING NETWORK
This nonprofit website lists car-sharing programs in the United States.
AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
This website provides a comprehensive database of public transportation options in communities across the United States.
This free online resource connects people for ride sharing, from commuters to cross-country travelers.
Energy Audits
EFFICIENCY VERMONT
www.efficiencyvermont.com/stella/filelib/HowEnergyEfficientIsYourHome_Final.pdf
Efficiency Vermont offers a simple printable form for calculating your home energy use.
HOME ENERGY SAVER
Developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this online tool allows you to input precise information about your home, from energy prices and insulation R-value to window sizes and appliance year, to determine where you can find the largest energy savings.
Home Energy
ENERGY STAR PROGRAM
This voluntary labeling program is designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Run jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, it provides energy use information and ratings on more than sixty product categories (and thousands of models) of common household and business appliances and equipment.
AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT ECONOMY
The ACEEE's Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings provides comprehensive information about appliances and home improvements that save energy.
ENERGY SAVERS
This website is a comprehensive resource for household (and business) energy efficiency and renewable energy information from the U.S. Department of Energy. Includes information about tax rebates and incentives.
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
www.nrel.gov/learning/homeowners.html
The NREL's website provides references for a range of renewable energy technologies appropriate for heating or powering new or existing homes.
Green Power Purchasing and Offsets
GREEN-E
Best known as a certifier of green power, this nonprofit consumer protection program also certifies carbon offset programs.
GREEN POWER NETWORK
http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower
The U.S. Department of Energy lists green power options by state.
THE GOLD STANDARD
This is a nonprofit agency based in Switzerland that certifies and rates different offsetting options.
DATABASE OF STATE INCENTIVES FOR RENEWABLES AND EFFICIENCY
Here, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsors comprehensive information on state, local, federal, and utility incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL
Among other resources, this website provides a directory of certified green builders and architects by sector.
Food
CLIMATE-FRIENDLY GARDENER
www.ucsusa.org/assets/gardenguide
This 12-page booklet provides guidance for home gardeners interested in climate-friendly practices.
LOW CARBON DIET CALCULATOR
This consumer-friendly tool developed by the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation provides a visual drag-and-drop menu of common foods and meals that allows users to see the carbon intensity of their meals. The tool was developed using life cycle emissions of various foods gleaned from the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
FOOD CARBON EMISSIONS CALCULATOR
CleanMetrics, a private consulting group, has set up a simple food emissions calculator based on its proprietary database of food carbon emissions using life cycle analysis.
LEOPOLD CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
This website provides many resources about the interconnectedness of food and climate change.
Groups Working on Climate Change
The following is a sample of the broad range of groups with diverse interests working on climate change.
U.S. CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK
USCAN is the largest U.S. network of organizations working on climate change and is a helpful resource for finding local, state, and national groups working on climate change. Member organizations include a diverse array of groups, from 350.org, Clean Air-Cool Planet, Environment America, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club to the National Audubon Society, Oxfam America, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE
The BlueGreen Alliance is a partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.
ICLEI—LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY USA
The ICLEI is a membership organization of cities and towns working to reduce global warming.
INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT
www.interfaithpowerandlight.org
Interfaith Power & Light mobilizes a religious response to global warming in congregations through the promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation.
EVANGELICAL ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
The EEN is an organization dedicated to equip, inspire, disciple, and mobilize people in their effort to care for Earth as God's creation. The EEN publishes and develops material for churches, families, and individuals to address climate change and other environmental challenges as they seek to explore and express their faith more fully.
NATIONAL RELIGIOUS PARTNERSHIP FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The National Religious Partnership for the Environment is an association of independent faith groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Churches of Christ, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, and the Evangelical Environmental Network, that seek to offer resources of religious life and moral vision to a universal effort to protect humankind's common home and well-being on Earth.
OPERATION FREE
Operation Free is a group of veterans and national security organizations calling for action on climate change and clean energy.
UNITED STATES CLIMATE ACTION PARTNERSHIP
USCAP is an alliance of major corporations—from Dow Chemical to General Electric—and environmental organizations calling for federal legislation to reduce global warming emissions.
The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies created this website as a resource for industry professionals to learn more about climate change and its possible implications for the property-casualty industry.