General Info

This section of full of resources to help you navigate the world of sustainability. There are downloads and links to resources covering a wide variety of subject matter. Scroll down and you'll find the Resources section with topics in alphabetical order.

 

Sustainability-Minded Businesses in the Joplin Area

Mohaska Farmhouse

Eden Cafe

Sunny Lane Farm

Rocky Horse Farm

 

Publications & Brochures

The information in this section is free to download for personal use only. Please contact us if you would like to use these items for any other reasons.

Eco-Term & Acronym Definitions  - Designed for those who are new to sustainability, we defined the most commonly used terms and acronyms.

Green Resources for New Home Construction  - This document is for those who are looking to build a new home and want to incorporate sustainable features but don't know where to start.

40 Tips for Sustainable Home Design and Construction  - Tips and resources for homeowners to consider when designing, constructing or remodeling a home with sustainability in mind.

Sustainable Green Building Q&A - Several questions about what constitutes "green" building are answered.

Sustainable Retrofitting - A great source of info for those who are repairing or retrofitting a home to be more energy efficient and comfortable.

 

National Renewable Energy Lab 

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The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), located in Golden Colorado, provided invaluable technical assistance and recommendations to city leaders and businesses during the first three years after the tornado. They performed various energy studies and developed educational materials related to sustainable disaster recovery. They also created great educational materials on many of the new projects constructed in Greensburg, which are available to download below.

For more information, please visit the NREL website here.

Brochures

Greensburg, Kansas—A Better, Greener Place to Live (pdf 2.2 MB)

How Would You Rebuild a Town Green? (pdf 1 MB)

Rebuilding After a Disaster - Going Green From the Ground Up (pdf 3.2 MB)

Fact Sheets

Rebuilding Green Homes after Disaster (pdf 815 KB)

Rebuilding Green Buildings after Disaster (pdf 934 KB)

Rebuilding with Renewable Energy After Disaster (pdf 708 KB)

Resources for Rebuilding Green after Disaster (pdf 858 KB)

 

 

Resources by Topic (Alphabetical)

Advocacy Groups

• Alliance to Save Energy - Born out of the oil embargo of the 1970s, the Alliance to Save Energy set out to improve the efficiency of America’s energy resources to ensure that we never use more energy that we need to. 

• American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy - The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection.  

• American Wind Energy Association - The mission of the American Wind Energy Association is to promote wind power growth through advocacy, communication, and education.  

• Center for Ecoliteracy - The Center for Ecoliteracy offers books; teaching guides; professional development seminars; a sustainability leadership academy; keynote presentations; and consulting services.

•   Fresh Energy - Fresh Energy is a nonprofit organization working to transition to a clean, efficient and fair energy system. They promote an innovative energy system for the 21st century through research, advocacy and policy models, and engage citizens to take action.

•   Green Jobs Ready - An online resource focusing on the Green Economy. Provides current news, information on training programs, and job opportunities from around the country.

•   Midwest Renewable Energy Association - The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) is a non-profit 501(C)3 tax-exempt organization founded in 1990 to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through education and demonstration.

•   North American Association for Environmental Education - A network of people who believe in teaching people how to think about the environment, not what to think. Learn how to use high-quality teaching methods to show people how to make a difference in the world through a positive, non-confrontational approach.

•   Rocky Mountain Institute - RMI is a group of industry experts, thought leaders and engineers focused on driving the profitable transition from coal and oil to efficiency and renewables.

 
Educational Programs & Resources

• American Institute of Renewable Energy - A research, development training, and technology company committed to developing a skilled workforce to provide clean and affordable renewable energy to people worldwide. Provide a state by state guide for solar installation requirements.

•   Boots on the Roof - Boots on the Roof, delivers top-quality market-ready training programs for solar energy industry professionals. These solar energy courses are ideal for fast growing solar companies, Electrical and General Contractors and other related businesses

•   Everblue Training Institute - A national provider of LEED and energy efficiency education for the US Green Building Council and the Building Performance Institute.

•   Flint Hills - Sustainable Living Center - The mission of the center is to help the community and region address environmental and energy concerns through training, workshops, classes and conferences.

•   GreenExpo365 - Web based portal for educational seminars and presentations from the sustainable industries most knowledgeable experts.

 
Energy Efficient Homes

• Appliance Help - Energy saving tips related to the appliances in your home.

• Energy Savers - Energy saving tips for your home from the US Department of Energy.

•   Energy Saving Tips: Appliances - A collection of tips for every home appliance.

•   Energy Star - Information about choosing energy efficient products and designing an efficient home.

•   Green Building Advisor - Resource for desiging, building and remodeling green homes.

•   Green Energy Efficient Homes - Practical tips and resources to save energy and save money in your home.

•   Home Energy Saver - Do it yourself home energy audit.

•   Sierra Club Green Home - Information and resources to help Americans make their homes more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy.

•   Weatherization Assistance Program - The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.

 
Financial Programs, Grants and Incentives
Green Mortgages, Low-Interest Loans and Rebate Programs

• Energy Efficiency Incentives for Joplin residents - Prepared by the GreenTown staff, this document summarizes information about incentives at the local, state, and federal level.

•   Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) - DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project

•   Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency - Tax credits on Energy Star products and electric solar panels.

•   U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Energy Efficient Mortgages Program (EEM) - This program helps homebuyers or homeowners save money on utility bills by enabling them to finance the cost of adding energy efficiency features to new or existing housing as part of their FHA insured home purchase or refinancing mortgage.

•   The Tax Incentives Assistance Project - A coalition of organizations in the energy efficiency field designed to give consumers information to make use of the federal income tax incentives for energy efficient products and technologies passed by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

 
General Green Resources

• Chasing Green - Chasing Green is a consumer resource site dedicated to spread the word that ordinary people can positively impact our world in their everyday lives. They provide practical tips for living a more sustainable lifestyle.

•   Clean Energy Resource Database - A searchable database created by the Environmental Protection Agency contains articles, studies and other documents related to environmental issues.

•   Greenopolis - An online resource to provide visitors with information and tools to help recycle easily, save natural resources, track conservation through recycling and re-use, and to educate and reward conservation.

•   Green Play Book - The Playbook provides local governments with guidance and resources to rapidly advance green buildings, neighborhoods and infrastructure.

•   Greenroofs - Everything you want to know about the design and installation of greenroofs.

•   Green Tribe - A database of premium environmental information for everyone to access and use to green their lives. This is also a place for environmental activists to share their stories, ideas, and lessons learned.

•   Greening Your Shop - 10 Ways To Green Your Auto Shop

•   Insulation Fact Sheet - Information on insulation provided by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

•  Recycle Now Guide to Composting

• Well Home - Infographics - A collection of infographics explainging a variety of sustainable issues.

 
Green Building Products & Construction Resources

• BuildingGreen.com - Wide variety of information on building systems, techniques and products.

•   GreenBuilding.com - A website dedicated to sifting through "green-washing" to provide the most reliable information to builders and homeowners.

•   Green Building Sherpa - A green building resource portal that includes environmentally friendly services, sustainable and renewable products, alternative energy resources and green building information.

•   Insulating Concrete Form Association - Organization promoting the use of ICF in construction and working to overcome industry obstacles.

•   Passive House Institute US - Information and resources on the Passive House building standard and its use in the United States.

•   Pellet Fuels Institute - Resources and information for the use of pellet stoves.

•   Structural Insulated Panel Association - Resources and information on the use of SIPs panels in sustainable construction.

•   United States Green Building Council - The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation.

• Leed for Homes delivered by Home Depot - An online product database of Home Depot products that meet LEED standards.

 

 
High Performance Schools

• Green School Case Studies - A collection of case studies provided by the Illinois EPA and WMRC looking at various schools and their Green strategies.

•   Wind Powering America - Interactive map showing the location of installed and planned school wind energy projects in the United States. Find school wind projects for K-12, community colleges, universities, and more. Created by the Department of Energy.

 
Online Shopping Resources

• Greenmaker Building Supply - Green Building Supply Store (Chicago)

•   Pura Stainless - Environmentally friendly, 100% stainless steel prodcuts including reusable water bottles. Be sure to purchase GreenTown branded merchandise.

Renewable Energy Resources

• Energy Efficient Home Tips - Additional listing of sustainable resources provided by iFloor.com

•   GeoExchange - Directory of GeoExchange contractors, manufacturers , drilling contractors, ground loop installers, engineers, designers, distributors, architects, builders, utilities, training, financing, software and suppliers.

•   International Ground Source Heat Pump Association - The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is a non-profit, member-driven organization established in 1987 to advance ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology on local, state, national and international levels

•   Solar Panels - Learn about solar energy powered products including solar panels, solar panel installation, and solar water heaters. Also you can learn how solar panels work, how they are manufactured, where to get solar panels, and more.

•   SPI - Solar Panel Information - A resource for all information relating to solar panels.

•   Wind Turbines - WindTurbines.net is positioned to be the largest social network for the wind turbine community where the public and the wind energy profession can come together to get advice, share ideas and network for career advancement.

 
Water Conservation & Efficiency

• Harvest H2O - A resource dedicated to the advancement of sustainable water management practices for individuals, families, communities, and businesses.

•   Rain Barrel Guide - A helpful guide for rain barrel use.

•   Sizing a water heater - Information provided by the Department of Energy on properly sizing a water heater and other factors to consider for energy efficiency.

•   Solar Hot Water - Use this calculator to explore the energy usage of your water heater, and to estimate whether a solar water heater could save you money.

•   Tankless Water Heater - The 9 best practices for choosing and installing a tankless hot water heater brought to you by the United States Green Building Council.