Individuals contribute to local and global sustainability when they adopt more responsible patterns of buying and consumption, thereby consuming less energy and fewer resources. In this section, resources for "green" goods and services, produced by companies with good environmental records, will be available, as well information about ways to assess and reduce resource consumption.
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Center for a New American Dream, 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 900, Takoma Park, MD 20912, Tel: 301.891.3683, Fax: 301.891.3684, Email: newdream@newdream , Website: http://www.newdream.org. The Center for a New American Dream is dedicated to reducing resource consumption and improving the quality of life in North America.
Co-op America, 1612 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, Tel: 800.58.GREEN; 202.872.5307, Fax: 202.331.8166, Email: info@coopamerica.org , Website: http://www.coopamerica.org. Co-op America, a national nonprofit organization, provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to address today's social and environmental problems by educating and empowering them to make significant improvements through the economic system.
Green Seal, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 827, Washington, DC 20036-5525, Tel: 202.872.6400, Fax: 202.872.4324, Email: greenseal@greenseal.org , Website: http://www.greenseal.org. Green Seal, an independent, nonprofit organization, promotes the manufacture and sale of environmentally responsible consumer products by setting environmental standards and awarding a "Green Seal of Approval" to products that cause less harm to the environment than other similar products.
Mothers & Others, 40 West 20th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10011-4211, Tel: 212.242.0010, Fax: 212.242.0545, Email: mothers@mothers.org , Website: http://www.igc.apc.org/mothers. Mothers & Others works to promote consumer choices which are safe and ecologically sustainable for this generation and the next.
National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (NCAMP), 701 E Street, SE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20003, Tel: 202.543.5450, Fax: 202.543.4791, Email: ncamp@ncamp.org , Website: http://www.ncamp.org. NCAMP, a national coalition of community-based organizations and people, operates a national information clearinghouse on pesticide hazards and alternatives to their use and advocates for changes in policies and practices to stop and prevent pesticide poisoning and contamination
New Road Map Foundation (NRM), P.O. Box 5981, Seattle, WA 98115, Tel: 206.527.0437, Fax: 206.528.1120, Website: http://slnet.com/cip/nrm/default.htm. The New Road Map Foundation, an all-volunteer organization, provides people with practical tools and innovative approaches for managing and mastering basic life challenges.
The Population Coalition, 1476 N. Indian Hill Boulevard, Claremont, CA 91711, Tel: 909.625.5717, Fax: same, Website: http://www.popco.org. The Coalition promotes public education and action on problems of population growth, resource consumption, and sustainability.
The Simple Living Network, Website: http://www.slnet.com. This on-line service contains information about publications and tools for those wanting to learn how to live a more conscious, simple, healthy and earth-friendly lifestyle
Brill, Hal, Jack A. Brill, and Cliff Feigenbaum. Investing with Your Values: Making Money and Making a Difference. (Bloomberg Press, 1999). This book describes hundreds of specific, values-inclusive investment opportunities and resources for the environmentally and socially principled investor.
Brower, Michael, Ph.D. and Leon Warren, Ph.D. Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices. (Three Rivers Press, 1999). This guide offers a comprehensive look at the full range of modern consumer activities, identifying those that cause the most environmental damage and those that cause the least. To obtain this resource contact the Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02238-9105; Tel: 617.547.5552; Email: ucs@ucsusa.org; Website: www.ucsusa.org/less/guide.top.html.
Brower, Michael and Warren Leon. The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists. (New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, Random House, 1999). This book helps inform consumers about everyday decisions that significantly affect the environment.
Burch, Mark. Simplicity: Notes, Stories and Exercises for Developing Unimaginable Wealth. (Philadelphia, PA: New Society Publishers, 1995). To obtain this resource contact: New Society Publishers, P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, VORIXO, Canada; Tel: 800.333.9093; Fax: 604.247.7471.
Chapman, Audrey R., Rodney Petersen, Barbara Smith-Moran, eds. Consumption, Population, and Sustainability: Perspectives from Science and Religion. (Washington, DC: Island Press, 1999). This book, an outgrowth of a conference jointly sponsored by the Boston Theological Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, examines the environmental impact of consumption patterns and population trends and considers the ethical and policy dimensions of reorienting today's consumer society to one more focused on values, spiritual growth, and relationships.
Co-op America. National Green Pages. (Washington, DC: Co-op America). This annual directory helps consumers find over 10,000 earth-friendly products and services. To obtain this resource contact Co-op America, 1612 K Street, NW, #600, Washington, DC 20006; Tel: 800.424.2667; Fax: 202.331.8166.. This resource can be found online at: http://www.greenpages.org.
Dadd, Debra Lynn. Non-Toxic, Natural, and Earthwise. (Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990). This book contains a listing and brief description of environmentally friendly products.
Dominguez, Joe and Vicki Robin. Your Money or Your Life: Transforming your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence. (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1992). This book shows how to increase quality of life while decreasing consumption.
Durning, Alan. How Much is Enough? The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co., 1992). This publication addresses the levels of consumption that the planet can support.
Elgin, Duane. Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich. (New York, NY: Morrow, 1993). This book examines the psychological and spiritual aspects of living a simpler lifestyle.
Gershon, David and Andrea Barrist Stern. Ecoteam: A Program Empowering Americans to Create Earth-Friendly Lifestyles. (Woodstock, NY: Global Action Plan for the Earth, 1996).
Gray, Kathleen. Office Green Buying Guide. (Washington, DC: Green Seal, 1995). This guide to buying green products at the organizational or corporate level includes technical and marketing advice on supporting and encouraging green buying.
Marlin, Alice Tepper et al. Shopping for a Better World: The Quick and Easy Guide to Socially Responsible Supermarket Shopping. (New York, NY: Council on Economic Priorities (CEP)). To obtain this resource contact CEP, 30 Irving Street, New York, NY 10003; Tel: 212.420.1133 or 800.729.4237.
McKenzie-Mohr, Doug and William Smith. Fostering Sustainable Behavior: an Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing. (Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 1999). This book details how to uncover the barriers that prevent people from engaging in sustainable behaviors, and provides a set of tools that help to foster behavior change.
Platt, Brenda. Creating Wealth from Everyday Items. (Washington, DC: Institute for Local-Reliance, 1997). This publication profiles household collection programs and model reuse operations that handle reusable goods. To obtain this resource call the Institute for Local Self Reliance at: 202.232.4108, Fax: 202.332.0463, Email: ilsr@igc.apc.org.
President's Council on Sustainable Development. Population and Consumption: Task Force Report. (Washington DC: President's Council on Sustainable Development, 1996). To obtain this resource contact the President's Council on Sustainable Development Publications, 800.363.3732. This resource can be found online at: http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Publications/TF_Reports/pop-toc.html.
Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. Human Population Growth: Impacts on the Sustainability of Renewable Natural Resources. This report, based on RNRF's September 1998 national congress, examines the impacts of U.S. human population growth and consumption on renewable natural resources. To obtain this resource contact Renewable Natural Resources Foundation, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814; Tel: 301.493.9101; Fax: 301.493.6148; Email: RNRF@aol.com.
Robin, Vicki. From "Excess" to "Enough": Shifting the Culture of Consumption. (Seattle, WA: New Road Map Foundation, 1996).
Rosenblatt, Roger, ed. Consuming Desires: Consumption, Culture, and the Consuming Desires. (Washington, DC: Shearwater Books, 1999). This collection of articles offers a rich and varied dialogue on the underlying roots of consumer culture and its pervasive impact on ourselves and the world around us. To obtain this resource contact Island Press, P.O. Box 7, Covelo, CA 95428; Tel: 1.800.828.1302; Website: www.islandpress.org.
Ryan, John C. and Alan Thein Durning. STUFF:The Secret Lives of Everyday Things. (Seattle, WA: Northwest Environment Watch, 1997). This book draws the reader's attention to the domino effect of consumption and explores the possibility that "less stuff can mean more happiness". To obtain this resource contact Northwest Environment Watch at Tel: 1.888.643.9820, Fax: 206.447.2270, Email: new@northwestwatch.org.
Ryan, John C. Seven Wonders: Timeless Tools for a Healthier Planet. (San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books, 1999). By informing the reader of the benefits of such familiar things as the bicycle, the ceiling fan, the ladybug, the author demonstrates how we can adopt relatively easy ways to lessen ecosystem damage caused by high consumption and improve the health of our natural environment and our families.
Simple Living Press. Simple Living. This quarterly journal focuses on the concept of voluntary simplicity. To obtain this resource contact the Simple Living Press at: 2319 N. 45th Street, Box 149, Seattle, WA 98103; Tel: 206.464.4800.
The Harwood Group. Yearning for Balance: Views of Americans on consumption, Materialism, and the Environment. (Takoma Park, MD: Merck Family Fund, 1995). This study, commissioned by the Merck Family Fund, is a report of citizen perspectives on the issue of consumption. To obtain this resource contact the Merck Family Fund, 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 500, Takoma Park, MD 20912; Tel: 301.270.2970; merck@igc.apc.org..
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Sustainable Communities Network (SCN) Revised March 3, 2001