Category: Information Tools

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Web 2.0 Social Media Webinar Presentations Available Online

Recently, GLRPPR‘s Laura Barnes participated in a webinar hosted by our sister Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) Center, the Western Sustainability & Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN). Laura co-presented with Rick Yoder from another of the P2Rx Centers, the Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center (P2RIC). Donna Walden of WSPPN moderated the session.

Rick and Laura described many social networking and bookmarking tools (such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.), why using these tools has become important for those in pollution prevention and sustainability organizations, how these tools can be great sources of information as well as marketing, and also provided some great tips for using these technologies. The audience asked lots of questions, and overall the webinar was very informative even for those of us who already regularly use Web 2.0 tools.

If you missed the session, or attended and would like copies of the presentations, these are now available for download on the WSPPN webinar page (look for “Web 2.0 Social Media Webinar, Recorded on July 28, 2010”).

Thanks to WSPPN, and particularly to Donna Walden, for making this webinar possible.

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PPRC Releases Climate Change Topic Hub

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The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) recently released the Climate Change Topic Hub™, a peer-reviewed, information-packed online resource geared toward small- to medium-sized businesses and industrial sectors that offers an extensive list of pollution prevention opportunities involving process modification, material substitution, and new technology. Continue reading “PPRC Releases Climate Change Topic Hub”

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USGBC Digital Resource Catalog

The following is a guest post by Anne Less, Knowledge Center Specialist for the U.S. Green Building Council. For more information about the UGBC’s Knowledge Center, as well as to search their catalog (available on Library Thing), visit http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2159.

In order to serve the ever-growing professional development needs of the green building community, over the past year, the USGBC Knowledge Exchange team has collected and cataloged over 400 free digital resources that relate to green building.  The USGBC Resource Catalog includes a wide variety of resources on green building topics, including energy efficiency, materials, affordable housing, best practices, business cases, etc.  This collection, which is limited to free, educational, non-promotional resources, aims to inspire a commitment to lifelong learning and sustainable building practices and behaviors.

The USGBC Resource Catalog can be found at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2175.

Content suggestions are always welcome!  To recommend an item for the Resource Catalog, please email KnowX@usgbc.org.

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Seeking Training Opportunities to Demonstrate EMFACT

[Post author: Peggy Currid]

Energy & Materials Flow & Cost Tracker (EMFACT)

NEWMOA and the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) have developed a materials use and profitability software tool, called Energy & Materials Flow & Cost Tracker (EMFACT) and recently made it available online free for download. Please check it out. We are currently seeking opportunities to conduct training workshops on EMFACT for small and medium-sized manufacturers, regulatory program staff, and/or technical assistance providers and consultants. This training could be in the form of a webinar, a half day or full day in-person workshop, or an in-person presentation at a conference or workshop. Please send an email to Terri Goldberg if you are interested in exploring such opportunities. NEWMOA has funding to support this training.

Here’s more on what EMFACT is –

EMFACT is designed to be used within small and medium-sized companies for systematically tracking materials and energy use; releases, discharges, and wastes; and associated costs in ways that can create value for their business. The tool can provide a comprehensive picture of resource use and its relation to production and planning that will help improve both business and environmental performance. We have been hearing from users that EMFACT™ can provide critical support for pollution prevention efforts within firms and for technical assistance providers and consultants that are working with firms.

EMFACT’s benefits to its users are:

  • Easy navigation and data management
  • Connecting material inputs and all outputs, including products, wastes, and other environmental releases to estimate mass balances and flows
  • Effective tracking of all material inputs, including chemicals, commodities, and fuels, and their associated costs
  • Effective tracking of all wastes, wastewater discharges, and air emissions
  • Automated reminders and notices about upcoming reporting and other deadlines
  • Automated reports on materials use efficiency and environmental releases
  • Easy transfer of data to spreadsheets for further analysis and reports

EMFACT was funded by a grant from the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development.

Download EMFACT for Free at: http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/emfact/.

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Stemming the Tide of Sustainability Information

Recently, I gave a presentation at the Midwest Environmental Education Conference called “Stemming the Tide of Sustainability Information.” What follows is an extremely condensed version of the talk, with links to the more general tools I talked about. If you’re interested in seeing the slides from the original presentation, they’re posted on IDEALS, the University of Illinois’ institutional repository. Click on the link in the Files box to view the slides in PDF. Continue reading “Stemming the Tide of Sustainability Information”

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SEI “Ask an Expert” Service Provides Information on Electronics and the Environment

The Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI), hosted by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), is pleased to announce the availability of its online “Ask an Expert” service for the submission of questions related to electronics and their environmental impacts. Continue reading “SEI “Ask an Expert” Service Provides Information on Electronics and the Environment”

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A Brief Guide to LibGuides

Earlier this week, GLRPPR announced that three of their topic hubs had been repackaged as LibGuides. This announcement probably left many of you wondering, “What exactly does that mean?” I aim to answer that question with this post.

LibGuides is a web 2.0 platform that libraries use to create topical guides to help their users find information. It combines the best features of social networks, wikis, and blogs into one package. Librarians can incorporate RSS feeds, video, web links, bibliographic citations, search boxes, and other finding aids.

LibGuides also allows librarians to create polls and allows users to comment on specific resources and tools within each guide. Users can also sign up to receive e-mail alerts when new content is published, either for particular topics/keywords or for a specific librarian (in this case, GLRPPR).

For a list of GLRPPR guides, visit the GLRPPR profile page on the UIUC Library’s LibGuides web site. You can also see the list of guides I’ve created on my profile page.