Improve Your Environmental Profile with Help from the Institute for Sustainable Energy

When I need to find a dependable resource to answer a question, I speed dial my way around trusted sites on the Internet. And when I am facing a substantive knowledge gap, I dig deeper and head to think tanks and universities. Happily, institutions of higher learning offer excellent access to their expertise through well-developed Internet sites where you can dive in and come up with the latest findings from research, information about successful applications, best practices, and practical assistance.

I discovered the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University this past October, when I attended a community environmental forum sponsored by the Connecticut River Museum. Laurel Kohl, Education Specialist for the Institute provided the attendees with information on the resources offered by the Institute to help schools, communities, and others to green their organizations and operations. Their Green Campus Initiative is an “umbrella” of 12 steps. “This provides ‘pockets’ to put the many diverse actions into, valuing all and noting that there are so many different actions to be done, involving a whole organization,” explains Laurel.

It’s all there on their website and it’s super easy to navigate. Each of the 12 topical areas, for example Food and Food Services, Energy Conservation, or Administrative Purchasing, include guidelines, trends, Best Practices, and Organizational Assistance. Best Practices links the reader to concrete examples of successful programs in New England and around the nation, such as the “Brown is Green” energy efficiency program at Brown University and the waste reduction program at the University of Missouri. Organizational assistance is a reference desk on everything from energy performance contracting in Texas to buying sources for recycle bins. I think this is a terrific starting place for any organization to find expert assistance to get their green projects started on a strong, sure footing.  How great is it to take actions with the proven experience of other organizations and institutions to lend confidence and credibility to your efforts? I’ve bookmarked this site and it’s on my A-list of favorites. Click here to go to the Institute for Sustainable Energy’s 12 Step program.

For more information on the Institute, go to www.sustainenergy.org. Thanks to Laurel Kohl and the Institute for their assistance and the invaluable services they provide.