CAC Corporation

Green Technology

The term "technology" refers to the application of knowledge for practical purposes

The field of "green technology" encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials, from techniques for generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products.

The present expectation is that this field will bring innovation and changes in daily life of similar magnitude to the "information technology" explosion over the last two decades. In these early stages, it is impossible to predict what "green technology" may eventually encompass.

The goals that inform developments in this rapidly growing field include:

Sustainability - meeting the needs of society in ways that can continue indefinitely into the future without damaging or depleting natural resources. In short, meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

"Cradle to cradle" design - ending the "cradle to grave" cycle of manufactured products, by creating products that can be fully reclaimed or re-used.

Source reduction - reducing waste and pollution by changing patterns of production and consumption.

Innovation - developing alternatives to technologies - whether fossil fuel or chemical intensive agriculture - that have been demonstrated to damage health and the environment.

Viability - creating a center of economic activity around technologies and products that benefit the environment, speeding their implementation and creating new careers that truly protect the planet.

Examples of green technology subject areas

Energy
Perhaps the most urgent issue for green technology, this includes the development of alternative fuels, new means of generating energy and energy efficiency.

Green building
Green building encompasses everything from the choice of building materials to where a building is located.

Environmentally preferred purchasing
This government innovation involves the search for products whose contents and methods of production have the smallest possible impact on the environment, and mandates that these be the preferred products for government purchasing.

Green chemistry
The invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

Green nanotechnology
Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of materials at the scale of the nanometer, one billionth of a meter. Some scientists believe that mastery of this subject is forthcoming that will transform the way that everything in the world is manufactured. "Green nanotechnology" is the application of green chemistry and green engineering principles to this field.

Energy
National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL)
http://www.nrel.gov
Rocky Mountain Institute
http://www.rmi.org

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
http://www.lbl.gov/Publications/annual-report/2005-2006/files/01-energy-tech-1.html

National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
http://www.nersc.gov/

Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/

Green Power Network
http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/

American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
http://www.acore.org

Oak National Laboratory Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/eere/

Sandia National Laboratory - Renewable Energy Office
http://www.sandia.gov/Renewable_Energy/renewable.htm
Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (UC Berkeley)
http://rael.berkeley.edu/aboutrael.html

Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (University of Massachusetts)
http://www.ceere.org/rerl/
Idaho National Laboratory
http://www.inl.gov/renewableenergy/

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
http://www.nelha.org/about/gateway.html

Renewable Energy Access
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com

National Association of Energy Service Companies
http://www.naesco.org/

Green Building

US Green Building Council
http://www.usgbc.org/

US EPA: Green Building
http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
http:www.sbic.org
World Green Building Council
http://www.worldgbc.org/

California Integrated Waste Management Board: Green Building Basics
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Basics.htm

California Commissioning Collaborative
http://www.cacx.org/

Building Commissioning Association
http://www.bcxa.org/

Whole Building Design Guide
http://www.wbdg.org/


Green Purchasing

Recycled Content Product Directory (California Integrated Waste Management Board)
www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP
Best Practices Manual (Green California)
http://www.green.ca.gov/EPP/Introduction/default.htm

California Integrated Waste Management Board
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/EPP/
US EPA: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
http://www.epa.gov/epp/
Database of Environmental Information for Products and Services (US EPA)
http://yosemite1.epa.gov/oppt/eppstand2.nsf/Pages/Homepage.html?Open

Green Nanotechnology

Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
http://nanotechproject.org/
US EPA Perspective Factsheet
http://es.epa.gov/ncer/nano/factsheet/
Foresight Nanotech Institute
http://www.foresight.org/

Green Chemistry

US EPA: Green Chemistry Program
http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/

Center for Green Chemistry: Universityof Massachusetts Lowell
http://www.greenchemistry.uml.edu/
Green Chemistry Institute
http://www.chemistry.org/greenchemistryinstitute/
Chemalliance.org
http://www.chemalliance.org/Columns/050520.asp