"Green", Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Products and Services
Creative Energy Technologies
Creative Energy Technologies offers the ecologically minded homeowner many ways to both save money and live in harmony with the environment (I can hear the sitars playing... I really can). They have an online catalogue with a wide variety of products... water heating and conservation, energy efficient appliances, solar products, and more.
EREN
THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY NETWORK…a.k.a. EREN (thank God for acronyms) is the US Department of Energy's collection of articles and research into everything related to energy conservation. My favorite part of the site is the "Building" section which features articles on such far-flung topics as space heating, appliances and landscaping for energy efficiency.
H2OUSE.org
H2OUSE.org, a project of the California Urban Water Conservation Council, is a treasure-trove of water conservation information. Learn the best ways to save water around your home, drought survival tips, how to determine your water usage and even get information on water-conserving gardens!
The National Conservation Guild
NH accidentally lurched onto the web site of The National Conservation Guild while doing a search on behalf of a reader for unvented clothes dryers. Their site is a resource for information on energy conservation products for the home. They feature items you are not going to find in your local Sears store... air-to-air heat exchangers, ventless clothes dryers, and various solar heating and solar energy devices. Visiting their site is like flipping through an old mail order catalog, circa mid 1970's energy crisis! Is this deja vu... or "Back to the Future"? Enjoy.
OIKOS
OIKOS is a fine compendium of links to environmentally aware companies selling home repair products and services. They also have their own catalog of products, books, and software.
Smith Industries
SMITH INDUSTRIES features natural tree furniture, handcrafted by artisan Ray Smith. Using environmentally responsible design, all furniture is made from naturally felled trees. Each piece is unique and custom orders are accepted! CAT LOVERS ALERT! They also specialize in "Cat Tree Furniture"! See photos of their fine work at the site.
The R-2000 Home Program
The R-2000 Home Program sets a high standard for builders to design healthy, energy efficient homes to bear the brutal winters of Manitoba, Canada. Any home can benefit from their suggestions! This site also offers a great series of articles covering the basics of both active and passive solar heating systems.