EPA Information Resources Center, Environmental Protection Agency. 401 M Street SW., Mail Code 3404. Washington, DC 20460. Phone: 202/260-5421. Fax: 202/260-6257. http://www.epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/ecosystems/storefront The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an excellent source for free publications- as well as referrals to other sources of EPA information. There are many "hotlines" listed under the separate headings to follow. There are also many new programs available through the EPA, such as 1. Energy Star Programs, 2. Green Lights (Lighting), 3. Pollution Prevention, 4. Design for the Environment, 5. Pay-As-You-Throw (recycling), 6. Water-shed Approach, 7. Partners for the Environment, 8. Community-Based Environmental Protection and 9. Environmental Finance Program. Other great sites on the Internet and sources of information are EPA's collection of community-based environmental protection tools called "Store-front of Community Environmental Tools."

Using the EPA Geographic Information Systems (GIS) application, entitled SITEINFO, you can build a local map providing ecosystem information for areas surrounding any given location in the contiguous United States. All you need to do is provide your latitude and longitude coordinates. If you need to find those, click on Envirofacts Form and find out lots more about your community as well. In development is the "Green Communities Assistance Kit" available "online" in early summer 1997.

Your EPA Region:

Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) (617) 563-3541

Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, VI) (212) 637-4448

Region 3 (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV) (215) 566-2738

Region 4 (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) (404) 347-3555 x 6770

Region 5 (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI) (312) 353-9660

Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) (214) 665-7291

Region 7(IA, KS, MO, NE) (913) 551-7345

Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) (303) 312-6326

Region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU) (415) 744-1620

Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA) (206) 433-8574

Co-op America. 1612 K Street NW Suite 600. Washington, DC 20006. Phone: 202/872-5307. Fax: 202/331-8166. http://www.coopamerica.org Current interests involve building green businesses, fighting corporate irresponsibility, empowering consumers and investors, and building sustainable communities. Co-op America publications include the Socially Responsible Financial Planning Handbook and Co-op America National Green Pages. This non- profit believes that change can be achieved if enough consumers vote with their dollars.

CONCERN. (also listed under Sustainable Communities section) 1794 Columbia Road NW. Washington, DC 20009. Phone: 202/328-8160. Fax: 202/387-3378. E-mail: concern@igc.apc.org. http://www.sustainable.org CONCERN promotes environmental literacy and action by training individuals to be effective community advocates for policies and programs that improve environmental quality and public health. CONCERN maintains the Building Sustainable Communities Database, which contains information on more than five thousand projects and publications on community sustainability, several of which are featured in the PLANET NEIGHBORHOOD series. Universally useful selections from the database are posted on the "Sustainable Communities Network" Web site (address listed above). These selections feature case studies, local initiatives and resources which provide models for "new designs" for community planning. CONCERN is also an environmental partner on the Earth & Us campaign.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). 257 Park Avenue South. New York, NY 10010. Phone: 212/505-2100. Phone (membership line): 212/505-2383. Fax: 212/505-2375. http://edf.org A leader in developing market-based approaches to protecting the environment, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) links science, economics and solutions to environmental problems.

Green Plans. Resource Renewal Institute Fort Mason Center Building A San Francisco, CA 94123. Phone: 415/928-3774. Fax: 415/928-6529. http://rri.org Green Plans are long-term, comprehensive, integrated approaches to solving environmental problems for a nation, a state, a factory, a school, or an individual. These governments, through legislation, are implementing Green Plans applying ethics, behavior, management practices, and technology to the challenge of thinking and acting sustainably.

Global Action and Information Network(GAIN). 740 Front Street, Suite 355. Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Phone: 408/457-0130. Fax: 408/457-0133. E-mail: info@gain.org. http://www.igc.apc.org/gain The Global Action and Information Network (GAIN) is an outstanding, must use resource for anyone taking action on environmental and sustainability issues. GAIN provides background data, analysis, and up-to-date status reports on current or past environmental legislation, as well as action alerts. GAIN has plans for other projects, including a database of case studies of successful communities, and a comprehensive national directory of environmental organizations that will consist of the Harbinger File, the Rocky Mountain Environmental Directory, and other regional directories.

INFORM. 120 Wall Street. New York, NY 10005. Phone: 212/631-2400. Fax: 212/361-2412. E-mail: inform@igc.apc.org. INFORM, known for its high-quality reports on a range of environmental issues, is a non-profit research organization that currently focuses on pollution prevention. INFORM's publications analyze policy and case studies (Paving the Way to Natural Gas Vehicles; Germany, Garbage, and the Green Dot: Challenging the Throwaway Society; Environmental Dividends: Cutting More Chemical Wastes) or serve as planning guides for communities (Preventing Industrial Toxic Hazards: A Guide for Communities; Making Less Garbage: A Planning Guide for Communities). The group also publishes Tackling Toxics in Everyday Products: A Directory of Organizations and offers several free fact sheets.

The Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) National Office. 707 Conservation Lane. Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Phone: 301/548-0150. Fax: 301/548-0146. http://iwla.org One of the country's oldest conservation organizations, The Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) works to conserve the nation's soil, air, woods, waters and wildlife, primarily through public education and lobbying efforts. IWLA currently maintains the following major programs: Save Our Streams Program, Wetlands Watch, Midwest Efficiency Program, Outdoor Ethics, and the Carrying Capacity Project.

League of Conservation Voters (LCV). 1707 L Street NW, Suite 500. Washington, DC 20036. Phone: 202/785-8683. Fax: 202/835-0491. E-mail: icv@igc.apc.org. http://www.lcv.org The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is a non-partisan political arm of the environmental movement. Representatives from more than twenty environmental organizations sit on the League's board of directors and its Political Advisory Committee. LCV's flagship publication, the annual National Environmental Scorecard, rates all 535 members of Congress based on their commitment to environmental protection.

National Audubon Society (NAS). Headquarters. 700 Broadway. New York, NY 10003. Phone: 212/979-3000. Fax: 212/979-3188. http://www.audubon.orgThe National Audubon Society (NAS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most powerful nature appreciation and conservation organizations in the country. While it is known especially for its educational programs related to birds, NAS works on a broad range of concerns related to the protection of the world's ecosystems: preserving wetlands; population planning; eliminating acid rain and reducing air pollution; promoting environmental justice; conserving biological diversity; and protecting water quality.

National Wildlife Federation (NWF). 1400 16th Street NW. Washington, DC 20036. Phone: 202/797-6800. Fax: 202/797-6646. http://www.nwf.org With several million members, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is certainly the largest - and one of the most influential - conservation organizations in the U.S. Among its many programs are Cool It!, which provides technical assistance to campus environmental activists, and the Corporate Conservation Council, a forum through which leaders of blue-chip corporations can discuss environmental issues.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 0 West 20th Street. New York, NY 10011. Phone: 212/727-2700. Fax: 212/727-1733. http://www.nrdc.org Known as a group of tough litigators and environmental watchdogs, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) monitors government agencies, brings legal action to preserve natural resources - especially cases with widely applicable precedents - conducts policy research, and disseminates information concerning damage to the environment. NRDC's primary mission is to protect human health and the environment while simultaneously fostering sustainable global economic growth. Areas of organizational interest include energy, population, air pollution, health (especially pesticide safety), water quality and management, and protection of the inner-city environment.

President's Council on Sustainable Development. 730 Jackson Place NW. Washington, DC 20503. Public Relations: Angela Park. Phone: 202/408-5346. For Main Report: 202/408-5296. http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcsd The President's Council on Sustainable Development has eight task forces: Eco- Efficiency; Energy and Transportation; Natural Resources; Population and Consumption; Principles, Goals and Definitions; Public Linkage, Dialogue and Education; Sustainable Agriculture; and Sustainable Communities. Many private, nonprofit, and government sector organizations participated actively in developing the recommendations in the report entitled Sustainable America, A New Consensus, and various documents developed by each task force. A key feature within these documents is "Opportunities for Partnerships" which provides readers with names, organizations and resources to guide next steps. Sampling of programs and successful initiatives are presented to illustrate cooperative efforts and partnerships that are working.

Renew America. 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 710. Washington, DC 20036. Phone: 202/232-2252. Fax: 202/232-2617. http://solstice.crest.org/sustainable/renewamerica Renew America seeks out and promotes successful environmental programs that offer positive, constructive models for other communities, governments, and businesses. Analyses of successful programs are found in the annual Environmental Success Index directory.

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). 1739 Snowmass Creek Road. Snowmass, CO 81654. Phone: 303/927-3851.   Fax: 303/927-4178. E-mail: orders@rmi.org. http://www.rmi.org The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), through its research and consulting programs, fosters the efficient and sustainable use of resources as a path to global security. RMI's Green Development Services program works with architects, builders, developers, and property managers to encourage cost-effective, state- of-the-art construction - thereby saving energy, water, and materials.

Sierra Club. National Headquarters 730 Polk Street. San Francisco, CA 94109. Phone: 415/776-2211. Fax: 415/776-0350. http://www.sierraclub.org Sierra Club is the most progressive of the large mainstream conservation organizations. Though Sierra Club influences public policy decisions - legislative, administrative, legal, and electoral - through lobbying, expert testimony, grassroots activism, and public education, the organization is also active in planning wilderness trips and helping people enjoy the outdoors.

Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). National Office. P.O. Box 1168. Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Phone: 800/700-7322; 919/967-4600 Fax: 919/967-4648 E-mail: seac@igc.apc.org. http://www.seac.org The Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) is a national network of high school and college organizations and activists dedicated to building power among students and youth involved in environmental and social justice action.

INTERNET SITES The EnviroLink Network. http://envirolink.org The EnviroLink Network aims to provide a central location for all environmental information on the Internet.

BOOKS The Information Please Environmental Almanac. Compiled by the World Resources Institute. 3d ed. Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Annual. 704p. $11.95 (paper). An excellent quick-reference tool aimed at a popular audience.

State of the World. A Worldwatch Institute report on Progress Toward A Sustainable Society. Edited by Lester R. Brown. Sponsored by the Worldwatch Institute. 14th ed. W.W. Norton & Company, 1997. Annual. $23.00 (hardcover), $11.95 (paper).

The Green Encyclopedia: An A-Z Sourcebook of Environmental Concerns - and Solutions. Edited by Irene Franck and David Brownstone. Prentice Hall, 1992. 486p. $35.00 (hardcover), $20.00 (paper). Provides concise, non-technical description of one thousand social, economic, political, and scientific environmental terms - in addition to plenty of information for concerned citizens wishing to take further action to save the Earth.