Sustainability Guide: Outside Resources

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world.

To serve a lead role in development, consolidation and dissemination of information and programs focused on invasive species, forest health, and natural and agricultural management through technology development, program implementation, training, applied research and public awareness at the state, regional, national and international levels.

Circle of Blue is informing the world’s most important decisions about water, food, and energy in a changing climate.Circle of Blue unites classic journalism, data literacy and transformative connectivity. Its visionary work across the Great Lakes, U.S., China, Australia, Mexico, India and the Middle East earned the Rockefeller Centennial Innovation Award, one of the nation’s top honors. Circle of Blue meets the demand for information and collaboration in the challenge of the century: water.

Their mission: "To ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of Missouri’s rich outdoor legacy through advocacy, education and partnerships."

Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations.

EPRI is an independent non-profit energy research, development, and deployment organization. Its trusted experts collaborate with more than 450 companies in more than 45 countries, driving innovation to ensure the public has clean, safe, reliable, affordable, and equitable access to electricity across the globe.

The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.

Learn from award-winning experts and professors from the most respected institutions in the world. Great Courses are available in many fields of study: Music & Fine Arts as well as Economics, Health, Travel, Science and many more. Check the catalog of the St. Louis County Library to see which courses are freely available. Use this website to see all available titles.

ICLEI is a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development.

Their mission is to build a fairer, more sustainable world, using evidence, action and influence in partnership with others.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is a lead global intergovernmental agency for energy transformation that serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, supports countries in their energy transitions, and provides state of the art data and analyses on technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment. IRENA drives the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, and energy security, for economic and social resilience and prosperity and a climate-proof future.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. By harnessing the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of some 15,000 experts, IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

The Missouri Botanical Garden's mission is "driven by the need to protect and conserve plants and their ecosystems. Significant resources are invested in developing and sharing new discoveries in plant science and using that knowledge to help manage those ecosystems here and around the world. However, plants and their ecosystems continue to be negatively impacted by unchecked development, waste and pollution. Inspiring and educating all members of our local region about the benefits of being good environmental stewards through responsible use of natural resources and establishing sustainable communities locally is vital to achieving the Garden's mission."

Founded in 1997, the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization created to help meet financial needs placed on natural resource conservation and conservation-related outdoor recreation.

In 1937, their work began when citizen-led efforts created the Department of Conservation to restore, conserve and regulate Missouri's over-stressed fisheries, forests and wildlife populations. Today they continue their legacy of protecting Missouri's wild resources and helping Missourians connect with their natural heritage. Their goal is to sustain diverse, healthy plant and animal communities — well into the future.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources's mission is to protect our air, land, water, and mineral resources; preserves our unique natural and historic places; and provides recreational and learning opportunities; while promoting the environmentally sound and energy-efficient operations of businesses, communities, agriculture, and industry for the benefit of all Missourians."

The Nation’s leading authority for environmental data and manage one of the largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic research in the world. NCEI contributes to the NESDIS mission by developing new products and services that span the science disciplines and enable better data discovery.

NOAA misison is to promote public understanding of climate science and climate-related events, to make NOAA data products and services easy to access and use, to provide climate-related support to the private sector and the Nation’s economy, and to serve people making climate-related decisions with tools and resources that help them answer specific questions. In short, NOAA Climate.gov's mission is to provide science and information for a climate-smart nation.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is transforming energy through research, development, commercialization, and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

For more than 80 years, their mission has been to "deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world." Their Vision: "A world of clean and abundant water, healthy soils, resilient landscapes, and thriving agricultural communities through voluntary conservation."

The Nature Conservancy is "a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive."

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is working to build a clean energy economy that benefits all Americans. They focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation.

Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture studies and applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.

They inspire and educate those seeking practical solutions, deep nature connection and personal transformation to build a more sustainable world for generations to come.

Provides Renewable Energy-focused news, case studies, technology trends, markets, companies and much more.

Advancing policy-relevant research, teaching, and outreach on global energy markets and their impact on society and the environment.

Sustainability news, networking and jobs for green businesses.

Treehugger is the only modern sustainability site that offers advice, clarity, and inspiration for both the eco-savvy and the green-living novice. With 2.6 million monthly users, Treehugger is one of the world’s largest information sites dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. EIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA is the nation's premier source of energy information, and, by law, its data, analyses, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. government.

Their mission: "Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) is committed to the advancement of the global statistical system. The UNSD mission in the area of energy statistics is to strengthen national statistical systems in order to provide high quality energy statistics and balances.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global authority on the environment. UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

At USGBC, their vision is that buildings and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. Their mission is to transform how buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

Reports, data, news and analysis in the areas of energy, climate, environmental and social policies/projects and more. Energy is at the heart of development. Energy makes possible the investments, innovations, and new industries that are the engines of jobs, inclusive growth, and shared prosperity for entire economies.

WRI aims to fundamentally transform the world’s food, land and water; energy; and cities, as well as the economic, finance and governance structures that underpin these key systems. Using research-based approaches and unique coalitions, they work globally and in focus countries and regions to meet people’s essential needs, to protect and restore nature, and to stabilize the climate.