Research Guides: Sustainability & Environmental Resources: Free Online Resources

U.S. & International Websites

Global Issues (Gale in Context)
A multimedia database of international viewpoints covering a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events; search hundreds of issues and country portals covering relevant sources for analysis of social, political, military, economic, environmental, health, and cultural issues; Gateway pages include an overview, unique "perspectives" articles written by local experts, reference, periodical, primary source and statistical information; Rich multimedia - including podcasts, video, and interactive graphs - enhance each portal. Use Browse Issues and Topics, Country Finder, Basic Search or Advanced Search to explore the database.

National Council for Science and the Enviroment
"A non-profit organization focused on improving the scientific basis of environmental planning. NCSE seeks to bridge the divide between science, its applications, and policy". Founded in 1990, the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) supports interdisciplinary research, scientific assessment, and education. Their websites features a variety of information on the subject of science and current environmental challenges. NSCE accomplishes their work through a number of different organizations and programs.
Sustainable.org
Including sections on community, economy, environment, living, and governance, this website provides information and ideas to communities looking to further their sustainability
World Resources Institute
"WRI is a global research organization that spans more than 50 countries, with offices in the United States, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and more. Our more than 450 experts and staff work closely with leaders to turn big ideas into action to sustain our natural resources—the foundation of economic opportunity and human well-being. Our work focuses on six critical issues at the intersection of environment and development: climate, energy, food, forests, water, and cities and transport."

WorldWideScience.org: the Global Science Gateway
A global science gateway comprised of national and international scientific databases and portals. Allows the user to search multiple scientific sources around the world with a single query. Currently, approximately 80 databases and portals from over 70 countries are searchable. It was developed and is maintained by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) within the U.S. Department of Energy.

Higher Education Resources

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
"Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) provides users with leadership and knowledge resources, opportunists for professional develop, and supply a framework for establishing sustainability initiatives."
Website includes information and registration for the annual AASHE Conference, workshops and webinars, online resources and directories, and other tools useful for those interested in sustainability.
EnvironmentalScience.org
"EnvironmentalScience.org's mission is to be the most reliable and expansive advocate for environmental science education and careers."
This website provides information on various environmental science degrees and careers as well as a job search feature
Conferences and Meetings on Ecosystems, Environment and Sustainable Development
"A directory of upcoming scientific and technical meetings."
Features an events calendar that hosts information for conference participants. Updated frequently by event organizers who publish news about upcoming meetings, conferences, and other programs.
Higher Education Sustainability Initiative
"The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative seeks to involve higher education institutions to commit to teaching sustainable development concepts, support research on sustainable development issues, and establish and maintain sustainability efforts for their campuses and surrounding communities."
Established by the UN and related entities, this website serves as an excellent resource tool that has gathered information about sustainability initiatives at higher education institutions at both the national and international level.

Chemical Properties, Toxicology, & Taxonomy Resources

Consumer Product Information Center
Information on over 8,000 consumer products, allowing users to research products based on chemical ingredients. Can browse or search this database by products, ingredients, or Material Safety Data Sheets to easily locate the desired information. From DeLima Associates. Funded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Health & Human Services. The former Household Products Database was based on CPID data.
PubChem
Comprehensive details about chemicals, compounds, and bioassays. Find by description, chemical properties, or structural similarity. Provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Government Resources

National Institute of Health (NIH) RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online reporting Tools)
Reports, data, and analysis of National Institute of Health Research activities, including info on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH sponsored research.
National Library of Medicine (NLM) Products & Services
An A-Z list of resources from the National Library of Medicine; Includes descriptions and links.
Science.gov
Science.gov searches over 55 databases and over 2100 selected websites from 13 federal agencies, offering 200 million pages of authoritative U.S. government science information including research and development results. Science.gov is governed by the interagency Science.gov Alliance.

United States Environmental Protection Agency - Sustainability
This website addresses what sustainability is, along with other issues such as climate change and pesticides. It addresses these issues from a basic perspective, a science and technology perspective, and a laws and regulations perspective.
It also goes into what the EPA is doing about these issues, and provides ideas for how citizens can participate