Website of the Month

The Appropriate Technology Collaborative (ATC) was founded in 2008 to work with communities in developing countries to design, develop, demonstrate and distribute affordable and sustainable technological solutions that promote economic growth and improve the quality of life for low income people worldwide. ATC has worked with groups in Guatemala, Nicaragua and India. They have a design library of proven technologies that can be downloaded. ATC has worked with MSU’s ME 478 design groups to create technologies for people in developing countries.

“The Green Pages Directory for Environmental Technology is an online information resource that lists international businesses and organizations that supply products and services which can remedy environmental problems – for example, any aspect of water treatment, air pollution, waste handling & recycling, and renewable energy. This free and self-supporting service connects consumers with 7000 suppliers from around 150 countries, presenting a forum to explore clean and sustainable technologies, to share knowledge and experience, and exchange best environmental practices.”

The Green Pages is divided into 10 main categories with a total of 80 sub-categories. You may select any section to display the relevant categories. Subsequent clicks will display an alphabetical list with contacts in the respective field.

The U. S. Life Cycle Inventory Database was started by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 2001 with the goal of providing clear consistent date for use in by individuals engaged in Life Cycle Assessment projects. “This database provides individual gate-to-gate, cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave accounting of the energy and material flows into and out of the environment that are associated with producing a material, component, or assembly in the U.S.”

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is part of the Department of Commerce and was formed in 1970 by the merger of a number of agencies including the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey formed in 1807, the Weather Bureau formed in 1870, and the Bureau of Commercial fisheries formed in 1871. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts; to share that knowledge and information with others and to conserve and mange coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.

The National Air & Space Museum:
“The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics.

The Museum has two display facilities. The National Mall building in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays many more artifacts including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Discovery.”