Green Ontario: Site Guide

Site Guide

Welcome to Greenontario.org!

The Green Ontario website is a first-stop guide to Ontario's environmental commitment. In it you'll find:

	factsheets summarizing the major activities with respect to protecting the health of Ontario's environment.
	a "Who's Who" of environmental groups, professional and business associations, companies and governments.
	project ideas and resources for community organizers.
	links to funding sources.
	ideas for how to buy environmentally-friendly products and services.
	links to hundreds of sources for more detailed information.

At the top of most pages, you'll find a series of hot links to the main sections of the Green Ontario site:

The buttons on either side of the section title will lead you to each of the main sections of this site, which are described below. The text links in the middle connect to the individual pages within the current section (in this case, the pages of the Green Directory).

Read over the descriptions below, and then take time to see what the various sections have to offer. Please send any comments and suggestions for additions to cco@web.ca, but bear with us as we continue to build the site.

Factsheets on Ontario's existing environmental strategies
Home Page	From the Green Ontario home page, you can jump to all the top level pages for each section of the site, and many of the secondary pages as well.

Factsheets on Ontario's existing environmental strategies
Introduction	Want to know what Ontario is doing to create a healthy environment? We take the major environmental activities and show how they will help meet our environmental goals. In many cases, you should also notice some glaring gaps! Our factsheets also help identify some of the priorities for attention.
Factsheets on major issues	This section is still under development, so not all of the titles below have active links. When completed, there should be about fifty factsheets covering environmental issues, economic sectors, and social issues.
	Goal	Issues
	Protect Nature	Natural Areas Endangered Spaces Endangered Species Wetlands Aquatic Ecosystems Local Ecosystems
	Conserve Resources	Conservation Energy Farmland (urban sprawl) Minerals Water Resources: a Clean Water Strategy Fish and Game Urban Sprawl
	Prevent Pollution	Toxic and Hazardous Substances: Overview Ontario's Pollution Strategy Pollution Prevention Pesticides Household Hazards Solid Waste Water Pollution: A Clean Water Strategy Sewage Air Pollution Acid Rain Climate Change Ozone Smog
	A Healthy, Sustainable Economy	A Green Economy Corporate Responsibility Aggregates (gravel) Agriculture and Food Automotive Biotechnology and Food Chemicals Dry Cleaning Energy Environmental Management Forestry Housing Hotels Manufacturing Mining Offices Photo Chemicals Plastics Restaurants Retail Tourism Transportation
	A Healthy, Sustainable Society	Green Homes Community Action Land Use Environmental Education Health and Environment Multiculturalism and Environment First Nations and Environment
Formal Government Strategies	There are a handful of formally-approved provincial government strategies. We have summarized them and provided links to government websites for further details.
The Eco-Tool Box	This page summarizes the types of regulatory, economic, and voluntary tools that can be used in developing an integrated approach to solving environmental problems.
Principles	GreenONTARIO: Strategies for a Healthy Environment is a short background paper that explains some of the underlying principles for the Green Ontario campaign.

Who's doing what! (a directory of websites and addresses)
Introduction	The introductory page gives you an index of the various sections of the directory. If you are not sure what category an organization would fall under, you can also try the search function on the home page.
Federal Government	Links to federal government sites, such as federal departments, The Ontario Region of Environment Canada, the Sustainability Commissioner, the National Round Table on the Environment and Economy, and federal political parties.
Provincial Government	Links to provincial ministries, the Environmental Commissioner, ministry business plans, and provincial political parties
Municipal Governments	Connects to the Community page in the Community Action section, where you'll find links to municipal web sites and local environmental initiatives.
Groups	Links to many of Ontario's provincial environmental groups, as well as a link to the Ontario Environment Network's extensive list of local, provincial and national environmental groups.
Professional Associations	Links to Ontario's professional associations, with links to online environmental policies and programs where available.
Business Associations	Links to Ontario's business associations, with links to online environmental policies and programs where available.
Companies	Links to major companies operating in Ontario, with links to environmental policies and reports where available.

Projects and links for municipalities and community groups.
Introduction and links to networks	An index and links to the major community-oriented networks in Ontario.
Ontario's Communities	A list of communities, with links to municipal web sites, Green Communities, environmental policies and programs, and community environmental plans.
Community Organizers Guide	Our seven step, low-cost guide to organizing a community. Is your community organized?


The main page includes sections on: Link to lists of funding sources Top Funders in Ontario Becoming a Charity	We've included some of our favourite sites for fundraising information, as well as our own links to some major funding sources for environmental projects. Like you, we wish there were more.

Put your money where your mouth is!
Introduction	We're not green until we spend our money on environmentally-responsible choices.
Green Procurement	Links to the best sites for offices and businesses to find out how to get environmentally-friendly supplies and services.
Hemp	One of the best choices for the new green economy -- save a tree and help a farmer!
Green Shopping and Retailers	Links to environmental specialty stores around Ontario.
Green Businesses	Links to some of the leaders in developing an economy that starts "from the green up".
Green Investments (RRSPS)	A summary of the options for investing in environmental and ethical companies through mutual funds and RRSPs.

Index

Green On. News is an online newsletter that will give update you on Ontario's environmental strategies, new initiatives, major upcoming events, and new additions to the Green Ontario web site.

The index lists all current issues.

You can subscribe to a free e-mail update by filling in your e-mail address in the subscription box on the home page. You will receive a synopsis of each new newsletter when it is published.


Got something you want to promote? Green Ontario has three databases where you can add your own material, or search for information, that isn't covered in our overview factsheets.
	A listing of upcoming events.
	Press releases, announcements, and calls for action.
	Links to web sites and resources that are not necessarily covered in our factsheets.


The Web site and the Campaign	Green Ontario is a web site, but it's also a campaign to stimulate constant improvement in our common efforts for a healthy environment and a sustainable future.
Our Sponsors	This is where we give thanks to the funding programs and companies that are supporting the web site and the overall campaign.
Make a donation!	Green Ontario needs your support! If you find the site useful, please help us out with an annual donation to the Conservation Council of Ontario.


The Conservation Council of Ontario
The CCO	The Conservation Council is an association of major provincial organizations and environmental leaders Whereas the Green Ontario site is intended to document Ontario's current environmental initiatives, the Conservation Council provides a forum for critical analysis and public review of Ontario's existing environmental strategies. Our goal is to identify areas for improvement and foster new initiatives that will help lead to measurable improvements in environmental quality.
Membership	A list of the current membership of the Conservation Council, including links to the websites of our member organizations
Meetings and Events	Upcoming meetings and special events of the Conservation Council.
Publications	Many of the Conservation Council's publications are available online, including our Missing Values reviews of the Ontario Ministry Business Plans.

Quick Links