Dec. 82/Jan. 83 RAIN Page 16 Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service Renewable Energy Infonnation PO Bo)(8900 Silver Springs, MD 20907 800/523-2929 The hotIine supported by the U.s. Deparhnent of Energy is still offering basic information and referral for questions relating to wind, biomass, alcohol fuels, photovoltaics, active and passive solar heating, cooling, and energy conservation. Independent Sector 1828 L St. N.W., Suite 1200 Washington, D.C. 20036 202/223-8100 Started in March of 1980 by John Gardner, founder of Common Cause, this coalition resulted from the merging of the National Council on Philanthropy and the Coalition of National Volunteer Organizations. The alliance of corporate and 300 volunteer members provides a unique meeting ground for the common interests of volunteer organizations and corporate funding. The group has sponsored Gallup Polls on trends and issues, worked on new legislation allowing non-itemizing taxpayers to deduct for charitable contributions, and published research reports on the status of nonprofit organizational activities. Mary Malecha, editor of their in-house bi-monthly publication, Corporate Philanth ropy, believes the corporations are willing to offer assistance, but, she admitted, "I don't see them in any way being able to make up the present gap." Annual membership cost is based on the size of the organization, starting at $100. Besides the above services, benefits include a bi-weekly newsletter that reports on developments in government agendes and Congress that affect volunteer and nonprofit groups. People of the Earth and the Earth Island Institute Friends of the Earth 1405 Sansome Street San Francisco, CA 94111 David Brower and friends at the Friends of the Earth in San Francisco have created the Earth Island Institute to expose people to the need for global conservation awareness. Although still in its embryonic stage, Earth Island's objectives include both coordinating and teaching classes and sponsoring conferences. Their State of the Earth conference on conservation and global security, held this October 1921 in New York City, was well-received and attended by 800 people. The People of the Earth Project, sponsored bv Friends of the Earth Foundation, began in October 1981 in response to the degradation of indigenous people throughout the world. They are presently concentrating their efforts to produce an international directory of organizations and support groups to strengthen the growing network of people dedicated to the preservation of indigenous cultures. The directory should be completed by mid-1983. Pacific Studies Center 867 W. Dana Street, #204 Mountain View, CA 94041 415/969-1545 The Center has operated as a nonprofit "activist-oriented" information center for the past ten years. Some of its work recently has focused on the structure, as well as the social/economic consequences of the electronic industries. It has published several reports and issues a regular newsletter, TIle Global Electronics Information Newsletter ($S/yr), which reports on such things as the Korean silicon wafer industry, and toxic waste problems in Silicon Valley. The Center also provides research assistance for a fee, including background information on corporate business activities. LocallniLilltives Support Foundalion (USC) 660 Third Ave., 14th Floor New York, NY 10017 212/949-8560 LISC provides support to community development organizations through lowinterest loans, grants and technical assistance. The orientation is toward gaining private sector involvement. Loans are made to facilitate other commercial loans, and grants must be matched dollar-for-dollar from the private sector. Technical assistance is tailored to encourage and assist the local organization in achieving the business diSCipline needed to raise and invest their own funds more effectively. LISC was started in 1980 with half of its initial $9.5 million in funding coming from the Ford Foundation and the other half from six national corporations. So fa r LISC programs have received more than 100 corporate and 50 foundation contributions. LISCs capital base has grown from its original $9.5 million to $28 million with almost all of it coming from the private sector. LISC has so far limited its program to working with already successful and skilled community-based development organizations that are seeking to improve the physical and economic conditions of their communities. It will take more time to judge LISC's success; however, its approach is right for the 1980s with less reliance on government funding and the focus on private initiative and local programming. Integral House Projects Networlc Jeff Ball PO Bo)(169 Springfield, PA 19064 Jeff Ball of Suburban Homesteads, Inc., an integral house project in Springfield, Pennsylvania, has compiled a list of twenty projects in the U.s. and Canada, including Portland's Eliot Energy House. The purpose of Jeff's directory is to form a communication network among the members of the projects, so they can compare notes and share ideas. A spin-off of his work with integral house projects is a network of eight suburban property owners in several eastern states who have volunteered their time and property to try out ideas like integral housing and alternative gardening techniques. To receive a copy of the directory of integral houses around the country send a stamped envelope with $3.00 to Jeff Ball. Planning and Management Assistance Proiect (PAMAP) 1705 DeSales Street, N.W., Suite 401 Washington, D.C. 20036 202/659-1963 PAMAP provides consultant support to nonprofit. "social purpose" groups to help them d«rify their goals, strengthen their structures «nd management, resolve internal conflicts, and implement new policies. They work with groups all over the countrv, and there is no charge for an initial mee"ting. The~' have a number of brief papers on org,1nizational development topics. Single copil's are available free. One entitled Pas~agcs : O rgml izn fiollal Life Cycl~'S, which \\' ,)5 also published on C Oll5el1'e Nl'iglrbor11Il(lds (Mav-June 982), is an excellent description of typical stages in the growth ,md development of most organizations. Oth~r titles include. Ti,e Board of Directors (I f NllIlpmfif Orgmli:JlfioIlS, CommOIl Or8" lIi::nf;llImi P/,o/lh'/I/s, Tire Board of Directors 15 11 Problcm: and No Board is Like AIl I! OilIer. . Industrial Cooperative Associotion 249 Elm Street Somerville, MA 02144 617/628-7330 Steve Dawson, ICA director, describes
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