Toolbox

Part of CNT’s ongoing commitment to fostering urban sustainability is the development of a variety of tools that individuals and organizations can use to identify ways that they can contribute to the environment and improve their own lives.

In the course of almost three decades of innovation, CNT has created and spun off several other organizations, including I-GO Car Sharing which serves the Chicago region with economical and environmentally sound transportation choices, led the successful 10-year fight to reorganize Chicago regional transportation and land use planning, and made 12,000 units of housing and 170 non-profit organizations energy efficient, among other accomplishments. CNT practices sustainable development “at home” in its Platinum LEED-certified building.

CNT’s library of sustainability tools serve two of CNT’s core values:

1) People who have good information in a comprehensible format make good decisions.

2) Built communities have hidden assets that can be quantified in reliable cost/benefit analyses.

Climate

Airhead

Everyday activities like using a hair dryer, toasting bread, or traveling to work uses fossil fuel energy and therefore creates pollution. You can learn just how much air pollution you create with AirHead’s emissions calculator. You also can see how you compare to other people in the U.S. and around the world.

TravelMatters

TravelMatters is a resource for those interested in learning more about how travel habits and transportation choices affect global climate change. It includes three elements: interactive emissions calculators, on-line emissions maps, and extensive educational content. It demonstrates the close relationship between more efficient transit systems and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

I-GO Car Sharing

I-GO exists to provide economical and environmentally sound transportation choices, aiming to reduce car ownership rates, lower family transportation costs, reduce urban congestion and improve air quality in all neighborhoods.

Download I-GO Tool Sheet

Energy

Building Performance Monitoring

Visualizing CNT is a Web-based tool to display energy use intensity, carbon emissions and water use.

Real-Time Energy Pricing

CNT Energy is a leader in developing and implementing successful real-time energy pricing programs for residential customers. We provide information, services, and tools to help manage electricity costs. For more information, see:

Power Smart Pricing

Power Smart Pricing is a new way of paying for electricity, and it could be valuable to customers, particularly those who are able to be flexible about how much electricity they use during hours when demand for electricity is high. If you are interested in taking some simple actions to use electricity wisely, Power Smart Pricing could help you save money on your electricity bill.

Download Power Smart Pricing Tool Sheet

Cook County Energy Savers

Cook County Energy Savers is a one-stop energy efficiency shop for owners of multi-family buildings. It’s designed to help buildings owners invest in greater energy efficiency. Investing in energy efficiency pays off by reducing energy costs, improving comfort for building occupants, and maintaining high-quality Cook County building stock.

Download Cook County Energy Savers Tool Sheet

Natural Resources

Natural Connections Interactive Map

This interactive map allows you to create and download your own Green Infrastructure maps online for your area or other areas you may be interested in studying. This site also provides access to extensive research and publications.

Download Natural Connections Map Tool Sheet

Green Values^(R) Stormwater Calculator

This toolbox helps you learn about what green infrastructure is and how it can save money. It also provides ideas on how you can improve your own area and neighborhood by capturing and managing stormwater.

Transportation & Community Development

Housing + Transportation Affordability Index

The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index is an innovative mapping tool that measures the true affordability of housing by estimating not just the cost of the housing itself, but also the costs of transportation. Using this index you can compare neighborhoods you may be considering based on both housing and transportation costs.

Civic Footprint

The Civic Footprint gathers together into one easy-to-use resource many of your personal political geographies and provides you with a snapshot of all of these. Using this website Cook County residents can find out who represents them so that they can stand up for the issues that impact their lives.

Transopoly^(R)

Transopoly^(R) is a tool that helps the general public understand the relationship between transportation planning and land use planning. It is played like a board game but helps individuals clarify the risks, benefits and costs in regional transportation planning.

Download Transopoly Tool Sheet