• Washington State Contractor Registration
  An easy to use online database with current information about licensed contractors in Washington State. (If you know of a similar service in other areas, please contact us.).
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
  Commission publications, news releases, products recalls and other valuable information.
• Energy Outlet
  This site presents energy efficiency information for homeowners. The purpose of the site is to help homeowners make wise energy choices by promoting energy efficient products and services.
• Listed below are several articles from the Environmental Protection Agency.
  
  • Asbestos in the Home
  • Lead
  • Radon
• Oklahoma State University Online Safety Library: Carbon Monoxide
  Here you will find some very good information and links to more information about Carbon Monoxide (CO). They also have information on other safety topics: radon, mercury, noise...
• National Easter Seal Society
  A resource of the National Easter Seal Society established to provide programs and services to meet the needs of people with disabilities. The site features a section on easy access housing.
• The National Arbor Day Foundation has a great site about trees, how they can help save energy and how to prune them so that they don't damage your roof, clog your gutters and flood your basement.
• Seattle Dept. of Construction and Land Use (DCLU)
  On-line information about building permits, land use, etc. With some very good information on: Preparing Your Home For An Earthquake, and Reducing Landslide and Storm water Erosion Damage and lots more.
• Washington Toxics Coalition
  A non-profit, member-based organization dedicated to protecting public health and the environment by identifying and promoting alternatives to toxic chemicals. This is one of our favorite sites with great information on carpenter ants, pest control, etc...
• Michigan State University Extension Service: Home Maintenance and Repair
  A very large resource with information about a variety of home and gardening issues: septic tanks, mold, cleaning... Some of the prices quoted are out of date but the information is very good.

I learned a lot about construction during my stint as a Peace Corps volunteer on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The first project I worked on helped folks build some simple homes in a "self help" housing program. When that project came to an end, I organized some classes in basic construction skills and literacy.

The "volunteer bug" continued back in the States and I have had the pleasure of working with a number of housing related organizations.

Working with such volunteer organization can be frustrating: the needs are always greater than the available resources and the problems always more complex than envisioned at the start. But such work is always rewarding. And for me some of the greatest rewards have come in the people I have met in the process of such work. These people have become some of my very best friends.

So here is a list of some organizations which have impressed me over the years and need your support. Check them out, donate some time and/or money and tell your friends about them. I would be happy to accept some of your suggestions for this list.

- George

• The Hunger Site
  This may sound like a gimmick but it is a serious project that donates food every time a visitor clicks on the site.
• Peace Corps
  Yes, it's alive and well. My wife an I had a 3 year honeymoon in the Peace Corps and came home with a baby! It was hard work, it was frustrating, we did some good, we made many friends, we loved it!
• The Downtown Emergency Center (DESC)
  We just celebrated the 20th anniversary of this fine organizations. Providing shelter for Seattle's homeless and more: mental health services, transitional housing, chemical dependency programs... A great and dedicated staff and volunteers!
  DESC 507 3rd Ave., Seattle 98104. (206) 464 1570.
• New Beginnings for Battered Women and Their Children
  An outstanding group of staff and volunteers that provides shelter and support services for battered women and their children. (206) 783-4520
• The Heifer Project
  Lish and Barbara gave us a goat for the holidays! Well, not quite, they donated a goat to the Heifer Project in our name. The Heifer Project gives animals (and training in their care) to hungry families around the world as a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant.
• Doctors Without Borders
  Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is the world's largest independent international medical relief agency aiding victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters, and others who lack health care due to geographic remoteness or ethnic marginalization.