EPC researcher Judi Goldblatt says, 'Progressive environmental programs are a benefit across the board: they save money, bring jobs and improve the quality.' She should know. The EPC, originally founded in 1979 as the Center for Law and Politics, is the organization behind the Global Cities Project's definitive database of information about environmental initiatives and programs implemented at the city government level.

Client cities which currently include San Francisco, L.A., Santa Monica and Seattle support the project financially in return for access to the Global Cities Web site. "The Cities utilize the site to find out how other cities might be implementing some state or federally mandated program," says Goldblatt.

Once again the net comes to the rescue: helping people in different places to share information about things they're working on, to solve problems they're wrestling with and to avoid hiring pricey consultants. Alas, the EPC site is only available to their clients. -- Kaitlin Quistgaard