The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is an American organization headquartered in
Butte, Montana
Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...
, that is dedicated to
appropriate technology and
sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
. Projects specifically deal with
sustainable energy
Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...
,
sustainable agriculture and food,
sustainable living
Sustainable living describes a lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of Earth's natural resources by an individual or society. It is referred to as zero wastage living" or "net zero living". Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their e ...
, farm energy, and
climate change. The center was created in 1976 by the merger of several energy conservation programs started after the
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...
.
It carries out projects within the
United States, especially in poor
rural areas. It has regional offices in Davis, California; Fayetteville, Arkansas; San Antonio, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi; and Keene, New Hampshire.
Its headquarters is located in the former
Silver Bow County Poor Farm Hospital
The Silver Bow County Poor Farm Hospital at 3040 Continental Dr. in Butte, Montana was built in 1902. It includes design by architect Charles S. Haire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of His ...
, which is listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places.
ATTRA
Since the farm crisis in the 1980s, NCAT has operated ATTRA
attra.ncat.org, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. The program goal is to provide technical assistance to farmers throughout the nation in succeeding with sustainable, organic and
regenerative agriculture. The roughly two dozen specialists can assist farmers in everything from pest management and crop selection to farm business planning and marketing. Around 500 publications are available for download on the ATTRA website and the vast majority of them are free. They are based in the latest scientific research and are constantly updated. The website is also home to numerous tutorials, webinars and short videos.
ATTRA was originally an acronym for "Appropriate
Technology Transfer for Rural Areas" which has since fallen out of use and is just "ATTRA".
See also
* Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which are usually connected with
Small Business Innovation Research
The Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) program is a U.S. government funding program, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, intended to help certain small businesses conduct research and development (R&D). Funding takes the f ...
programs (for example, th
USDA agricultural SBIR
References
External links
Official site
Appropriate technology organizations
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