The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), a non-profit corporation works to find solutions that use local resources to address problems that face all Americans, especially society's most disadvantaged citizens. NCAT promotes a wide array of sustainable technologies and technology transfer, including nationally recognized work in energy and resource efficiency and sustainable agriculture.
NCAT has helped individuals, communities, government agencies, nonprofits and others with appropriate technology and sustainable development issues by providing the expertise for a broad range of programs and projects, including the following:

• Creating and operating national information clearinghouses on energy efficiency and renewables, sustainable agriculture, and low-income energy;
• Developing Internet websites on sustainable community development;
• Assisting public housing authorities with energy conservation;
• Preparing environmentally safe integrated pest management plans for farms and wildlife refuges;
• Researching wind and solar development potential on Native American lands

As a MIRA Policy Support Organization (PSO), NCAT developed its own internal capacity as an organization by exploring new and developing info/telecom technologies. The stronger NCAT then explored the technology needs and utilizations among rural groups by working in tandem with MIRA CSOs and CCTs. NCAT learned about both technologies and about communication methods, and then combined, tested, and refined the technologies and methods to serve the needs of rural people as they worked on policy.

It also maintained active and robust two-way group communications with clientele in rural communities by using teleconferencing, virtual focus groups, wide area computer networks, Virtual Private Networks, Internet conferencing, and video conferencing, while noting their applicability and effectiveness in rural settings.

NCAT also provided forums of dissemination for NCAT's and the other MIRA partners' findings, expertise, and requests through a monthly newsletter, NACAT's MIRA Project Update. The Update keeps readers abreast of NCAT's MIRA work and other news of the project as a whole. It is mailed free of charge to MIRA participants and others involved in sustainable rural community development in the U.S. (to request a subscription email David Zodrow ). NCAT also created information/training packets, fliers, and fact sheets. NCAT is currently at work on an interactive website which will act as a more in-depth and comprehensive forum of dissemination.