Sustainable Seattle is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that promotes

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 livin ...

in Central Puget Sound. It was officially founded as a non-profit in 1991. Sustainable Seattle was the first organization to create regional indicators for

. This work influenced many cities and groups around the world and it works in sustainability indicators based on citizens’ values and goals for their communities. The public policy

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

Redefining Progress A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...

, surveyed over 170 sustainability projects around the country and found that more than 90 of them used Sustainable Seattle as a model for their initiatives. For the first decade of its existence, Sustainable Seattle focused on creating regional sustainability indicators through

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

activism. It also created monthly

newsletters A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

about such topics as

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The Energy recycling, recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability t ...

home gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

, and

community building Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area (such as a neighborhood) or with a common need or interest. It is often encompassed under the fields of ...

. Home gardening became a phenomenon in the DIY community. In its second decade, Sustainable Seattle expanded into many areas, from neighborhood data collection and Neighborhood Sustainability Scorecards to education programs, programs for businesses, and an annual competition to create a shared vision for a sustainable future in Seattle. Sustainable Seattle is believed to be the first Sustainable Community organization. Today, there are over 50 "Sustainable Community" organizations in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and hundreds across America.

Founders

*Alan Atkisson *Karla Berkendall *Nea Caroll * Richard Conlin * Jan Drago *Susan Hall *Steve Nicholas * Vicki Robin *David Smukowski

References

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External links

Sustainable Seattle website
Environment of Washington (state) 1991 establishments in Washington (state) Environmental organizations established in 1991 Organizations based in Seattle

Founders

See also

References

Further reading

External links