Industrial Footprint Project for the Pulp and Paper Sector, Washington State

Last fall, Center for Sustainable Economy was retained by Earth Economics in Tacoma, Washington to provide a leading role in Washington State’s Industrial Footprint Project (IFP). The IFP is a project coordinated by the State’s Department of Ecology (DOE). The project’s goals are to develop an indicator system that can be used to quantify the benefits of sustainability investments and initiatives by major industrial sectors in the state. The first sector being addressed by the IFP is the pulp and paper industry. In collaboration with five participating mills, DOE, Earth Economics, and Redefining Progress, Center for Sustainable Economy has developed a set of 93 environmental, economic, and social indicators. The indicators address a wide range of critical issues such as climate change, air and water pollution, regional economic impact, workplace satisfaction, and social investments. This summer, CSE and its partners will help gather data for all 93 indicators and convert the data into a single numerical industrial footprint score that can be used to track year by year progress. The IFP is a model program. If successful, it will be applied to other sectors as a tool for making Washington State’s industries global leaders in sustainability performance. Read:

Indicators Evaluation     Model Scoring System  Sector Sustainability Initiatives

Building a Resilient and Equitable Bay Area: Towards a Coordinated Strategy for Economic Localization. Working with an alliance of four Bay Area community and economic development organizations, CSE is promoting a strategy for economic localization of the Bay Area economy. Economic localization will reduce the Bay Area's dependence on imported food, energy, manufactured goods, and financial capital, empower communities to shape their own economic destinies, and help revitalize neglected urban cores.  Our alliance’s recently released campaign strategy paper Building a Resilient and Equitable Bay Area focuses on how businesses and government agencies can lead the way in creating policies that ensure a healthy, sustainable future for the Bay Area through localization.  Two-dozen non-profits and government agencies have endorsed the strategy paper.  Read:

Press Release  Executive Summary  Full Report  Campaign Endorsers   Bay Guardian Story  Bay Guardian Editorial

Economic Benefits of the Santa Fe Homes Program Ordinance. CSE (formerly Ecology and Law Institute) found that Santa Fe's affordable housing ordinance would offset socio-economic costs of the affordable housing crisis, reduce economic segregation, curb urban sprawl, boost spending in the community, and generate few if any additional costs to developers. Prepared for Homewise, Santa Fe. Read:

Full Report

Old Pecos Trail South Historic and Scenic Corridor Protection District Ordinance. Establishing an historic and scenic corridor along Santa Fe's Old Pecos Trail will fulfill obligations set forth in Santa Fe's General Plan and Parks, Open Space, Trails and Recreation Master Plan and be consistent with Citywide goals of protecting unique natural, scenic, historic, and recreational uses and values. CSE worked with neighborhood and conservation organizations to develop an ordinance establishing the corridor and minimum management requirements. Read:

Proposed OPT Ordinance