The Goal of Indicators into Action is to catalyze the field of indicators through building capacity in communities, developing data, indicators and leveraging of actions.  Our Strategy is through community development, increasing awareness on key issues, bringing meaning and context to indicators, and serve as a catalyst to stimulate action on indicators by following Sustainable Seattle's 7 E's for community development. You can learn more about our past work with regional indicators here.

More about Indicators into Action programs:

B-Sustainable.org
B-Sustainable Information Commons is Sustainable Seattle's fourth iteration of regional indicators for sustainability. B-Sustainable.org captures the goals and indicators that the people the Central Puget Sound agree must be reached and measured to reach sustainability in our region.  This online tool provides an innovative framework and open wiki-like platform for taking our collective sustainability efforts to the next level. Spearheaded by Sustainable Seattle, the goals and indicators in B-Sustainable are the result of community forums held in the Central Puget Sound.  The data for the indicators are provided in partnership with many individuals and organizations.  The online framework, for which Dr. Sonntag was the architect, is a replicable tool designed to spur positive change across the globe.

Community Development
Sustainable Seattle has a long history of community development through participatory action research and grassroots activism. Deeply seeded in our program is the belief that people inherently know what changes need to be made and how to bring about those changes for a sustainable community.  Sustainable Seattle provides, facilitation, resources and education so that people can come together, join forces and take informed decisions that have a lasting and far reaching impact for the good of all. Our current project in the Community Development program is Neighbors Acting to Build Resiliency and Sustainability (NABRS). With Sustainable Seattle's past work on the SUNI (Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods Intiative) at an end, we recognize a continued need for neighborhood-level sustainability indicators to help inform neighborhood groups and galvanize action.  In Spring 2009, we launched a pilot NABRS. The two pilot neighborhoods are Rainier Beach and Greenlake.  Visit our blog for a post about this project, and here to read an article published in the Ballard Tribune.

PHOCUS- Policy Hub on Community and Urban Sustainability
Healthy communities, economies and ecosystems are common objectives are common objectives of many urban centers and communities, but information, resources and best practices on how to achieve these objectives is still scarce. Policy is one effective way to address key sustainability challenges and opportunities. PHOCUS is an online resource for policy makers and citizens to inform and empower sustainability through policy. Check back soon for more information.