Founded in 1991, Sustainable Seattle is a regional sustainability indicator organization: you get what you measure. We work with the community to measure and make progress towards sustainability.  Our goals are social justice, collaboration and stewardship. Our programs include the Happiness Initiative, Flow for individuals. Sustainability Training for the community, Dream a Sound Future Competition for visionaries and Business Recognition Program and Sustainability Reporting for businesses.

Vision
We see an interconnected group of healthy, compact, livable urban centers across the Central Puget Sound region, where people work and play together to restore and improve the vitality of communities, the economy, and the ecosystem.

Mission
Sustainable Seattle's mission is to be a catalyst and resource for positive change.

Our Goals
Social Justice
We define social justice as equal access to resources and opportunity. We believe sustainability in our environment is not possible until people can meet their own needs.

Collaboration
We define collaboration as shared decision making, expanding each other’s capacity and building on past positive action. We believe sustainability inherently requires collaboration.

Stewardship 
We define stewardship as conserving and restoring our natural environments in a way that cares for all in our systems.

Our Values

Vision - Hope - Belief - Inspiration - Commitment
We have vision, we have hope and we believe in the ability of all of us to reach a sustainable future. We are inspired and through our inspiration inspire others. We are committed to our vision.

Social Justice - Inclusion - Freedom
Social justice is central to who we are and what we do. An inclusive mindset and actions that celebrate diversity is part of who we are.  We see our role and responsibility in realizing freedom – for us and for all.

Purpose - Change - Progress - Love
Our purpose is deeply ingrained in who we are and what we do. We are change agents for the common good and for progress. We are fundamentally motivated by love.

Fun - Personality - Humility
Having fun is important to us. We celebrate our different personalities, but are not attached to our individuality.  We are humbled by those whose footsteps we follow, by those we work side by side with and by the awesome journey ahead. We walk in humility and love.

Collaboration - Togetherness - Synergy
Collaboration is key to us. In our organizations, our programs and our projects, we seek togetherness and opportunities for synergy with each other and with other organizations realize our dreams through synergy.

Interconnected Systems Thinking - Holistic - Local/Global
We see and feel the deeply interconnected nature of sustainability. We see the local-global connection.  As systems thinkers, we hake a holistic approach to help bring about sustainability.

Competency - Learning - Growth
We are educated and continually learning as people and as an organization, We are, at our core, competent to do the work we set out to do. We seek for personal growth for ourselves and all  as we see this a necessary to reach a just society,  thriving economy and healthy environment.

Compassion - Concern - Care
We have compassion for all. We are concerned for our future. We care.

How we define sustainability
Sustainable Seattle follows the United Nations Brundtland Commission’s definition of sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Bruntland Commission on Sustainable Development. We agree with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that "Sustainable urban development is one of the most pressing challenges facing the human community in the 21st century."

In practice, we seek to balance concerns for social equity, ecological health, and economic vitality to create a livable community today while ensuring a healthy and fulfilling legacy for our children's children. Our flavor of sustainability comes directly from the people of the Central Puget Sound and is neatly summed up by the sustainability indicators, goals, data, and actions that are a product of participatory action research fundamental to Sustainable Seattle.