Sierra Business Council

Location: California

Website: www.sbcouncil.org

Sierra Business Council is a member-based organization of over 700 individuals and businesses who are committed to pioneering innovative solutions in the Sierra Nevada.

We've been walking the talk since 1994. We are the Sierra Nevada’s sustainability organization and continue to demonstrate that vibrant communities, fair and prosperous economies, and healthy thriving ecosystems are not competing interests. When all three thrive, everyone wins.

Our primary mission is to pioneer innovative approaches and solutions that foster community vitality, environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social fairness in the Sierra Nevada.

In the Sierra Nevada, change and challenge create opportunities. Through innovation, integrity, and respect, the Sierra Business Council fosters and harnesses these opportunities by implementing and modeling proactive adaptation to a shifting environment, economy, and population. These measures will empower the Sierra Nevada to become the best place to raise a family, seek adventure, engage in community, grow a business, to learn, and find meaningful work – a place of hope and accomplishment.

The region’s economy is diverse, inventive, and sustainable; the land is cherished, inspiriting and alive; the communities welcoming, open and engaging. It is a place where residents and visitors have the opportunity to improve their lives, renew their spirits, and prosper in health as well as wealth. It is the place so many of us seek – a place to call home.

SBC has conserved over 50,000 acres of forests, woodlands, family farms, and ranches in the Sierra Nevada.

The Sierra Leadership Institute has provided leadership training to over 500 people living in the Sierra Nevada.

In April of 2008 SBC partnered with an award-winning community-media making organization in order to share a radio show with over 130 radio stations nationwide titled, “Saving the Sierra: Grassroots Solutions for Sustaining Rural Communities.”

We have partnered with many individuals and organizations throughout the Sierra to create a plethora of publications containing a wealth of information about the financial and environmental health of the Sierra Nevada, including:

The Sustaining Rural Places Toolkit, a listener’s guide that leads people from all over the nation to next steps and helps them discover their role in the planning process.

The Thriving Forests Compendium, concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge of sustainable forestry projects in or relevant to the Sierra Nevada.

The State of the Sierra, representing the third edition of the Sierra Business Council’s indicator project to identify trends affecting the social, natural, and financial capital of the Sierra Nevada.

The Sediment Source Control Handbook, presenting a set of principles and practices for sediment source control on disturbed sites in the West.