Futurewise Programs
Livable Communities Program
Communities across Washington and in the central Puget Sound in particular, have long struggled with sprawl, limited open space and affordable housing, failing infrastructure, and tremendous traffic congestion and the dirty air and water associated with it. With their dense populations, opportunities for transit, greater energy efficiency, access to local services, and potential for green jobs, communities across the state can become incubators for environmental innovation and social connection. Indeed, the right policies can turn our cities and towns into cleaner, healthier, safer and more prosperous centers of human community. Futurewise combines the expertise of our urban, open space, smart growth, energy and transportation planning and policy teams to make our communities socially, economically, and environmentally stronger.
Forests, Farms and Habitat Program
Our mountains, forests, and farmlands provide a tremendous boost to our quality of life and support an incredible variety of wildlife. But these are threatened by reckless development, which pollutes our streams and rivers, degrades the land they flow through, and creates conditions which fish and wildlife cannot survive. It also means the loss of our way of life, our economy, and the food supply we depend on. Through our Forests, Farms and Habitat program, Futurewise protects Washington’s forests and farmlands for today and future generations.
Clean Healthy Waterways Program
Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Futurewise integrates our policy expertise in pollution prevention and water efficiency to sustain our state’s precious water resources. We advance policies to ensure that communities get the water they need while keeping our lakes, rivers, streams, and marine ecosystems healthy.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
For two decades now, Futurewise has worked with an array of stakeholders that includes local and state government officials, farmers, developers, affordable housing advocates, health professionals, business and community groups to secure on the ground victories. From saving millions of acres of prime farmland in Ferry, Whatcom, Snohomish, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Pierce counties, to protecting thousands of acres of critical wilderness habitats in Stevens and Okanogan counties to safeguarding critical marine habitats for salmon and orcas in the Puget Sound, we have been the frontline protecting our state’s most valuable natural resource areas. Just as importantly, we are in our state’s urban and suburban areas setting forth a visionary blueprint for Washington State’s cities and towns that create compact connected communities with good transit, affordable housing, mixed uses and green infrastructure. Our work has and will continue to make the air safer, water cleaner, communities stronger, and landscapes better protected in Washington State.
To meet the needs of our communities, Futurewise is seeking support for each of our core programs and has a specific need to build capacity in field organizing, communications and fundraising. Our organization is efficient, working statewide with just 8 full time staff and 4 part time staff.