Alliance for Sustainability

The "Sustainable Chequamegon Initiative" (SCI) refers to the sustainable development movement in the Chequamegon Bay region initiated in 2005 by the Alliance for Sustainability. It is a name adopted by a group of "on fire" people who are working together to make significant and positive change. It also is a name to lend a "sense of place" for these regional, collaborative efforts. People on the shoreline view the same night sky and see each other´s twinkling lights from around the bay, and an environmental challenge to one community is a challenge to the others. The strong collaborative spirit, rare between small towns, is the core of this growing movement. This is a collaborative, regional initiative.

We see a tremendous opportunity to harness the passion and energy people have for developing a more sustainable way of life. The need for a sustainable economy and a new way of life is becoming apparent in our modern wasteful society. People in this region recognize that we cannot rely solely on outside sources to provide food and energy. We believe that the word "waste" in this region will become known as a "re-useable resource." We no longer want to rely on energy production from fossil fuels that are causing unprecedented changes to our environment. We can move toward a region where people take pride in meeting many of our needs locally, thus creating a feeling of collaboration among its residents - and a strong sense of place. We believe we can meet our regional needs while also protecting the natural resources that provide the base for our quality of life and economy.

We believe the Chequamegon Bay region, with its energetic people, provides a unique setting where we can develop a sustainable community in North America. A significant foundation for sustainable development is already here. We now need the financial resources to move this work forward. Our over-arching vision is to use the emerging techniques and experiences in the Chequamegon Bay region as a strong rural model for sustainable community development in North America.

We want to move the communities in the Chequamegon Bay region to above the statewide poverty and unemployment averages. We see these efforts as an investment in the future economic, social, and environmental sustainability of our region. This investment includes significant opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop innovative service and manufacturing businesses that are based upon the ideas of maximizing energy efficiency, re-using "waste," meeting business needs locally, and minimizing environmental impacts. We feel this investment has the potential to create regionally-specific job niches that will add to the current job base in the communities, and move the region from being "economically deprived" to becoming "economically vibrant." The Sustainable Chequamegon Center will help to facilitate this investment.