fbpx
Donate Newsletters

Sustainable Living

The decisions we make in our everyday lives and in our homes can help to promote a greener, healthier Northwest. From installing a rain garden to buying less stuff to opting for public transit or biking when possible, small everyday actions by engaged, informed consumers accumulate to big impacts.

Latest Research

Sustainable Living

Sightliners’ 2023 Giving Tuesday Recommendations

At Sightline Institute, our efforts focus on building sustainable communities throughout Cascadia; we believe we are all in this place together, sharing its burdens and benefits, rising or falling as one. Sightline stands for strong communities. To ensure our communities thrive, we must also work together to support the unique …

Read More

Making Asphalt a Little Less Sickening

There are a couple of ways to tackle the problem of polluted runoff: keep the water from getting fouled in …
Read More

The End of Yellow Pages?

There’s a new national opt-out system for several phone book distributors, presumably the result of pressure, from cities like Portland …
Read More

Putting a Price on Stormwater Pollution

The mess being caused by polluted runoff in the Northwest isn’t letting up, and neither are supporters of a plan …
Read More

Sprawl Rules Fail Two Ways

Sprawl is a scourge on so many fronts. It paves over evergreen forests and productive farmlands. It sends expensive asphalt …
Read More

Don't Know Much About History

The Governor of Idaho, C..L. “Butch” Otter, completed at least a college education according to his biography on the official …
Read More

Get Paid to Carpool

A pilot program is launching today to help match up drivers and riders who are crossing the Highway 520 bridge …
Read More

174757677

Meet your researcher

Kathryn (Kate) Anderson

Senior Researcher

Follow on X

Research Collections

Long Rotations Forestry
Wildfire Management
Climate-Smart Farming

Subscribe to our newsletters

Stay up to date on the Northwest’s most important sustainability issues.

Make a donation

Sightline’s work is made possible by the generosity of people like you.

Donate

Meet the Team

Person Name

Marketing Manager

Met consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas integer.

Person Name

Marketing Manager

Met consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas integer.

Person Name

Marketing Manager

Met consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas integer.

Person Name

Marketing Manager

Met consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas integer.

Person Name

Marketing Manager

Met consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas integer.

Person Name

Marketing Manager

Met consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas integer.

Meet the Team

Michael Andersen

Senior Housing Researcher and Transportation Lead.

Michael leads Sightline’s work transitioning Cascadia away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner energy sources.

Catie Gould

Senior Researcher

Laura is a fellow with Sightline Institute, focused on energy policy, particularly natural gas infrastructure and building decarbonization.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Farms and forests cover much of the Cascadia bioregion, and how we care for these lands is key to a sustainable future. Rural land owners, managers, and workers are devising ways to work with nature, regenerating and protecting healthy soils, rich biodiversity, and clear and bountiful water. All the while, they are supporting thriving rural economies and producing healthy foods and plentiful timber. 

Unfortunately, such approaches are not yet widespread. On our farmlands, we often rely on practices that tax both the land and workers. In places, these methods have eroded our soils and polluted our rivers. Agriculture could be a carbon sink, but instead it’s a major carbon emitter. In our forests, short timber harvest rotations and careless clear-cuts pollute and desiccate water sources, disrupt habitat, and imperil the most carbon-rich bioregion on earth. 

Sightline’s Farms & Forests program spotlights and supports the innovators who are restoring our working lands and rural economies. 

We identify the barriers that hold these innovators back, researching and promoting strategies, especially in public policy, that help Cascadia’s rural leaders scale up their solutions for the environmental and economic challenges of Cascadia’s working lands. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Meet the program lead

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”88727″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle_2″ onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https://www.sightline.org/profile/Kate-Anderson/”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Kathryn (Kate) Anderson, Senior Researcher. Follow her on Twitter: @CollaborKate.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Select projects and resources 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Managing wildfires 

Cascadia is trapped in a wildfire catch-22: the more we suppress fires, the worse they get; and the worse fires get, the more we suppress them. Sightline examines how the region could interrupt this cycle, from fire hardening homes and reintroducing beneficial fire to the land, to making hard decisions about where and how to build our communities. View our wildfires research. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Long rotations logging 

“Long rotations,” or the practice of delaying logging and growing forests past a short life, can deliver not just greater timber yields, but also greater carbon storage and water and habitat benefits. But foresters face barriers, financial and otherwise, in trying to make the switch from the typical 40-year rotation to a longer 80-year harvest cycle. Read more, including ways to support the shift. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]