Sustainable Hudson Valley is the ideal organization to make good use of this resource.  We are inventive, frugal, nimble, and well-connected in the Valley’s communities.  Our mission is to speed up the shift to a low-carbon economy with high quality of life for all, integrating the work of climate change response and economic development through local and regional planning and direct action projects.  We advance our mission through the basic strategy of engaging and inspiring the wellsprings of talent that live within all our communities. This strategy leads us to favor people-powered initiatives using tools like challenge campaigns,  service learning and volunteer projects, action research, collaborative design processes, and public conversations that bring together unexpected groups and ideas.  It also leads us to work closely with the worlds of education, training, and human potential, in ways that bring new ideas out of the classroom and into the community.  In keeping with the constraints and opportunities of the “new normal”, we believe our best contribution will be made through initiatives that:
Are nimble and frugal, achieving visible results in a “lighter, quicker, cheaper” way;
Generate results quickly and adjust course frequently, yet build toward long-range goals;
Use the wellsprings of under-employed people and the communication channels of new media, to bring people together and get things done;
build capacity for our partners as well as for SHV;
strengthen the economic and political case for sustainable solutions in communities and the region by amassing data and analysis, and showing patterns;
bridge the gap between experts and communities to embed knowledge in local institutions;
create or transform institutions to achieve lasting impact.

Since its establishment in 2005, Sustainable Hudson Valley has carried out projects at the intersection of climate action and green development, chosen for their ability to advance regional thinking and leverage resources for local advocates.  These have been wide-ranging - including a participatory planning manual, a green building supply directory, a “local first” economic strategy, and a regional planning framework for climate change adaptation.  Along the way we have produced seven regional conferences, advised local and county agencies, and supported a network of professionals and entrepreneurs.  

Today, SHV is helping communities cut energy use and build leadership through its 10% Challenge campaign, now active in 14 municipalities with a combined population of over 100,000.  The Challenge has grown fast by reframing environmental virtue as creative civic engagement, offering prizes and engaging projects to involve local government, business and institutions, and households in saving energy and money while showing their creativity and skill.  Building on the relationships and tools we have brought together for this campaign, SHV’s 2012 program builds upon the 10% Challenge foundation to work on additional key aspects of sustainability:  
building markets for local green jobs, not only in energy but across the spectrum of environmental needs and opportunities;
preparing for carbon reduction beyond the initial 10% through land use, transportation and energy planning;
adapting to the unpreventable changes in climate that are already occurring.
These major agendas require many specialized organizations, and the Valley has a full playing field of consultants, NGOs and public agencies as well as elected officials and government staffs.  SHV’s role is to help build participation and partnerships, and to advocate for more creative approaches.  We will do this by building a “community of practice” of local partners who benefit through connection with resources and each other.  With those partners, we will advance our mission through four related strategies.