Institute For Sustainable Communities

Target demographics: The Institute for Sustainable Communities imagines a world in which solutions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change are universally accessible. Any path forward must consider who gains access to and benefits from solutions within their local and regional communities. Vulnerable and under-resourced communities around the globe are already the most impacted by climate change. In prioritizing investment of time, energy, and financial resources, ISC asks itself, “How do we ensure that these communities experience the benefits of technological innovation, and wealth creation in the green revolution, all through the powerful lens of equity?”

Direct beneficiaries per year: In the U.S., we worked with 39 community-based nonprofits in 30 cities and 19 states to center green economic outcomes, helping to create green businesses, workforce development enterprises, solar energy installation companies, and community resilience hubs. We partnered with 13 cities in China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 100 million MTCDE. In India, we trained 17,500 farmers in regenerative agriculture practices and conservation and advanced low carbon sustainable manufacturing practices that reduced GHG emissions at a rate of 348,202 MTCO2 annually (the equivalent to taking more than 75,000 cars off the road each year).

Geographic areas served: the U.S. and Asia

Programs: Working hand in hand with communities, ISC brings together stakeholders whose decisions and budgets affect environmental quality, community health, and resiliency - cities, regional and local governments, institutions, workers, corporate brands, manufacturers, philanthropy, and academia to address environmental health challenges while advancing economic development goals. With a suite of grantmaking mechanisms, assessment tools, and grantee toolkits, ISC focuses on developing capacity to ensure our impact far outlasts grant funding and benefits our partners over the long-term. ISC’s mission is grounded in the principle that those who are closest to the problems hold the knowledge and expertise to lead the solutions. A commitment to dismantling systemic injustice and advancing equity is embedded in all of our stakeholder engagement efforts. Some of our programs include: - Women + Water Alliance ensures water security, builds climate resilience, and enhances the livelihoods of water-stressed communities in the Indian state of Maharashtra by working with industrial and agricultural enterprises to improve sustainable water management and increase community access to clean water. Through this program, ISC has trained close to 213,500 farmers on better cultivation practices that lower the use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides in cotton growing. We have trained an additional 4,000 smallholder farmers - 53% of which are women - in sustainable agriculture practices, water conservation, and natural pesticides and compost production for sale. And in doing so, launched these women farmers into self-determined entrepreneurship. Finally, our Manufacturing Program aims to work with Indian manufacturing small and medium enterprises ( SMEs) to help reduce their environmental footprint by adopting CleanTech solutions while advancing opportunities for secure livelihoods for women. -Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS)+ Center’s Clean Air Accelerator Program focuses on severely polluted city regions in Maharashtra, India, specifically targeting the link between industrial emissions and air pollution. ISC staff works with industry, public-sector leaders, and technical service providers. We equip them with the skills and tools they need to scope, assess, strategize, and implement clean industrial technology solutions that lead to systemic and lasting reductions in harmful air emissions. Our experience tells us that when factories achieve significant and sustainable reductions in air pollution, workers benefit, revenues increase, and the surrounding community sees improved health and economic opportunity. -Partnership for Resilient Communities (PRC) focuses on building the climate leadership skills of community-based organizations led by people of color in the United States. These organizations address the socio-economic ramifications of climate change yet are largely absent at tables where decisions are made that impact their communities. Through tailored technical assistance and capacity-building workshops, ISC builds our partners' strategic leadership, climate literacy, and coalition-building expertise. The PRC is transforming the national urban climate resilience field by increasing the number of leaders of color in the urban field of practice and supporting communities through engagement, professional development, and funding the installation of clean energy and green infrastructure. - Sustainable Manufacturing Livelihoods Program (SMLP) supports factories in India - especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - to adopt manufacturing practices that are greener, more sustainable, and increase their competitiveness among regional and global supply chains. Our interventions include addressing the skills gap in the clean technology sector, advancing development to accelerate clean technology adoption, and providing recommendations to expand livelihood opportunities driven by sustainable manufacturing. -Low Emissions Cities Alliance (LECA) is an air quality and greenhouse gas emissions reduction initiative in which ISC partnered with 13 cities, the People’s Republic of China, USAID, and the Energy Foundation China to design and deliver low carbon development plans and goals, technical assistance, resources, and training. It’s important to note that the majority of technical assistance providers and training attendees were women. Through the duration of the program (August 2017 - January 2021), projected GHG emissions reduced or avoided through 2030 are conservatively targeted to reach 40 million MTCDE (equivalent to the annual emissions of Oregon), with a 20-year impact estimated to be up to 100 million MTCDE (equivalent to the annual emissions of Virginia). This as a result of adopted laws, policies, regulations, or technologies related to clean energy that were initiated by the project. These GHG reductions will help ease the damaging impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations throughout the globe, while reducing the negative health impacts of air pollution on vulnerable populations across much of China.