Sustainable Fairfax works on community projects that regenerate and preserve the social, economic and environmental well-being of Fairfax and its sphere of influence.  We would love your support and engagement with our mission!

GREEN ENERGY

 - Marin Clean Energy, a project spearheaded by the founder of Sustainable Fairfax, brought together all the towns in Marin that wanted to become buyers and resellers of green energy.

 - PG &E spent over $40 million on a statewide ballot to thwart this kind of community choice and they were handily defeated.

 - Sustainable Fairfax helped win a major policy victory. Now, residents and businesses in the Marin Clean Energy service area can sign up for 100% green energy.

PLASTIC BAG BAN

- Sustainable Fairfax worked to usher in a Plastic Bag Ban, the first in the state enacted through a community effort ballot measure; it won by 79% of the vote. It is the only ban that includes all retail, restaurant and grocery.

 - Our Project Chair organized sewing parties to make reusable bags, then fundraised to purchase corn-based bio bags; she visited every business in town to help with resources and alternatives for bulk purchasing. We worked with Green Sangha to provide education about the problems caused by plastic

- We continue to sell hundreds of our $1 produce bags encouraging the elimination of plastic and paper used for shopping. 


WATER CONSERVATION

- In 2009 we received a grant for a Water Conservation Project with the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD).

- We are surveying the town to assess and offer behavioral and technological ways to reduce water use.

- Our goal is to create a Model for community inspired Water Conservation for residences, schools and businesses. 

Sustainable Fairfax is located at 141 Bolinas Road, Fairfax, CA 94930. 415-455-9114.  Visit our web site at www.sustainablefairfax.org or stop by the Center.  Our Sustainable Backyard is open every day.

Sustainable Fairfax began as an inspiration to take local action on the global warming crisis in February of 1999.

• Our first educational event was held in September of 1999, soon after, Community Choice resolutions were passed unanimously by the town of Fairfax and the County of Marin. The town of Fairfax became the 365th local government worldwide to join The Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and the first town in Marin.

• Co-founders Rebekah Collins and Odessa Wolfe made a commitment to develop an organization intentionally focused on effective strategies that will achieve sustainability goals for the benefit of Fairfax.

• We hosted 12 educational Forums from 1999 -2003

• Worked with Drake High's SEA-DISC Internship program. Our interns learned the ropes of working with local government to foster positive change. They also worked with us to run our programs and host events. Interns from Dominican College in San Rafael played a major role in our event, ‘Creating Marin’s Energy Future.’

• Held and documented 5 Brainstorming Sessions on Fairfax General Plan Revision gathering town's people's concerns and ideas to present to the advisory committee.

• Initiated Fairfax installing Downtown Recycling Bins by building a working coalition composed of Fairfax, Chamber of Commerce, Town of Fairfax, Marin Resource and Recovery, Marin Conservation Corps, seven local artists and White Hill Students. Fairfax installed its first Downtown Recycling containers in March of 2001 and celebrated this success with a Recycle Fair on May 20th 2001. The mosaic plaques of native plants, animals, and insects are now displayed on all recycling containers.

• Began a Battery Recycling program - kicked off by a batteries for treats trade during Halloween of 2001 - Sustainable Fairfax kept an ongoing collection site for used household batteries-maintained and documented by volunteers. Altogether Sustainable Fairfax collected close to 1 1/2 tons of batteries over a 2-year period. Marin Hazardous Waste now maintains a collection site at every firehouse or city hall in Marin County.

• In the fall of 2001 we began to develop a site for a Sustainability Center in downtown Fairfax across from Town Hall.

• Created a project of Sustainable Fairfax called Marin CAN! (Clean Alternative energy Now!) A campaign to continue our work on local solutions to climate change.

• Core Board members began Training with Community at Work in 2004 and spent over a year dedicated to laying out organizational structure and purpose. Community at work donated all time and material to us.

• In 2004 the Board hired an Executive Director with non-profit and director experience to work as a consultant and help build a complete Board of Directors.

• In 2005 six new Board members were recruited to fulfill specific tasks needed to reach our goals and vision.

• In September of 2006 we secured a grant from Marin Community Foundation that allowed us to create the Sustainable Backyard.
• In December of 2006 we began our Community Education events that are held every month.

• In 2007 we hosted our first two day training with the help of Andres Edwards that turned concerned citizens into the first members of our Volunteer Corps.
  

• Summer of 2007 we joined forces with the Inconvenient Group to bring Green Wednesdays to the Fairfax Farmer's Market.

• October of 2007 we opened the Sustainability Center with the help of town, volunteers and donors that inlcuded generous support from Hal Brown and the County Board of Supervisors.

• In 2008 we will expand our Volunteer Corps action, keep our Center updated with displays, continue to bring cutting edge Community Education and Projects to work with the town, it's citizens and other orgs to reach toward the goals of Community Choice Aggregation, Zero Waste, reduced use of Toxics, conservation and preservation of our Watershed and encourage Local bussiness and food production.

Please see our Projects page for more information on past and current projects.

Sustainability simply means making something continue to exist. For Sustainable Fairfax it refers specifically to behaviors of our human culture. Since human life, like all life, sustains itself on the abundance of the natural world, that abundance must be maintained without destroying the ecological balance. A sustainable human culture is one which allows and helps the natural world to regenerate itself and remain healthy.

Native Americans and many other indigenous cultures throughout the world accomplished this for thousands of years. Our present civilization has consistently used nature faster than it can regenerate and created waste faster than it can be absorbed. Our lifestyle is not sustainable for human culture or the natural world. We accept the fact that we are a part of the natural world and have responsibility to care for it. We can do this in a way that supports local economy and builds a strong community.

Sustainability means different things to different groups of people and our focus is on improving three areas:

1. Ecology - preserving the health and diversity of the natural systems throughout our town.
2. Economy - maintaining a healthy and vibrant local business community.
3. Community - promoting a balanced and strong sense of local and global community while being inclusive of all humans and non-humans present in our area and beyond.

In the mid 1900’s Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson took up the cause of conservation and action to preserve what nature has provided. Carson first warned us of the consequences of releasing human-created chemicals into the web of nature in her famous book Silent Spring. Ecological awareness met with the 60’s and a movement of environmentalists was born.

By the 1970’s, the idea of uniting concerns for environment and economy were taken on by governing bodies all over the planet. Some visionary guidelines created in a report by Gro Harlem Brundtland for the 1983, UN World Commission on Environment and Development sought “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Sustainable practices are now being applied at all levels of government, business, and personal lifestyle to reach the goal of a healthy future for all living things.