The Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado is a nonprofit organization based in Durango, Colorado. 
We are registered as a 501(c)3 under the fiscal sponsorship of the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado.
We trace our roots to the 2002 La Plata County Community Summit and the 2003 Sustainable Economic Development Study Circle. A breakout group at the 2004 Community Summit addressed the idea of a "sustainability policy council." Our founding Board of Directors was nominated in December 2005, and they formally adopted Bylaws in February 2006.
Mission
Our mission is to promote the sustainability movement in Southwest Colorado by facilitating communication, collaboration, and integrated solutions among individuals and organizations, with a primary focus in La Plata County.
Vision
Our vision of a sustainable community is one that preserves and restores the integrity of its natural environment, nurtures healthy human and other living systems, and maintains a vital self-reliant economy, generation after generation.
A sustainable community meets the basic needs of all people. These include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- air
- water
- food
- shelter
- health
- safety
- autonomy
- connectedness
- meaning & purpose
Meeting these needs in a sustainable way also entails meeting the needs of all life in the local environment.
Functions
To fulfill its mission, the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado seeks to perform the following functions:
- Offer coordination and synergistic connections for the diverse individuals and groups working to fulfill community needs;
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive and freely available listing of community needs and resources;
- Research best practices adopted elsewhere to foster sustainable communities;
- Communicate with and educate the community about choices that affect sustainability;
- Undertake or support specific projects that foster sustainability;
- Instigate funding initiatives to support local sustainability efforts;
- Educate the public about implications for sustainability of proposed public policy initiatives;
- As resources permit, coordinate sustainability efforts on a regional scale in Southwestern Colorado and on a bioregional scale in the Four Corners region.