Mission: To incorporate the concept of sustainability into all the workings of the local communities of Southwest Colorado.

Vision: 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.

Needs: A sustainable community meets the basic needs of all people. These needs 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.