What, exactly, is the Center for Environmental Economic Development (CEED), and what do we do? Perhaps some folks are not familiar with the term "economic development." The term "development" or "developer" brings to mind real estate speculators subdividing and building condos and shopping malls for economic gain. CEED is certainly not that sort of developer, nor does our name imply that sort of economics, business, or development. CEED may, however, strongly recommend policies to make development greener, or more sustainable, through green building methods and energy conservation, for example, or through the use of FSC-certified wood. Yet at the same time, CEED supports efforts such as "Smart Growth," which encourages communities to question the dominant development model.
What kind of "economic development" is CEED doing, then? Technically, no development at all. We are not developers, we are a "Center for..." We advocate for and educate toward economies that are "environmentally sound and socially just," as said in our mission statement. We advocate, research, analyze, and educate in several related directions, looking for a better model than the current paradigm. We describe these various sustainable directions on our website (www.ceedweb.org) as the following:
* Sustainable Materials and Zero Waste
* Sustainable Forests and Watersheds
* Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Materials
* Sustainable Communities and Indigenous Peoples
* Green Building and Sustainable Tourism
* Economic Planning and Policies
* Sustainable Energy and Climate Change
We then analyze existing approaches to "business as usual," looking for viable alternatives. Where these alternatives exist, we put together toolkits to explain them, workshops to share the skills, networks to get the word out, museum exhibitions and art competitions to "show and tell," and plans and policies for local governments to implement the alternatives. In these ways, CEED functions as a catalyst.
We help to get the ball rolling in new directions--sometimes through publication of a needed study or analysis, and sometimes through sponsoring "think-tank" style meetings, where communities come up with their own answers.
For example, here is a short list of some of our latest publications:
* Seven Reasons for Switching to the New Energy Economy
* A River in the Balance: Benefits and Costs of Restoring Natural Water Flows to the Eel River
* Economic Benefits to Mendocino and Lake Counties From Removing the Dams on the Eel River
* Investing in Communities, Investing in the Land: Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
* CO2 Emissions Calculator
* Building and Buying Green in Indian Country: a Practical Guide for California Tribes
* Green Waste, Dark Gold: Commercial Opportunities in Organic Wastes and Soil Building
Also, in addition to our central website at www.ceedweb.org, we have project websites located at www.ceedweb.org/glass, at www.arcatahostel.org, and at www.baiki.org, and we are fiscal sponsor for a project located at www.communityforestry.net.
If this seems less tangible than planting trees or defending forests, it is. Not all that is necessary is tangible. Dreams are necessary. So is vision. Yet both are intangible. CEED helps, often in these less tangible ways, to move communities in the Pacific Northwest towards ecologically sound practices--in energy, forestry, infrastructure, buildings, materials, watersheds, agriculture, and communities.
For more information go to www.ceedweb.org
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TOC for Forest & River News, Fall 2005