History

Sustainable Long Island was formed in 1998 by a group of dedicated civic leaders seeking to challenge the economic, social, and environmental problems that they encountered living and working on Long Island. They sought to create an organization that would build bridges between people, government, developers, and funders; promote greater social equity for all Long Islanders; advance alternative forms of transportation to relieve dependence on cars; protect our shrinking open spaces; clean up and redevelop blighted properties; and boost economic growth in communities across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

These leaders from the Long-Island based Rauch Foundation, the Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund, the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, and the Long Island Community Foundation set the wheels in motion for a brand new approach to growth on Long Island. Today, Sustainable Long Island has facilitated downtown revitalization efforts in six communities, advised elected officials at all levels, linked tens of millions of dollars in investment with communities in need, and emerged as the regional leader in the effort to clean up and redevelop Long Island's brownfields. More importantly, Sustainable Long Island has helped make the concept of sustainable development – a model of economic growth that will protect Long Island's diverse people and resources for generations to come – a new regional paradigm.