Background

In 1997, Martin County was selected as one of five communities to participate in a Sustainable Communities Demonstration Pilot Project being conducted by what was then called the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA). There were several elements that were part of Martin County’s agreement with DCA. Among them was the goal of developing its “vision for a Sustainable Martin County.”

A countywide visioning process was conducted where future scenarios for Martin County, as well as desired goals, objectives and strategies were discussed. The Martin County Board of County Commissioners adopted this shared vision – focusing on environmental, land use and transportation issues faced by the County. However, at that time, the visioning process did not include economic and social elements.

The Visioning Plan also called for the creation of a community partner that would help Martin County promote the concept of being a more sustainable community.  

In 1999, a diverse group of community, environmental, political and business stakeholders was convened to begin this process. That was the foundation for the creation of the Sustainable Martin Alliance.

Sustainable Martin tackled many challenging tasks, including the development of a detailed list of “sustainable indicators” uniquely designed for Martin County. An educational video was produced to supplement the indicators list and spark discussion.

In the early 2000’s the organization’s Green Building Committee worked on plans for a green demonstration building to be located in Indian RiverSide Park. At a time when “green building” and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification was still a relatively new concept, the work of the committee provided opportunities to educate businesses and residents about the importance of energy efficiency, environmentally-friendly building materials and healthier buildings. While funding limitations prevented the building from being constructed, there are now countless examples of green building and green communities and the concept is almost to the point of becoming standard.

Also during this time, the Sustainable Martin Education Committee began its work to develop an educational curriculum for residents that would offer neutral information about the many aspects of Martin County using the pillars of sustainability as the framework for the program. It was critically important to the committee members that the program was presented in an objective fashion, so as not to skew the attendees towards any particular viewpoint. In 2002, “Martin County 101: It’s Different Here” was offered and it has been a huge success ever since. To date, more than a thousand residents, business people and students have been through the program.

What We Are Not

Sometimes it’s easier to explain what we are NOT, rather than what we are.

We are not an economic development organization, a land preservation group, or a social services agency. There are already organizations focusing on those missions.

We are not a political organization or a government agency.

We are NOT part of the United Nations Agenda.

We are not an advocacy group for any particular special interests. When we do advocate and educate, it is with the goal of increasing awareness and understanding of the principles of sustainability and the importance of creating a more sustainable community.

Our Approach

Our focus is to show the linkages between the many different and important issues of concern to our community. We serve as a neutral, credible resource for information so citizens can make better decisions and be more engaged participants in planning the future of Martin County.

We want to enlighten and educate citizens, bringing greater awareness to the public about the issues facing our community – and how they are all connected to one another.

Our mission, vision, goals and objectives are based on a whole systems approach to our community. We look at Martin County in terms of four interconnected and interdependent systems – the natural environment, the man-made (built) environment, the economy and our social systems.

You can think of it like rings within rings or like the legs of a table with each leg representing a different part of the community. If one leg is weak, the table will be unstable.