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Our Mission
The Center
for a Sustainable Coast was formed in 1997 by a group of public-spirited environmental professionals and concerned citizens. The purpose
of the organization is to improve the responsible use, protection, and conservation of this region's resources - natural, historic, and
economic. The Center for a Sustainable Coast works to protect, preserve, and sustain coastal Georgia's vital natural, cultural, and economic
resources. See "Defining Sustainability"
The Center's Current Goals Are:
1. Strengthen the application of emerging research findings and monitoring information to improve the protection and sustainable
use of coastal resources.
2. Synthesize and disseminate information on land use, water supply, point and non-point source pollution, and the economic value
of natural resources, including nature-based business activities, to achieve a more holistic approach to decisions affecting the
coastal environment.
3. Empower coastal citizens, students, property owners, and voters by raising public awareness about development choices and their
implications for human health, community character, and quality of life.
4. Advance stewardship as a basic social value through public presentations, newsletters, position statements, editorials and media
commentary,
collaboration with educators, and the Center's website.
What We Do
Our work involves several major areas of activity. All of these are needed to ensure
the most effective analysis and use of information to implement and improve environmental laws and other public policies supporting
responsible stewardship.
Educate coastal
communities, voters, landowners, and elected officials about the conditions and trends of coastal Georgia's environment - natural, cultural,
and economic.
Collaborate with
other groups in advising citizens and interest groups about threats and opportunities relevant to safeguarding coastal resources and the
many businesses that depend on them.
Advise decision-makers and stakeholders about existing and potential
economic value of nature-based business and jobs.
Advocate legislation
and scientific research vital to improving the accountability and reliability of decisions significantly affecting the coastal
environment.
Take Legal Action, as needed, to prevent or control unwise activities
that threaten to impair the quality, capacity, or diversity of our region's resources.
Our Vision
We envision a region where the environmental interests of all existing and future Georgians are properly represented in
decisions that affect them.
The Center believes that the public deserves the best possible protection of its long-term environmental
interests.
Accordingly, the Center is working to:
(1) Encourage use of the "precautionary principle" to avoid significant risks to
public resources when information is inadequate to make reliable decisions.
(2) Ensure consistent and comprehensive enforcement of all
applicable environmental regulations.
(3) Insist on thorough and accurate assessment of current conditions and trends, as these reflect
the public interest in the region's resources.
(4) Take timely action to stop unacceptable activities that conflict with public interests,
and, as feasible, promote restoration of resource systems that have been damaged.
(5) Endorse and apply practical research that enhances
understanding about the health, function, capacity, protection, and responsible use of Georgia's coastal resources.
(6) Educate the public
about all of the above to build an informed and involved constituency that takes appropriate action on vitally important issues.
(7)
Advance policies that promote innovative, sustainable ways to use resources to support needs of coastal communities and future generations.
Why Your Help is Important!
With your support, we will continue promoting new policies to help redefine "progress" in coastal Georgia.
Reconsidering the goals and methods that determine how our vital natural resources will be used, conserved, and protected is a continuous
process. This process has become increasingly important, and deserves greater attention, as growth continues and serious problems
accumulate. Consider the following:
- Population of Georgia's coastal region will double to more than one million within 30 years. On
average, that will be at least 16,500 more people every year demanding housing, water, roads, and land during a typical year in this
environmentally fragile and naturally beautiful place we call home. Rapidly growing upriver areas of Georgia are imposing ever-greater
threats on our downstream interests.
- Good environmental science is not used to support more reliable protection of our precious natural
resources. To address this problem, the Center is working to (1) promote funding and use of new research needed to improve decisions
affecting our environment, (2) introduce scientific expertise into the review of environmental permits, and (3) advocate risk analysis
before issuing permits for proposed activities when there are significant uncertainties.
- Nature based businesses are a major economic
force in coastal Georgia, although some segments are in decline, due in part to environmental disruptions caused by unsuitable development.
The Center is an essential voice advocating protection of some 40,000 jobs supported by seafood processing, fishing, tourism, and
recreation. These jobs depend directly on the diversity and health of coastal ecosystems. We oppose unwise decisions that threaten water
quality, air quality, and ecosystems that are indispensable to both nature-based businesses and public health.
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Your tax-deductible donation is an investment in the Center's crucially needed work. Please
join us in confronting the profound challenges that our region faces as Georgia's growth continues.
Be assured that every membership counts
and your commitment to our work will help improve the prospects for you and generations to come. Support the Center and encourage your
friends and neighbors to follow your example. Together, we can ensure the prosperity of our coastal communities while safeguarding natural
resources. JOIN NOW! |
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