Rooted in community
Our vision is, and always has been, a world where nature, industry, and communities thrive together. Earth Economics grew from a handful of individuals meeting in a coffeeshop to fully staffing an office building in the historic Stadium district in Tacoma. Grounded in our mission to quantify and value the benefits that nature provides, we are proud to say that as we have grown we hold tightly onto our roots. As we’ve reached new heights in our work, we are honored to empower leaders, community members, and decision makers in deepening their understanding of ecological economics and the power of nature-based solutions to their communities at home and abroad.
Living Our Values As a non-profit focused on ecological economics, we find the fabric of our organization woven together by passionate people with innovative outlooks on creating solutions to the world’s greatest ecological problems. One of the goals of Earth Economics is to create a foundation for our partners to speak from, highlighting the findings of our studies and making a case for nature - in a greater effort to move us all forward as we work to bring nature-based solutions front and center.
Inspired by Our Work The power of Earth Economics begins with our organization’s strong culture and commitment to the values we share in creating a future where nature, industry, and people thrive together. Our team is our greatest competitive advantage and the key to our success.
Creating the Link This past year brought about incredible opportunities to partner with thought leaders, industry giants, passionate organizations, and dedicated communities. We engaged in dozens of opportunities to provide rigorous economic analysis or inspirational speeches - bringing the conversation from complex concepts to relatable, understandable terms.
focused on Nature
Earth Economics worked with more than 70 partners in 2018 on more than 40 projects — ranging from Outdoor Recreation and Urban Resilience to Disaster Mitigation and Working Lands.
recreation
Our beloved recreation lands are working all the time. Whether we’re out playing on them or not, we’re receiving the benefits they provide, as they purify the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and protect us from storms and disasters. Our work to quantify the economic benefits of these critical ecosystem services on recreation land is changing the conversation about conservation, stewardship, and access.
URBAN RESILIENCE
Effectively combining our three core tactics of awareness raising, place-based analysis, and policy and finance recommendations, our urban resilience work supports a transparent, holistic, and community-centered decision-making process that fully considers both people and nature in the equation. Through increased community engagement and greater investment in natural infrastructure, we work with partners around the globe to create resilient, livable, and prosperous communities for current and future generations.
Building Urban Resilience with Nature: A Practitioner’s Guide to Action
Go Green: Muni Bond Financing for Consumer Rebates and Other Distributed Water Investments
The Blueprint for Increased Investment in Green Infrastructure
The Economic Value of Natural Capital in Panama City's Watersheds and Associated Ecosystems
Disaster Mitigation
Map at Left: 2018 Disaster Mitigation Focus Areas
Throughout 2018 we focused time and resources to helping communities in California, Texas, and the Carolinas become more resilient to natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires by providing support on FEMA applications for nature-based solutions to hazard mitigation (e.g., the acquisition and restoration of critical floodplain for flood risk reduction). Partners in Southern California were awarded $280,000 in FEMA funding for post-wildfire restoration, while acquisition and green infrastructure projects totaling $27 million are in the review stage and funding has yet to be determined.
Working Lands
Our working lands include farms and forests that foster foods, jobs, natural resources, and much more. Our work with partners helps leverage capital for regenerative practices that keep these critical lands working for the benefit of all.
