Futurewise (formerly 1,000 Friends of Washington) is a statewide public interest group that works to make cities great places to live while protecting communities, rural areas, and natural resources from irresponsible development.

Our 2008 Legislative Agenda focuses on four goals:

Reducing Global Warming Pollution

•    Creating a structure and timeline for implementing the state’s global warming pollution reduction goals and supporting a program to prepare Washington workers for good jobs in the clean energy economy
•    Adding a goal of reducing climate pollution to the Growth Management Act (GMA) and identify reducing global warming pollution as an important aspect of comprehensive planning.

Supporting Working Lands, Farmers, and Small Forest landowners

•    Creating a statewide “Farm to School” program to connect schools with community farmers and enacting a Washington Grown Fruits and Vegetables Program to get facilitate getting locally grown food into our classrooms
•    Participating in the Ruckleshaus Policy Consensus Center to resolve issues with protections on agricultural land

Protecting Our Communities

•    Reforming eminent domain laws to protect property owners
•    Reforming Washington’s vesting laws so that communities can plan for and be involved in decisions facing their communities, and so that everyone plays by the same rules

Making Cities More Livable & Sustainable

•    Retaining, establishing and restoring trees and forests in our urban communities
•    Supporting programs that reward communities for meeting their affordable housing targets.

For more information, contact Futurewise via
April Putney
(206) 3443-0681 x120 office
(206) 450-3622 mobile