Center for Sustainable Economy

08/07/2026

Protecting primary forests, halting deforestation from sprawl, requiring Big Timber to pay for its share of climate damages, and repealing provisions of law the timber industry snuck in to insulate logging from environmental laws and give their products a leg up against the competition. These are some of the reforms included in CSE's new report: A Legislative Agenda for Washington's Forests, designed to slow and reverse deforestation and forest degradation while giving rural counties beset by chronic poverty ways to diversity and grow. Read it here:

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

04/11/2026

It took almost 10 years, but the work we initiated in 2016 in Portland, OR, on fossil fuel risk bonds was finally signed into law by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek.

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

02/17/2026

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

12/05/2025

With mounting air and water quality violations, deforestation and climate change it’s time to start planning for replacement of the PT mill:

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

11/25/2025

Great piece from our Board member Susan Leopold on her journey down the Amazon on the Boat of Hope. She discusses the critical importance of Appalachian and Amazonian forests from a climate and biodiversity perspective.

She says: "By valuing the forests of Appalachia alongside the Amazon, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to champion conservation and ensure the resilience of these irreplaceable ecosystems. Not to mention a tangible solution to the climate crisis."

The Boat of Hope: A Journey of Amazonian Leadership The Boat of Hope was conceived as a platform to unite leaders from Amazonian communities, offering them the opportunity to travel together from Manaus to Belém, ...

11/19/2025

https://www.sustainable-economy.org/stormwater-pollution-from-port-orchard-home-depot-project-threatens-orcas-and-salmon

Tackling the problem of 6PPD-q pollution from urban sprawl means resisting new residential and commercial developments that will generate untreated stormwater runoff. CSE recently initiated a challenge to a proposed new Home Depot development near that drains into one of Puget Sound's most productive salmon fisheries.

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

07/06/2025

Seattle, WA: In a new report, the Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) estimates that clearcutting over 32,000 acres of boreal forests in Ontario to produce pulp for toilet paper made in the US generates over 3.8 million tons of carbon pollution each year. This is equivalent to what is emitted by over 824,000 gas-powered passenger vehicles or several small coal-fired plants. The report also quantifies the economic damages associated with this pollution – over $560 million each year, or $1,715 for every ton of pulp exported to the US. The export price of pulp from Ontario is currently hovering around this same level, meaning any financial benefits from export are entirely canceled by the economic harm created.

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

03/16/2025

Like most states, Oregon is ill prepared to leverage the massive investments needed to adapt to climate change. In this new report, we identify some bigger ticket items that need to be addressed and suggest how they can be paid for via a 'polluter pays' surcharge on greenhouse gas pollution

CSE is a 501c (3) non-profit think tank and advocate for systemic change to address the world’s converging crises.

12/05/2024

Our work on risk bonding is featured on KGW TV:

The expanse of fuel tanks along the Willamette River in Portland has been a source of unease for years now due to the risk posed by a major Cascadia earthquake.

11/19/2024

Our work on fossil fuel risk bonds is featured in Portland's Street Roots.

A worst-case scenario could cost the county billions in damages. Local leaders and advocates want fossil fuel companies to carry the liability.