The Human Impacts Institute was created to reassess the common misconception of environment as separate from society. Our organization is founded on the belief that humans are dependent upon, and responsible for, our natural environment. We believe healthy communities, stable economies, and social equity cannot exist without environmental sustainability. The Human Impacts Institute inspires individuals, institutions, and communities to challenge the environmental status quo and to use innovation and collaboration to build and maintain a healthy environment and healthy communities. We approach social change through a systems-based approach, combining research, education, community-building, policy-making, networking, and grassroots action. Always an advocate for open-source knowledge sharing, we serve as a facilitator between community members, scientists, business, media, and policy makers to "translate" information between sectors for effective collaboration. Our goal is to sponsor innovative thinking, while encouraging risk-taking, and maintaining space for the evolution of ideas within the changing needs of communities. We look forward to working with you to honor our diversity and to engage you as agents of positive change in our communities.