Institute for Sustainable Communities

ISC has worked in 30 countries around the globe and has developed over 103 sustainable projects. We arrived in China in 2007, equipped with a depth of experience in multilateral cooperation on issues of sustainability and capacity development of key stakeholders in urban development. We work with partners in government, the private sector, academia, and the social sector to advance urban sustainability and sustainable manufacturing in China.

Founded in 1991 by former U.S. Ambassador & Vermont Governor Madeleine M. Kunin, the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has led 103 transformative projects in more than 30 countries.

ISC, with over 25 years of experiences, gives passionate, committed people the tools, skills, and resources they need to make their communities better places to live.

We working with local, regional, and national level, helping communities solve their most pressing problems. We have managed a wide variety of environmental and energy programs in some of the world have most polluted cities. ISC brings a strong focus on building institutional capacity and community leadership, and has achieved national and international impact by spreading successful resource efficiency practices among businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits in the countries where we work and has achieved national and international impact.

Our model is based on 12 years of work in Russia, among other countries, where we managed 721 projects that cleaned up polluted air and water, eliminated toxic waste, reduced energy consumption, and launched sustainable businesses. In addition, we helped 39 resource-strapped communities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 12,000 tons per year, and reinvest those savings back into the community.

ISC, which entered in China in 2007, works with academics, technical experts, government officials and community members to implement our projects in the industrial, power, urban, governance and education sectors. ISC strongly focus on building institutional capacity and leadership by spreading successful resource, capacity building and best practice sharing on climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development.

Projects and Activities in China

• Environment, Health & Safety
• Environmental Governance
• Low-Carbon City Development
• Environmental Health & Air Emissions
• Education for Sustainable Development
• Community-Based Energy Efficiency
• Industrial Energy Efficiency & GHG Accounting
• Industrial and Power Plant Energy Efficiency & Financing
• Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings
• Low Carbon City Development
• Post-Earthquake Reconstruction