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Sightline Institute
Media inquiries
Supporting Sightline
Accessing and using Sightline’s materials
The Daily Score (our blog)
Email newsletters
Registering with Sightline.org
Working with Sightline

Sightline Institute

1. What is Sightline Institute?
Sightline Institute (formerly Northwest Environment Watch) is a not-for-profit research and communication center --a think tank --based in Seattle. Our mission is to bring about sustainability --a healthy, lasting prosperity grounded in place. Our place is Cascadia, or the Pacific Northwest. We provide tools--research, graphics, stories, and language--to help you build a better Northwest. See About Sightline for more.

2. How is Sightline funded?
Individual donors and private foundations support Sightline equally; a smaller share of funds comes from earned income like book sales and speaking engagements. See our support section and our annual reports for more information.

3. How did Sightline come about?
Believing that the Pacific Northwest offered the world's best hope of demonstrating how to build a sustainable society, Alan Durning, a senior researcher and author at Worldwatch Institute during the 1980s, returned to his home in 1993 to establish Northwest Environment Watch. See About Sightline for more.

4. How many people work for Sightline?
Sightline has a staff of about 12 (plus our fabulous interns) and board of about 10 each, and dozens of volunteers.

5. What is the Cascadia Scorecard?
Launched in 2004, the Cascadia Scorecard is Sightline’s index of sustainability for the Northwest. It tracks the region's performance on key reginal trends and how many years the region is from reaching a real-world model for each indicator (44 years is the combined score). The Scorecard data is updated in a book that's released each spring, and throughout the year in reports on individual indicators, articles, commentary, and newsletters.

6. What is Sightline Daily?

Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) is a Sightline news service that helps you read 40 newspapers in four minutes (honest). We acquired the venerable news service (founded in the early days of the Internet) in 2006. Every day, a Sightline Daily editor gets up at 5am to sift through the region's most important news and post the top economic, environmental, and social articles on the website by 8am. If you subscribe to the Sightline Daily email, you'll get the top ten stories of the day by 10:30am.

Media inquiries

7. What kinds of resources does Sightline develop for the press?
Sightline produces a range of materials -- from reports on key regional issues to our annual Cascadia Scorecard -- specifically for the press. See press releases regarding recent Sightline research reports, media tips for story ideas, and a list of expert sources. The Daily Score features Sightline’s perspective on regional news, sometimes inspiring stories with new angles.

8. Whom do I contact for a quote or statistic for a story I'm working on?
Elisa Murray, communications director, at (206) 447-1880 x111 or elisa@sightline.org. She’ll direct you to the appropriate staff member.

Supporting Sightline

9. How can I support Sightline?
First, pass our stuff on! Sightline’s goal is to empower you with the tools--information, language, and arguments--so you can can be an effective advocate. Sign up for our enewsletters, check in at the Daily Score, read our books, and come to our events.

Second, donate to Sightline to help us continue to develop these essential tools that help you, and tens of thousands of Cascadians, bring about a way of life that can last. And of course, we’re always looking for good volunteers!

Third, give us feedback about what you need from us to advance a more sustainable Northwest.

10. I have questions about a donation I made. Who do I contact?
Please contact Stacey Panek at stacey@sightline.org or (206) 447-1880 x107. You can also visit our How to Donate page.

11. What is “membership?”
If you donate $35 or more per year to Sightline, then you are a bona fide member! See About Membership for more about the benefits of supporting Sightline.

Accessing and using Sightline’s materials

12. Can I use Sightline’s materials (e.g. on my website; in a book or print publication, in a presentation)?
Gosh, yes--that’s what they’re made for! Please see our Free Use Policy for more details and note that most of our graphics come in several formats so that it's easy for you to download and plop into a Powerpoint or newsletter.

If you’d like to reprint an article, blog post, or book excerpt, please contact Elisa Murray at elisa@sightline.org or (206) 447-1880 x111.

13. Can I get copies of Sightline’s books?
Many of our books are in print and available for sale through Sightline; more recent books are also available for purchase online through Paypal. Most books are also available electronically as free pdfs (site registration required). See the detail page of the book(s) you’re interested in for specific options. Members (donors of $35 or more per year to Sightline) get book discounts, as do schools and book distributors.

14. I want to download a map, chart or graphic. How do I know which file size to download?
All of our non-animated maps, charts and graphics are available in small, medium, and large (hi-res) file sizes--the larger the file, the better the quality of the visual (better clarity, detail, and color).

The basic rule of thumb is that if you plan to use the item on a website or electronic newsletter, choose the small version--it’ll download faster. If it’s for a presentation, consider the medium version, which will look better when viewed full size on a monitor or projected on a screen. Use the large file for printing in print newsletters or books. For more detail on file types, sizes, and how to download, see How to use Sightline's graphics.

15. What browsers does Sightline.org support?
Sightline.org was designed to work well with Internet Explorer 6.0+ , Firefox 1.5, and Safari (for Mac). If you are using another browser and experiencing difficulties, we suggest you download one of our supported browsers.

16. What is an RSS feed and how can I get one?

If you already know what one is, go here to subscribe to one of Sightline's feeds.

Also, hot tip: If you use our search engine you can also subscribe to an rss feed of any keyword search; just click on the rss button at the top of the search page that's generated.

If you need more info: RSS, which stands for “Really Simple Syndication,” is a way for readers to have new content from their favorite websites collected and displayed in a simple format via an “RSS reader.” When you subscribe to a Sightline RSS feed, your RSS Reader will check Sightline.org daily and notify you when there is new content for you to review. For more about RSS readers, RSS feeds, and how to create a feed, see RSS Feeds.

The Daily Score (our blog)

17. What is a blog?
A blog (short for weblog) is a web-based “log” of regular commentary by an author (or authors), typically on a particular topic or set of topics. Sightline maintains a blog called the Daily Score (formerly the Cascadia Scorecard Blog, hosted on Typepad), where you’ll find daily commentary and analysis of news that we (and our guest contributors) think matters to the future of Cascadia. Some of the most insightful material on the Daily Score is contributed by readers like you --come join the conversation!

18. I want to add html to my comments. What tags can I use? You can add a handful of basic html tags and attributes to your comment, if you like. Our commenting function supports the following tags:

<b> <i> <a> <p> <br> <ul> <ol> <li> <em> <strong>

...and the following attributes:

href title

For example, if you typed this into the comment box of a blog post:

This is a <b>great</b> post, but not as good as <a href="http://sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2006/04/13/mossback-s-catch-22">this one.</a>

it would look like this when you submit it:

This is a great post, but not as good as this one.

19. Why aren't there any comments on blog posts prior to mid April 2006?
Before April 2006, (when we launched our new website) we hosted our blog (then known as the Cascadia Scorecard Blog) on Typepad. All of the posts you see on the Daily Score prior to April 2006 were originally published on Typepad. We were fortunate to be able to transport the old blog posts over to our new platform, but transporting the comments as well proved more difficult and costly. (If you're interested in volunteering to help manually import the old comments, we'd welcome your help!)

20. As I read through the comments on the Daily Score, I notice that some commenters' names are linked, and others aren't. Why?
In your profile, you can add a "Display email or url" that will be linked to your display name when you comment. This lets other readers contact you to follow up on something you wrote, or to check out your website. (Please note that if you choose to link your email address to your display name, we do some nominal spam protection, but if someone really wanted to acquire your email from this site, there's nothing that would restrict that. We just try and slow down the process a bit.)

Email newsletters

21. What email newsletters does Sightline publish?
Sightline’s email publications include:

• Cascadia Scorecard News: an almost-monthly newsletter featuring our latest research on trends and solutions; upcoming events; popular posts from our blog, the Daily Score; profiles of Cascadians making a difference; and other juicy news. (Sign up here!)
  
• The Weekly Score: our weekly synopsis of top postings from the Daily Score and from our Tidepool news service, sent every Friday afternoon. (Sign up here!)
  
• morningTIDE: a daily email that includes links to the top ten stories from Tidepool.org, Sightline's news service. (Sign up here!)
  
• Price Tags: hosted by Sightline.org and published by former Vancouver, BC, city councilor and Sightline board member Gordon Price, Price Tags is a pdf newsletter on urban design that tells the stories of how the region's cities are growing. (Sign up here!)
  

22. How do I subscribe or unsubscribe from Sightline’s email newsletters?
To subscribe to Cascadia Scorecard News or the Weekly Score, register with Sightline.org, and under “Subscriptions,” check the box next to each publication you’d like to subscribe to. If you’re already registered with Sightline.org, but not subscribed to any email publications, go to Update Your Profile to update your subscriptions. This is also where you can unsubscribe from Cascadia Scorecard News and/or the Weekly Score.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from morningTIDE, use this form.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from Price Tags, send your email address to pricetags@shaw.ca.

23. I'm subscribed to one or more of Sightline's email newsletters, but I don't seem to be receiving them (or when I do, they look funny). Why?

• First, make sure your subscribed by going to Upate Your Profile and updating your subscriptions.
  
• Your Internet service provider or your email software may be blocking our email newsletters from your inbox. Add the email addresses scorecardnews@sightline.org and ask-us@sightline.org to your personal address book.
• If graphics are not showing up, put your cursor over one of the graphics, right click your mouse, and select “Download Pictures.”
  
• If your newsletter looks jumbled or hard to read, try clicking on the link at the top of each newsletter that says: "Having trouble reading this? Click here to read online."
• If you continue to have problems, send a note to ask-us@sightline.org and we'll see if we can help.
  

Registering with Sightline.org

24. Why should I register with Sightline.org?
When you register with sightline.org, you'll get access to our premium material, including high-resolution versions of our maps and other graphics and pdfs of most of our books. You'll also be able to comment on our blog and sign up for (and unsubcribe to) Sightline's email newslettters.

28. What’s the difference between "registration" and "membership?"
“Registration” refers to registering with our website, Sightline.org. Registration is the simple act of providing your name, email address, and a password on this form, giving you complete access to all of Sightline’s work available through our website. “Membership” is an unrelated status reserved for those who donate $35 per year or more to Sightline. Members support Sightline’s work financially, and receive special benefits. We encourage you both to register with our website, and become a member of our organization!

Working with Sightline

29. Can I volunteer for Sightline?
Absolutely! See Volunteer with Sightline for details.

30. Does Sightline have internships or current job openings?
Maybe! See Jobs & Internships for current listings.

31. Will Sightline promote an event I’m organizing?
Very possibly! Send a request to askus@sightline.org or (206) 447-1880 x109.

32. How do I found out about getting someone from Sightline to speak at my event?
First see Sightline Speakers for more information, then contact Mieko Moody at mieko@sightline.org or (206) 447-1880 x100.