"It is a privilege to live here-both in the Puget Sound region and on this earth. It is our responsibility to allow others that same privilege," says Alex Loeb, a founding member of Sightline's Cascadia Stewards Council.

"I think we both had upbringings that fostered a responsibility that grew in us to include sustainability," says Alex's partner, Ethan Meginnes. They feel that living in the Pacific Northwest has "widened our personal view and presented us with new opportunities" to understand how humans interact with the earth and focus on particular areas of interest.

Ethan and Alex both grew up in the Northeast. For Ethan, moving to Seattle was about shaking up a "planned life." For Alex, it was love at first sight on a spring break trip in college: "I saw the Puget Sound out the front of the car and the Cascades in the rearview mirror and knew I had to live here." Twenty years and a career at Microsoft later, they finally have time to really enjoy the area together and give back to the community.

Ethan and Alex are continuously exploring what it means to live sustainably. Over the past few years, they've changed their purchasing habits to be much more locally based, and have been "green" shoppers for a long time. "We bike, kayak, or walk often in place of using our car." And their home on Hood Canal is a testament to their commitment of trying to put their values into practice.

"People always call me a planner. Heck, my friends even tricked me into planning my own birthday party once," says Alex. "That same trait has me looking into the future on a bigger scale. And what I see scares me." They both acknowledge that change is slow and hard. "But being aware certainly helps to lead to more responsible actions."

"Organizations like Sightline help. The more we know, the better we can be. So many choices aren't clear. Is it better to sell our solid five-year-old Subaru and get a new hybrid that gets better gas mileage? Well, it turns out to be a debate." Alex finds that "Sightline's forums help us learn more, exchange ideas, and hopefully not only better ourselves, but our region."

In addition to learning and working to live sustainably, Ethan and Alex are very focused in their giving of time and money. "We try to donate back the education we both were able to receive. We give to organizations that do great work in sustainability and environmental responsibility, and occasionally to political movements that have a realistic chance of an effective impact.

"More importantly though, we have tried hard to give our time!" says Ethan. "We've gotten more involved in Sightline Institute, Climate Solutions, and Northwest Ecosystem Alliance because they are effective organizations making an impact, each in their own way."

As for advice on helping create a better future, Ethan and Alex have a simple message: "Get more involved now! Our area has tremendous resources to learn about sustainability. Take advantage of them and then go do something with the knowledge."

Ethan Meginnes and Alex Loeb volunteer for Sightline and are members of the Cascadia Stewards Council, Sightline's multi-year giving society.