For 16 years Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) has published its flagship indicator report for San Mateo County, which is located between San Francisco and Silicon Valley in California. The report shows progress made towards achieving a sustainable balance between economic growth, an equitable society, and a healthy environment. For the 2012 report, Ecologic Institute in San Mateo was the report’s coordinator and editor.

On 21 May 2012, the 2012 Indicators Report was published at the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Redwood City, California.

The report provides current information on 43 indicators, including energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, environmentally friendly transportation, water resources and quality, solid waste generation, poverty, and income inequality. And although the report focuses on San Mateo County, it puts the indicators into a meaningful context by providing comparisons with neighboring counties, the state of California and the United States. The local character of the report is further supported by a survey of actions towards sustainability in the 20 cities and towns in the county.

New in 2012 are a stand-alone 8-page summary of the report, the integration of GIS-based information, an increased focus on the inclusion of local solutions and success stories, and an overall strengthened system-oriented presentation of the indicators according to the three pillars of sustainability.

To prepare the 2012 report, Ecologic Institute coordinated the work of more than 40 volunteers, among them students from Mills High School in Millbrae and San José State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Department. The report can be downloaded for free from Sustainable San Mateo County.