We help our clients develop and advocate for policies that harness market forces and best practices to turn environmental problems into opportunities for prosperity. We seek to correct market, cultural and regulatory failures that needlessly pit human interests against those of the environment. We help individuals, organizations and communities adapt and flourish as vehicles of the transition to a sustainable society by providing them with the right information, strategies, tools and partners.
Resterra is guided by the following core principles:
Whole Systems Approach
Community sustainability needs extend across energy, climate protection, the built environment, land development, transportation, social networks, economic development, cultural
heritage and infrastructure sectors. Resterra analyzes interconnected issues where decision-makers may
not have the best conditions to identify causes or connections of a given issue in a comprehensive way. To
understand why a problem exists or how to leverage a benefit is to understand the part in relation to the
whole. Not only does systems thinking point the way to solutions to particular problems, but it also reveals
interconnections between problems, which often permits one solution to be leveraged to create many more.
More than just adding green features to communities, plans, or initiatives, RestTerra's integrated strategies
consider all aspects of the project, from environmental impacts, public engagement, aesthetics, function
and receptivity to industry-related challenges such as financing, scheduling, and regulatory compliance.
Resilience Thinking Lens
Resilience thinking is about understanding and engaging with a changing world. By understanding how and why the system as a whole is changing we are better placed to work with
change. Building resilience into human-environment systems is an effective way to cope with change
characterized by surprises and unknowable risks. There are four main clusters of factors relevant to building
resilience: (1) learning to live with change and uncertainty, (2) nurturing various types of ecological, social
and political diversity for increasing options and reducing risks, (3) increasing the range of knowledge for
learning and problem-solving, and (4) creating opportunities for self-organization, including strengthening of
local institutions and building cross-scale linkages and problem-solving networks. Local communities are
better able to withstand various cycles of change if they know more about the ecological drivers of their
region, embrace rather than control the processes of natural change, and are empowered to make their own
decisions about appropriate local developments.
Solution Driven
Rather than focusing on problems and assigning blame, we find better ways of meeting human needs that turn snowballing costs and problems into cascading savings and solutions.
Environmental damage arises from an effort, usually sincere, to meet human needs. Citizens opposed to
inappropriate development can be too easily cast as being opposed to this goal. The benefits of a positive
approach are many. It broadens our constituency and fosters creativity and innovation. And by focusing on
what we are for rather than against, it inspires and energizes our staff and partners- often enlisting
unexpected allies including the public.