SA Work Study Groups

As a member of SA you can take on issues of sustainable economic development in depth with leaders from organizations across the country. Our unique network of coalitions provides numerous opportunities for innovative and thoughtful solutions to common problems abound. SA’s Work Study Groups are one way this is achieved.

SA work study groups have been strategizing in the areas of:

    • Business Ventures,


    • Environment-Friendly Taxes,


    • Welfare Reform and Job Creation, and


    • Human Rights and Workers Rights.

Some of the work study groups have produced organizer kits that will help other members and people around the country initiate innovative and practical activities that promote sustainable economic development. Our "Human Rights Organizer Kit" and our "Welfare Reform and Job Creation Organizer Kit" are available now! The "Environment-Friendly Taxes Organizer Kit" will be available in May 1999. To order the organizer kits, please see our publications webpage

Business Ventures

The Business Ventures Work Study Group, comprised of 20+ SA organizational members, has been working towards developing effective activities and projects to promote and support sustainable businesses. SA staff is working on a new integrated "Campaign to Promote Sustainable Businesses". Through this campaign, the group intends to do the following:
  • Help grow the sustainable business sector;


  • Offer options to member groups exploring roles they might play in supporting sustainable businesses; and


  • Help existing and new sustainble businesses.


Environment-Friendly Taxes

Environment-friendly tax strategies are a powerfully tool that can impact both development patterns and environmental protection. SA’s work study group created an organizer kit (available in May 1999) that will help you:

  • Better understand environment-friendly taxes, the tax terms that apply to them and examples of their use;


  • Better understand why advocating these strategies can help save energy, reduce pollution, preserve waterways, improve neighborhoods and redevelop brownfields; and


  • See the connections between community democracy, the environment and sustainable development.
The specific campaigns included in the kit are:

Tax carbonTax contaminated sites
Tax major point pollution sourcesTax waste
Tax fertilizers and pesticidesTax water
Tax vehicle emissionsTax timber
Tax land speculationTax fishery

Welfare Reform and Job Creation

At SA’s 1997 General Assembly, there was widespread concern about the impact of the new "welfare reform" policies. Given that SA’s vision of sustainable economic development aims to meet the economic needs of all segments of society, responding to this issue became a priority. SA has created the "Welfare Reform and Job Creation Organizer Kit" which helps organizations identify federal funds used in their communities and strategies that can help re-direct this funding towards sustainable job creation. The document also re-examines current welfare policy in light of sustainable economic development and highlights its pitfalls.

Human Rights and Workers Rights

Working towards the celebration of the 50th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Human Rights and Workers Rights Work Study Group members have been strategizing to make economic rights - the rights to living wages, to non-discrimination on the job, to sustainable development, to safe working conditions, etc. - a bigger part of the human rights agenda. The work study group created an organizer kit that describes actions you or your organization could take to promote economic human rights and sustainable development, support your community, and connect to the international community commemorating the 50th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.



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