Institute for a Sustainable Future

ISF is a not-for-profit organization working to support and improve ecological health, through advocacy, research and education.

ISF works at the nexus of community, environment and health. Since our inception ISF has worked to break silos and forge new relationships in service of ecological health.

It was almost twelve years ago when ISF began work coordinating a national campaign aimed at eliminating mercury from healthcare. At that time, the healthcare sector was one of the largest contributors of mercury to the environment, with 1 in 8 women at risk of having children with learning disabilities because of mercury in their body. ISF led efforts to pass the first mercury ban, led efforts to close mercury sales as pharmacy chains nationally and helped move efforts globally.

In 2004, ISF initiated a national sustainable food in healthcare campaign with the goal of linking healthcare food procurement to the development of local, sustainable food systems. Within four years, over 400 hospitals across the country have pledged to source sustainable foods. Through efforts by ISF, hospitals in N.E. Minnesota are now leaders in the elimination of sugary beverage sales and 20% local food commitments creating national models of prevention.

In 2013, ISF launched the Commons Health Network with the goal of connecting health equity with healthcare delivery through a commons framework.

ISF work was recognized through a Minnesota Governor's Award and its Executive Director was chosen as a National Thought Leader for his work on Sustainable Food in Healthcare. ISF developed and provides guidance on the Green Guide for Health Care the nation's only self certifying metric for sustainable food service procurement and operations and has consulted for the Chinese EPA, UNEP, WHO  and other organizations around the globe.