Indicators: What and Why?
 Social, economic, and ecological indicators give us clues about the state of the community’s health. They measure the extent of community problems or assets, and can help us make better decisions by highlighting trends and pinpointing issues. The Roundtable indicators were selected to sketch a picture of the quality of life in South Sound. They were chosen by local citizens at a series of workshops hosted by the Sustainable Community Roundtable in the early 90s.
The criteria for selecting indicators were:
- Is it relevant to sustainability?
- Does it matter in the long-term?
- Is it inspiring or does it compel public and media interest?
- Can it be measured?
- Is reliable local data regularly collected and reported?
- Does it show a trend?
- Is there data from at least three years?
- Can trends be compared with other communities?
- Will community action make a significant difference?
Limited as they are, we hope these indicators will be useful for citizens, school and community groups, social agencies, and local governments.
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