Steve Richard is the heart, energy, and inspiration behind Sustainable Lafayette, which has in 5 years made huge environmental improvements in our California town.

It all started in 2007, when Steve was talking with a friend about their recent attempts to green their lives. As they traded tips and advice, they hatched the idea of launching a website to showcase successful changes that friends and neighbors made, so that all Lafayette citizens could find advice, information, and confidence to green their lifestyles. The website (www.sustainablelafayette.org) has become a goldmine of facts, tips, resources, success stories, and event announcements.  I met Steve when he and co-founder Bart Carr decided to bring other folks into the project. Soon there were 11 board members and then a thousand people on our mailing list.

Sustainable Lafayette has hosted many community events, including a wonderful community picnic and celebration each Earth Day, a lights-out Earth Hour complete with fire dancers, and a delicious local/organic potluck for the first annual Food Day. We’ve   gathered donations to start a community education and demonstration garden, held educational workshops and green film festivals, brought in a farmers’ market, published a monthly green Tip of the Month in a local newspaper, and offered a Green Business Recognition program. Our Green Schools Initiative reduced electric bills by swapping outdated light fixtures, cut water bills by replacing small unused lawns with native plants, and created student- and parent-led green teams at each school to focus on recycling and waste reduction. Next up: A website to encourage people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes, feet, buses, and pogo sticks.

In 2010 we became a 501 (c) 3 and can now manage grants and mentor nearby cities in their sustainability projects. In 2011, Sustainable Lafayette won awards from our city, our county sustainability organization, and from Diablo Magazine, recognizing outstanding performance as a sustainability leader.

Steve’s unique combination of vision and leadership, coupled with an unfailingly optimistic and positive attitude, inspires and draws people to our group, and makes all of this work possible. Add his dedication, organizational skills, internet savvy, and excellent writing ability. Here’s what some board members wrote after our December holiday party, when we watched a slideshow of this year’s many achievements: 

"Thanks, Steve, to you for your wonderful leadership. What a great group! I feel so lucky to be part of such a positive, thoughtful community." Janet

"I'd like to second Janet's sentiments. The list of accomplishments for the year is truly impressive, and Steve, you should have inserted yourself into every other slide during last night's presentation, since you make so much of what we do possible." Michael

"I second Janet's thoughtful comments. Steve, thank you for supporting us in the opportunity to make a difference in our community." Barb

Steve’s unique contribution and inspiration are apparent to all–yet he is unassuming, easygoing, and always gives credit to others. Our inside source says,

"As Steve's wife, I can tell you first-hand just how passionate Steve is about Sustainable Lafayette and making our town a greener, more sustainable place. He always goes above and beyond to ensure that Sustainable Lafayette is perceived as a first-class, professional organization by all--which includes spending hours of extra time to ensure that materials, agendas, success stories, presentations, etc., are top quality and ready for prime time. Steve is also continually brainstorming on "what's next" --how can the organization keep growing and improving. Steve is also very passionate about making sure that every individual on the board feels they are productive and doing great things--he is always extremely giving of his time and energy to everyone and has an innate desire to make people feel special. This quality I see in Steve is a quality I have rarely come across in my life."

Only a picture is needed to complete this word portrait. You may have noticed in the photo that Steve looks like Jimmy Stewart, and I speak for many when I say he has helped us create A Wonderful Life!