Our organization seeks to shape both long- and short-term policy in Sausalito in order to preserve and enhance your public green spaces.  We are active in the General Plan process, most recently we have advocated for Public Landscapes to be considered infrastructure so money is set aside in the yearly budget to preserve these cultural landmarks for future generations. We believe that green infrastructure is just as important as grey infrastructure.

We also advocate for policy changes at:

• City Council: We submit letters and comment during meetings regarding the General Plan, City budget, major parks projects, and fire-safe landscaping for example. [City Council site]
• Planning Commission: We submit letters and comment during meetings regarding design of public green spaces, including streetscapes that may involve private land. [Planning Commission site]
• Parks & Recreation Commission: We bring forth solutions for park improvements and public art.[Parks & Recreation Commission site]
• Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee: We advocate for a walkable and bicycle-able city, with tree-lined paths, streets, and staircases that enhance public wellbeing. [Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee site]

Our goal is always to think creatively yet realistically, benchmark against other municipalities, and bring forth solutions (not just problems).

Sausalito is our community… YOUR community! At Sausalito Beautiful, we motivate people to work together and encourage participation because together we are stronger and work is lighter. Whether it is raising awareness on an issue before the City Council, gathering families for a cleanup day at the park, or raising money to plant trees—ultimately we make our public green spaces sustainable by cultivating a community-wide culture of responsibility.

Education is the foundation for innovation and improvement, thus is an important aspect of Sausalito Beautiful’s work. We offer several methods of education since different people learn in different ways:

• Sausalito Beautiful’s Quarterly newsletter contains updates on the public greenspaces in Sausalito, ideas from around Marin County and the State of California, and insights into policies promoted by Sausalito Beautiful.
• Educational Events can inform and engage the public about issues like fire-smart gardening, native plants, vegetable gardening, sudden oak death, sea level rise and other climate change concerns.
• Our Ideas & Resources page serves as a source of information about beautifying our yards, neighborhoods, and city.

The vast majority of Sausalito Beautiful’s work involves our larger public green spaces that are enjoyed by everyone and anyone. We do, however, also work with motivated and organized neighborhood groups on smaller projects that have a narrower audience. The Poet’s Corner and Second Street Garden are good examples of neighborhood projects. For these types of projects, we can assist with information, fundraising, logistics, and marketing.

Sausalito’s Beautification Awards are a popular annual tradition for businesses and property owners who have significantly improved the aesthetics of Sausalito’s public spaces. These awards not only reward people and organizations who accomplish positive change, but the awards also provide inspiration for others to improve their public spaces. Beauty begets beauty.

Sausalito Beautiful is a small organization with big ideas. We can only realize our goals by partnering with various for-profit, non-profit, and municipal organizations along with individuals. Thankfully, Sausalito is home to world-class landscape architects, urban planners, and architectural firms. Our town also hosts vibrant and thoughtful nonprofit organizations such as Sausalito Woman’s Club, Lions Club and Rotary International. When our interests overlap, we work with many different organizations.