Not enough organizations and not enough of our messaging, in my opinion, explicitly links the saving of the rural and natural resource landscape with more compact growth.  Lately I have begun to worry a bit that this fundamental link of humans to land and nature is getting a bit lost in all our preoccupation with climate, emissions, revitalization and, in my world, transportation.

One organization that makes the link very well is Washington State's Cascade Land Conservancy, which has saved some 150,000 acres of rural land in the Puget Sound region.  One of their most important initiatives is the Cascade Agenda, which the Conservancy and their public and private partners have formulated to shape expected growth in the Puget Sound region. 

Just this past month I have had an opportunity to learn about this work, and in the process I have come across this excellent five-minute video discussing the connections between conservation and smart development, and between development and how we live in and care for our communities.  It is one of the best introductory videos on smart growth that I have seen, and it makes a great teaching tool to show newcomers to these issues.  Enjoy: