Newsday's editorial page recently published its wish list for leaders in 2012, including goals of nurturing Long Island's economy, making progress in Congress, and containing the federal budget. Newsday then invited readers to submit their personal ideas, thoughts and wishes for a better 2012. Along with residents across Long Island, as well as elected officials and civic leaders, Sustainable Long Island's wish for 2012 was one of the chosen published responses. Below is the the full letter written by Executive Director Amy Engel:

For 2012, I wish for a year where all Long Islanders can and will work together. Where residents of all ages - community members, business leaders, elected officials- can come together over shared concerns for Long Island's vulnerable individuals, environmentally sensitive parcels, and most distressed neighborhoods. In recent years sustainability has become a model of economic growth and throughout the upcoming year it will produce positive change across the region.

My hope is to bring continued planning to communities in need of revitalization for their downtowns and surrounding areas. My goal is to help equip Long Islanders with resources and to leverage investments for redevelopment during project implementation.

My wish is to work together in 2012, to advance economic viability and environmental protection, to foster equitable opportunities, and promote policy to support sustainable development and community and regional planning for the future of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

This month, Sustainable Long Island had an op-ed placed in the Long Island Business News on the recent award of $101 million in funding from New York State and how this turnaround has Long Island headed in the right direction. Below is an excerpt of the piece and to read the entire article visit Sustainable Long Island's Blog.

Sustainable Long Island has been awarded $20,000 from JPMorgan Chase Foundation in support of advancing food equity and economic development. Sustainable Long Island will continue to recognizing challenges and potential solutions to the issue of food equity; a lack of access to healthy, affordable food in Long Island's most distressed communities.

"Now more than ever, Long Islanders are seeking assistance for basic necessities, perhaps the most basic being the need for food," said Amy Engel, Executive Director of Sustainable Long Island. "With JPMorgan Chase Foundation's assistance, Sustainable Long Island is able to continue to address the long-term economic development issues related to food equity."

The funding from JPMorgan Chase Foundation will support projects such as the development of a food system report card, the growth of youth-run farmers' markets in Nassau and Suffolk County, the creation of a youth food policy council, and the expansion of our Food Equity Advisory Committee.

Entering the 4th year of existence, Sustainable Long Island's Food Equity Program focuses on identifying healthy food access as a priority of Long Island communities, long-term regional sustainability, economic development benefits, and environmental protection. Sustainable Long Island continues to build a network of national experts and regional leaders to identify policies and implement projects that lead to a boost in the local economy, the creation of jobs, the empowerment of communities, and the increase in healthy food choices.  

"JPMorgan Chase takes great pride in supporting organizations like Sustainable Long Island that strengthen communities in a variety of ways," said Vinford A. Mentar, VP of Global Philanthropy with JPMorgan Chase Foundation. 

Across the nation attention is shifting to issues of food access with a growing interest in creating more sustainable local and regional food systems. What's missing in the local conversation that Sustainable Long Island brings to the dialogue is equity - making sure that this new emphasis on local, fresh, healthy food includes everyone. Sustainable Long Island works to address the need to increase the accessibility of fresh and local foods to all communities in local and regional planning processes as a matter of social justice, economic development, and environmental health.

(via Newsday) - The Long Island Index, published by the Rauch Foundation, has for nine years polled Long Islanders about their attitudes about living here, including opinions about LI's schools, housing, and the like, and has issued special analyses over the period.   

This year's special analysis produced the inaugural Long Island Innovation Index, prepared by the California-based Collaborative Economics Inc., which assessed Long Island's assets, such as its research capacity, investment capital and more.   

The report noted the Island has the potential to become a powerhouse of innovation bu using our existing assets, such as Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory research centers; growing federal investment in research and development; and a growing science and engineering workforce.     

The report also noted about six in ten Long Islanders say they have at least some difficulty in paying their rent or mortgage with 61 percent of those surveyed saying it was "somewhat difficult" or "very difficult" to pay the rent or mortgage in an average month.  

Read the full report and view the presentation slides from the launch meeting at the Long Island Index's website and let us know your thoughts on the findings.   

To close out 2011, Sustainable Long Island held a Thank You Celebration for some of the organization's donors, funders, and generous supporters. It is these supporters who sustain us and our mission and for that we are truly grateful.

Supporting contributions, donations, and generosity, lets us do our part in creating a Long Island that can endure in times of financial hardship; one that fosters a vibrant economy, a healthy environment, and creates opportunities for all.

With ongoing support, we will continue to promote policy initiatives and projects that ensure a sustainable tomorrow for all Long Islanders.  

We'd like to take this time to thank all of you so much for believing in us and in our region as a whole!