The mission of the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities is to promote an integrated approach to sustainability through education, public visioning, partnership, and coordination. The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities (JISC) was created in 1996 by the University of Nebraska College of Architecture. JISC focuses on the built environment to promote sustainable development. Today, JISC works independently from the University in its advocacy and modeling of sustainable design and development. JISC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with offices in Lincoln and Omaha. Sustainable design is the promotion of human systems in balance with the natural environment. JISC promotes an integrated approach to issues of sustainability, facilitating this process. JISC’s educational programs and projects inform professionals, civic and regional leaders, and concerned citizens of how sustainable design and development concepts are being implemented and how to assess local issues that need to be addressed.