The Sustainable Living Center at Pringle Creek Community is part of a living model of community, nature and innovation.

Our History

The Sustainable Living Center (SLC) at Pringle Creek Community is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 2007. SLC is a completely volunteer-run organization that offers educational and social events to facilitate community interaction and provide tools to empower people to lead more informed and more sustainable lives.

Our Mission

The Sustainable Living Center at Pringle Creek Community provides a unique living laboratory that educates and encourages sustainable practices in daily life.  Through community partnerships, we deliver hands-on programs that demonstrate sustainability in action and inspire environmental excellence.  

Our Community’s History

Chemeketa (Salem) has been the home of the Kalapuyans since time immemorial. The original territory of these nineteen autonomous Tribes and Bands ran throughout the Willamette Valley, and into both mountain ranges. Today, the Kalapuyans are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. In 1908, this area was part of the State Institution for the “Feeble-Minded.” In the mid-60s, it was re-named “Fairview Hospital and Training Center,” until its closure in 2000. In the mid 1990s, when the state decided to phase out its activities at the Fairview Training Center, a master plan was created to reimagine the land. Called “Sustainable Fairview,” this plan involved taking the 275 acres from Fairview Training Center to develop residences, businesses, and schools, all connected by an extensive network of linked parks, open spaces, and protected natural resources. One of the goals was to reuse as many existing buildings and preserve as many trees and open spaces as possible. Pringle Creek Community was the first part of Fairview to be re-developed and has attracted sustainably-minded neighbors dedicated to continuing this vision.