Sustainable Driftless, Inc. Overview

Our 2018 Board of Directors: 

Kent Johnson, Nancy Breed, George Howe, Brian Rude, Julia Henley, Tim Jacobson, Brian Murphy, and Thomas Johnson

Founded in 2016, Sustainable Driftless non-profit, has been working towards environmental protection and 

sustainable growth  for over 9 years.

 We have made significant strides in promoting sustainability and awareness of the uniqueness of the Driftless Region 

with our media productions and outreach--millions have seen our first award-winning documentary!

Environmentalists and Board Members, Tim Jacobson and our beloved late George Howe (1960-2024) of Sustainable Driftless, along with Rob Nelson and Jonas Stenstrom , of Untamed Science, teamed up to produce a feature-length science adventure documentary film on the amazing origins, geology, biodiversity, and resources of the Driftless Region.  The team delivered extremely rare footage of natural phenomena and scenic beauty in the Driftless in a way never seen before!  

Decoding the Driftless, with fun-loving hosts from Untamed Science, opened the eyes, minds, and hearts of millions of people to the Driftless like never before. Their immersive journey took viewers to parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois to uncover ancient hidden mysteries, endangered Ice-Age throwbacks, and globally rare ecosystems. This film has inspired young and old to appreciate the majesty of this unique region of the world.

In 2018, a film festival version of Decoding the Driftless premiered, and was shown nationally and internationally. The film was honored as either “Best Picture” or “Best Documentary” by Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards in Hollywood, Gold Movie Awards in London, UK, Festigious International Film Festival in Los Angeles, Filmmakers Connect Awards, Los Angeles Cinematography AWARDS, Beloit International Film Festival, Iowa Independent Film Festival, and Red Cedar Film Festival. Both the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards and the New York Film Awards selected it for “Best Cinematography.” IndieFEST Film Awards in La Jolla, California, conferred a “Humanitarian Award of Distinction,” and WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival issued a Silver Remi Award to Decoding the Driftless. 

Also, the film was honored for “Outstanding Excellence” by the Docs Without Borders Film Festival, received the Titletown Jury Award and Audience Choice in the Green Bay Film Festival, was named a Finalist by the Florence (Italy) Film Awards, reached the Final List of Semi-Finalists at the jellyFEST Film Festival (Los Angeles, CA), was an official selection in the Accolade Global Film Competition (La Jolla, CA), and was recognized at the 2019 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Wisconsin Dells.

 In 2021, a made-for-TV film version of Decoding the Driftless was honored with a regional Emmy® Award 

from the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences! 

We have been working on our new film, Spirit of the Driftless: Preserving Our Legacy, which premieres at 7PM on September 23, 2025 at Viterbo University.   The D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership , led by Director and Endowed Professor Rich Kyte, is sponsoring this free event.  

To honor our goal of environmental education Sustainable Driftless created a series of lesson plans based upon Decoding the Driftless and offered them free of charge to all schools in the region.   Lesson plans are being created for Spirit of the Driftless as well.

Dedicated to celebrating sustainability throughout the Driftless, an annual awards program will spotlight initiatives from throughout the entire Driftless area.  Watch for more information about how to be involved in this exciting initiative to debut in April 2026.