Appendix B:
Acknowledgments

This report is about people, and its development was only possible through people -- people who gave generously of their time, knowledge, and resources. The participation of so many individuals and organizations, representing thousands of others, was critical to achieving the goals of the PLTF and PCSD. In this section, we can recognize only a few of those who gave so much to ensure the success of the effort; we extend our sincere thanks to countless others who participated directly and indirectly.

Thanks go first and foremost to the Task Force co-chairs, members drawn from the President's Council on Sustainable Development, and all of the other Task Force members. The Co-Chairs -- Judith Espinosa and Michele Perrault -- and Council members -- Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Sam Johnson, Madeleine Kunin, Jonathan Lash, and Tim Wirth -- have guided the Task Force process and activities with vision, patience, and determination. They worked tirelessly to focus attention on the importance of education and public outreach during Council meetings and in the final Council report.

The other Task Force members -- our "visionary experts" from around the country who volunteered their time to advise, guide, and help craft the work products -- are extended heartfelt thanks for their participation. The Task Force was fortunate to have had the participation of such a dedicated, motivated and highly knowledgeable group of individuals. We are also grateful for the thoughtful insights provided by participants in special Task Force fora. Through the hard work and creativity of these individuals, the concept of sustainability, and action toward it, is being diffused throughout society. The Task Force and the nation are greatly indebted to them.

TASK FORCE MEMBERS

FORUM PARTICIPANTS

Our deepest appreciation is extended to Marty Spitzer, the new Executive Director of the PCSD. He was preceded by Keith Laughlin, who received the baton from Molly Harriss Olson, the first Executive Director, in the spring of 1996. Their outstanding leadership has been inspiring. We also thank all of the current and former staff for their support and guidance. Many individuals, public agencies, and private organizations and businesses went above and beyond the call of duty to help the Task Force. In particular, we acknowledge the following:

• U.S. Department of Education. Madeleine Kunin, Deputy Secretary, and her Task Force liaison, Carole Wacey, worked tirelessly to coordinate activities involving PLTF's Education Working Group and the Task Force demonstration project, National Forum on Education About the Environment.

• U.S. Department of Energy. Secretary Hazel O'Leary and her management team provided funding to Second Nature for support of PLTF dialogue activities. Superb printing and distribution arrangements for this report were handled by Jim Morrison and Willie Bruce, with management by Brian Costlow and Bob Stiefel.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Administrator Carol Browner and her management team provided support and resources for PCSD and PLTF initiatives. John Chamberlin, Director, Office of Administration, and Julius Jimeno, Director of the Safety, Health and Environmental Management Division (SHEMD), provided space and equipment for the use of PLTF volunteer staff. Michael Baker, Director, Environmental Education Division, and a PLTF member, helped secure the services of a writer who initiated work on this report. He also served as a panelist during the Educating for Sustainability Community Forum held in Chattanooga, TN. A special thank you goes to David Scott Smith, Associate Director of SHEMD, who provided creative ideas and examples of sustainability education projects in action for this report's development. He also wrote sections of the report and provided the management, staff, and contractor technical assistance required to produce it.

• Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF). Tom Harvey and the GETF team supported Council efforts by creating a flyer on the Council, establishing an on-line network for the Council and Task Force members, and helping to develop a PCSD home page on the World Wide Web.

• Global Initiatives, Inc. (GII). Cindy Cobb and GII staff and subcontractors worked diligently to prepare the final versions of this report for printing and mounting on PCSD's homepage on the World Wide Web of the Internet.

• Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). Keith Wheeler, Executive Director of GREEN and a PLTF member, was instrumental in coordinating the first of three policy fora for the Task Force. The GREEN office invited a group of visionaries in the fields of education, public relations, government, and business to the forum; and coordinated all logistics for lodging, transportation, and meeting rooms, as well as creating the agenda.

• S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. S.C. Johnson has been a generous supporter of the PLTF's mission to educate the public about sustainability and to formulate policies on education for sustainability. Sam Johnson's Task Force liaison, Cynthia Georgeson, tirelessly participated in the Task Force's work and helped coordinate and/or finance the following:
  • Education Working Group Meeting, Washington, D.C., July 8, 1994;
  • Youth Presentations to the Council, Chattanooga, Tennessee, January 10, 1995;
  • Policy Forum, Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 17-20, 1995; and
  • Sustainable Development Education Roundtable, Washington, D.C., March 24, 1995.

• Second Nature. Under the leadership of Tony Cortese, CEO, a memorandum of understanding was established, which enabled the group to raise and spend funds on behalf of the Task Force. Second Nature, along with the PCSD, organized the second PLTF conference, held in Essex, Massachusetts, to formulate principles for sustainability in higher education. The conference featured a diverse group of experts from the United States and abroad. Also, Marion Wieting and Helen Goldberg were instrumental in ensuring that operations ran smoothly.

• Economics Working Group/Tides Foundation. As chair of PLTF's Jobs and Labor Working Group, Ruth Caplan worked tirelessly to organize and facilitate three jobs, labor, and sustainability roundtables in Chattanooga, Boston, and San Francisco. The information gleaned from these was the basis for the information presented in this report on workforce development.

None of the Task Force work, demonstration projects, fora, roundtables, discussions, brochures, or other activities would have been possible without the generous financial and other support of the following organizations, which contributed to Second Nature on behalf of the Task Force: Browning-Ferris Industries, Copen Family Foundation, General Motors, Georgia-Pacific, National Consortium for Environmental Education and Training, Pacific Gas & Electric, and S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.

We also gratefully acknowledge Susie Tillman and Jeff Hill, both formerly with Chattanooga Venture, and Mary Beth Sutton of the Chattanooga Nature Center, who were indispensable in helping facilitate PLTF activities during the Council's Chattanooga meeting. David Sibbet and Ed Claasen of Grove Consultant International and Suzanne Bailey and Kay Cash-Smith of Bailey Alliance facilitated and summarized PLTF meetings so that thoughts and ideas for the report could be captured. James Hung, Bill Hough, Victor Minotti, Dean Noftzinger, Kevin Tarpley, Brian Trelstad, and Amy Weinberg helped facilitate PLTF meetings in San Francisco focusing on youth, international sustainability, and continuing dialogue on sustainability.