Chapter 6
Continuing the Dialogue
Ultimately, our nation's children and grandchildren are the ones who
will see the progress of the dialogue on sustainability. If today's
adults ask the right questions, generate productive answers, and take
meaningful actions, the dialogue will have a much different form by the
time the next generation takes charge. If we conduct the exchange well,
they will honor us. If we do it poorly, they will be right to blame us
for their plight.
The process begun by the President's Council on Sustainable Development
(PCSD) has initiated the dialogue, but the question now is how to ensure
its continuation. Sustaining a fruitful dialogue in regions of the
country that are dependent on resource-based industries is one of the
most important next steps. Recent focus groups in Grand Junction,
Colorado, and Bend, Oregon, provided insights into how to frame the
dialogue so that it resonates with those who have close economic
connections with the extraction of resources.1 The focus group research
indicated that residents in Western communities respond to a message
that focuses on long-term, stable, and sustainable economic progress.
They believe their communities need to achieve greater economic diversity
and understand that resource protection is part of a long-term economic
strategy.
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At the same time, residents of these Colorado and Oregon communities
worry that good-paying jobs in extractive industries are being replaced
by lower paying jobs in tourism and recreation. A persuasive economic
dialogue to these Westerners includes discussion of tax incentives for
bringing in the right industries, specific training for future jobs, and
support for starting small businesses. |
A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to
survive and move toward higher levels.
-- Albert Einstein |
The Westerners have a well-developed sense of place, value the beauty of
nature, and recognize their responsibility to provide long-term
stewardship of the environment for the sake of future generations.
Members of the focus groups indicated that they see growth and
development as mixed blessings. They also view a healthy environment as
a key component of their quality of life. They want to use, but not
exploit or destroy, their resources. In short, they are looking for
balance and moderation. They believe it is possible to work together
toward a realistic balance of environmental protection and economic
stability. Notes pollster Celinda Lake, in reference to a question on
environment versus jobs in the Pacific Northwest, in an October 1994
survey by the Communications Consortium Media Center, "voters clearly
want moderation and a balanced approach which gives them both a strong
economy and a strong environment."
These focus group findings can likely be extrapolated to most Americans.
If people are indeed looking for a realistic balance, then they are
searching for sustainability. Turning that quest into productive action
is the reason for continuing the dialogue.
Toward Sustainability
Prosperity, fairness, and a healthy environment are interrelated
elements of the human dream for a better future. Sustainable development
is a way to pursue that dream through choice and policy. Three themes
are essential to any implementation strategy for setting the nation on
the path to sustainability:
- expanding the American dream to embrace and value sustainability;
- nurturing grassroots leadership for sustainability, complemented by
stewardship and support at all levels, and
- encouraging hope, and cultivating the knowledge, will, and a system of
recognition and rewards for individuals and organizations to take the
steps toward realizing their dreams for a sustainable future.
Expanding the American Dream
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Our vision is of a life-sustaining Earth. We are committed to the
achievement of a dignified, peaceful, and equitable existence. A
sustainable United States will have a growing economy that
provides equitable opportunities for
satisfying livelihoods and a safe, healthy, high quality of life for
current and future generations. Our nation will
protect its environment, its natural resource base, and the functions and
viability of natural systems on which all life depends.
-- The President's Council
on Sustainable Development |
Over the past 50 years, the
United States has enjoyed phenomenal success
in disseminating the American ideal of democracy, basic human rights,
and a decent quality of life. Today, this American dream needs to be
expanded to holistically include environmental protection, economic
progress, and social equity. Seeking sustainable solutions and taking
sustainable action must become an integral part of our daily lives. The
fundamental principles of sustainability should serve to guide not only
our individual lives, but also those of businesses, communities, the
nation as a whole, and societies world-wide. |
Although we do not all share the same definition of the American dream,
there are certain aspects of our society -- such as spiraling
consumerism -- that conflict with the realities of living on a
relatively small planet with a finite resource base. Our society's
emphasis must shift to bring us together with shared values based on
stewardship. Quality of life is enriched not so much by things as by
creative accomplishments in every aspect of one's life: job,
relationships, and civic contributions to community and society.
Organizations that foster the personal growth of citizens and
improvements to our communities can produce greater satisfaction and
hope, increased productivity and achievement, and an enhanced quality of
life.
A prevalent assumption in our country is that technology can continue to
produce more and more consumer goods while minimizing adverse impacts to
the environment and health. We are coming to recognize that
organizations and nations that want to remain competitive, socially well
balanced, and healthy must redesign every aspect of their planning and
production processes to become "eco-efficient." Environmental
technologies and eco-efficient manufacturing and business practices may
not constitute a technological fix in the sense of allowing open-ended
growth, but they can provide some flexibility and allow us to re-examine
and expand our values. Our American culture imposes a moral incumbency
to champion a responsible vision and action for the future which
embrace and advance the principles and objectives of sustainability.
| Patagonia and Sustainable
Agriculture |
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Patagonia, Inc., designer, manufacturer, and distributor of outdoor
clothing, is shifting its entire cotton line to organically grown
cotton. Organic cotton is grown without the use of harmful chemical
pesticides, herbicides, and defoliants. "We have realized for years
that every product we make involves some level of pollution," says
Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia's founder. "But one of the most surprising
things to a lot of us was how damaging conventional cotton really
is." To make and deliver a 100 percent cotton shirt requires as much
as five gallons of petroleum. In fact, the average so-called "100
percent cotton" product is only 73 percent cotton fiber; the rest is
chemicals and resins. "Given what we now know about conventional
cotton, there is no going back on this decision, regardless of its
impact on the company's sales or profits."
Patagonia is consulting with the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), a global
coalition advancing alternatives to harmful pesticides, to draw on its
expertise in promoting sustainable agriculture. "When clothing companies
buy organic crops, it makes a huge difference in farmers' ability to
convert to ecologically sound production, cuts poisonings, and gives
consumers a cleaner choice," explains Monica Moore, PAN's North American
regional coordinator. Organic farmers try to build a healthy environment
for plant growth while reducing the risk of disease and attacks by pests.
Water use on organic farms generally declines due to increased soil
health and the ability of improved soil with high organic content to hold
water. In the United States, certified organic cotton acreage has grown
from just 100 acres in 1989 to 15,000 acres in 1994.
Education about problems associated with conventional agriculture and the
benefits of sustainable growing practices is critical to promoting
change. By educating the public through advertising and promotion of its
products, Patagonia can influence consumer buying decisions and the way
other companies manufacture their products. Patagonia also has coupled an
aggressive employee training program with benefits such as in-house child
care and flexible work arrangements. As a result, Patagonia's employees
and consumers tend to be on the front line of global awareness and
grassroots activism.
The benefits of organic cotton farming make Patagonia's decision clear.
The message the company sends is "If we are aware of an environmental
problem and can realize a solution, we have an obligation to act." |
Consumers and Institutional Stewardship
Many businesses are responding to consumer pressures to use resources
sustainably, particularly in the fashion and beauty industry. The
International Design Resource Awards Competition rewarded those
companies that developed new mass-producible products using materials
from recycled or reprocessed materials, as well as markets to promote
these products. Award winners include the following:
- ECOSPORT is the nation's first company to produce garments from 100
percent certified organic cotton. It manufactures apparel without
bleaching, dyes, or harmful chemicals, thereby reducing the amount of
toxins entering the environment. It has created a market for organically
grown cotton. Farmers are responding to this need by using new
techniques such as hand weeding, mechanical cultivation, crop rotation,
planting schedules, mulches, composts, and the use of beneficial
insects. ECOSPORT considers itself to be a "benchmark, setting the
standard for the apparel industry, and continues to work toward making
the Earth a healthier and cleaner place."
- DEJA SHOE is a Portland, Oregon, based company that manufactures
footwear using recycled materials, nontoxic adhesives, sustainably
harvested plant materials, and leather-free alternatives. DEJA SHOE
recently received an award from the U.N. Environment Programme for its
"commitment to sustainable development and Earth stewardship and
especially for creative and exemplary initiatives in manufacturing
products based on principles of waste reduction and sustainable use of
the Earth's resources." DEJA SHOE backs its stewardship with a social
mission, donating five percent of pretax profits to help support the
World Conservation Union's Plants Program of the Species Survival
Commission.
- AVEDA, a cosmetic and beauty supply corporation, "is committed to
creating products and services beneficial to the consumer and the
environment" all over the world. It has formed partnerships with
indigenous people throughout the world, and works to promote economic
development and cultural awareness among its employees working within
these communities. Each year, AVEDA performs an "eco-audit" to determine
its environmental performance, initiates aggressive education and
training programs for its employees, and promotes an idea exchange with
environmental groups to generate new ideas and establish new programs.
- "It's more than how you look," is the creed of SEBASTIAN, a
concept-oriented beauty care company dedicated to serving the beauty
industry through environmental concern, ethics, and education. SEBASTIAN
has developed new hair care products derived from renewable and
replenishable rainforest extracts; this in turn has created economic
development for the indigenous people of Brazil. SEBASTIAN is also
involved in the LITTLE GREEN program, a children's environmental
project, and Club U.N.I.T.E. (Unity Now Is a Tomorrow for Everyone), a
foundation involved with critical social and health issues. In 1990,
SEBASTIAN announced that it would only do business with "responsible"
companies. To this end, it has asked clients to sign the following
declaration, "I pledge that my company is now, and will continue to be,
ecologically conscious and environmentally friendly. I will adhere to
and support Sebastian's Environmental Code of Ethics."
These companies each illustrate aspects of sustainability in action.
They have demonstrated that environmental and social responsibility, and
profitability, go hand in hand.
Fostering Grassroots Leadership
Surveys indicate that a majority of Americans are convinced of the need
for sustainability. They may lack information about sustainable
practices, but they find the concept persuasive. They believe in
sustainability, and for that reason, many have been initiating action at
the individual and community levels. Their efforts are reflected in the
success stories documented in this report and give meaning and
substantive content to what might otherwise be a vague or abstract
concept. Grassroots leadership can stimulate and unleash the creativity
and innovation that breathes life into the sustainability movement.
Although some Americans are cynical about government and discouraged
about its potential for effective action, there are many positive
changes taking place. Success depends upon individual and institutional
initiative. Individuals and organizations are often loathe to put into
action ideas that they do not themselves originate. Top-down, command
and control, stove-pipe strategies are not as effective as relationships
which emphasize interdisciplinary teaming, value diversity, and forge
strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships at all levels.
Government leadership and facilitation can effectively catalyze
innovative grassroots leadership and activities, as well as provide
coordination for what might otherwise be scattershot or redundant,
cookie cutter approaches. As a partnership of public and private leaders
-- from all levels of government and the private sector -- the PCSD has
aimed to provide leadership in a new manner, and to serve as a new breed
of catalyst, facilitator, and coordinator. But what really matters in
the end will be the individuals from all corners of the nation --
educators, youth, business leaders and employees, local community
leaders, local, state and federal policy makers, and members of the
media and other professions -- who will individually and collectively
determine whether sustainability is to be our planet's destiny.
Hope for the Future
Encouraging hope for a sustainable future is in part dependent upon
continually building awareness and knowledge about sustainability
matters into the fabric of individuals and institutions. Sharing
information and engaging in open dialogue in a manner that decreases the
likelihood of polarization, and increases collaboration between diverse
stakeholders is critical to success. The environmental movement has
contributed two very important lessons to the sustainability dialogue.
One is to make the issues and the solutions understandable, relevant,
and important at a personal level; the other is to make the message and
the process for change honest and positive. Applying these lessons has
been a powerful force in affecting significant local change on a broad
scale; the results are heartening. National environmental groups have
learned that local issues are most often responsible for awakening
environmental activism. A person's favorite tree being targeted for
cutting so that a road can be widened may be enough to transform a
passive bystander into an active environmentalist. A parent whose child
develops asthma may suddenly exhibit a deep personal interest in air
pollution. A homeowner whose neighborhood is slated to be the site of a
new industrial facility or sewage treatment plant may seek out an
environmental group that is defending property values as a by-product of
helping protect the health of the environment. The lesson is that it is
easier to assimilate new values if they have direct personal benefits.
Another lesson is that the -doom-and-gloom" approach wears thin. Threats
of catastrophe become less persuasive over time, especially when the
risks are exaggerated or not portrayed credibly. Such negative
approaches are less effective than positive ones that incorporate a
change in values. If sustainability is to be a persuasive theme, people
must find satisfying, alternative values and patterns of behavior.
Achieving sustainability depends on motivating people in a positive way
to replace non-sustainable practices with sustainable behaviors.
| Youth: Our Hope for the
Future |
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|
Around the globe, more and more youth are becoming aware of, and affected
by, environmental issues. As concern for the future grows among the youth
of the world -- a group that today represents half of the world's
population -- they are becoming a strong voice in the dialogue to raise
social consciousness, while increasing environmental protections and
global security.
Conferences like the 1994 and 1995 Global Youth Forums, sponsored by the
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. provide a
means to build partnerships, share ideas, and work toward delineating and
achieving common goals. The 1995 forum was attended by approximately
2,000 youth representatives from over 75 countries who ranged between 8
and 25 years old, each making their own contribution to the conference.
Youth presentations included a video encouraging communities to recycle
aerosol cans; and highlighted classrooms fueled by alternative energy,
youths organizing environmental clubs, establishing an environmental pen
pal network, lobbying the government for land for a bird sanctuary,
educating homeless families on health and environmental issues, and
developing a model for an energy-efficient house. "Every day, young
people make decisions that affect this planet, its inhabitants, and its
environment," notes Elizabeth Dowdeswell, U.N. Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director for the 1995 Global Youth Forum. "Young
people coordinate and implement projects and programs of tremendous
impact in every country on the face of the earth."
At the 1994 Forum, the conference participants ratified Ten Commitments
which articulate what they believe needs to be done to achieve a
sustainable world. The Ten Commitments focus on: Natural Resource
Utilization, Biodiversity, Atmosphere, Water, Energy, Waste, Sustainable
Living, Cooperation and Education, Human Rights, and Action. As the
rationale for these commitments states, "Ours is a generation unique in
the history of our world. Growing up in a reality of ozone holes and
global warming, mass extinctions and widespread poverty, we have learned
fear, but have confronted it time after time with hope and education...
As caring citizens of this planet, we commit ourselves to restoring and
preserving our world and to rebuilding our dreams of tomorrow -- pure
waters, vast wildlands, clean air and cities free of poverty..." These
Ten Commitments were presented, and warmly received at meetings of the
United Nations as well as the President's Council on Sustainable
Development in January 1995.
"Constructing an imaginative and creative scenario for development into
the 21st century depends on our faith, our confidence, and our trust in
youth." |
Bridges to a Sustainable Future
Implementing the recommendations suggested in this report can be
effectively accomplished when diverse stakeholders build bridges to
attain mutually shared goals. Joint visioning, short- and long-term
strategies, and realistic actions to achieve measurable objectives are
needed. PCSD is researching implementation strategies for the policy
recommendations contained in its report; its most immediate
implementation strategy is to disseminate its work as widely as
possible. Various venues may be employed, such as enlisting the
assistance of national leaders from government, industry, academia, and
celebrities from the sports and entertainment industries. Reports are to
be posted on PCSD's home page on the Internet.
As the purpose of the dialogue becomes known, various sectors should
step forward to meet the challenge of implementing the recommendations
contained in the reports of PCSD and its task forces, each of which is a
veritable idea bank of activities and success stories for local
adaptation. A first step for national groups should be to help recruit
leaders from nationwide industry associations, national media, major
professional societies, and national nonprofit organizations. It is
hoped that these leaders would then enlist the support of their groups
in developing appropriate strategies. An immediate initiative should be
to recruit champions from local civic groups and businesses who can
initiate community "visioning" processes and other grassroots activities.
Another early step of national groups should be to explore the impacts
of their sector on sustainability and develop plans to mitigate those
impacts.
The health care sector has already initiated such activities through the
National Association of Physicians for the Environment. Industry has
formed the Business Environment Learning and Leadership program, and
academia has established the University Leaders for a Sustainable
Future. Other sectors, such as the media, advertising, entertainment,
and publishing industries, can exert enormous influence by publicizing
successful models of sustainability.
Another immediate step, which PCSD is implementing, is to establish
linkages with existing global infrastructure that support
sustainability. Canada's Learning for a Sustainable Future is a
recognized global leader in education for sustainability. PCSD also has
reached out to the Canadian National Round Table on Sustainable
Development and has learned much from counterparts in Australia and
Switzerland. Building bridges internationally will prove as crucial in
the long run as forming partnerships within our own borders.
As mid-term strategies, national associations can help spread
sustainable practices worldwide by providing training assistance to
developing countries in areas important to sustainability, such as
environmental technologies. Within the United States, other mid-term
strategies might include the revision of tax policies to encourage
sustainable practices. A mid-term strategy specific to public linkage
and education is to expand professional training for educators in
teaching the principles of sustainability; this effort is one in which
professional societies, state and local governments, and communities can
take the leadership role.
Additional strategies include expanding interdisciplinary research,
developing interdisciplinary teaching materials, and publicizing success
stories through sustainability awards. These are the kind of strategies
that stretch from the near term into long-range goals. Industry's
development of eco-efficient production processes is another example of
an ongoing strategy, as is the financial community's responsibility to
offer enduring support programs in education for sustainability.
A critical component of all strategies, short- or long-range, will be
the development of benchmarks that can serve as indicators of success.
The North American Association for Environmental Education is working
with the World Resources Institute to develop standards for assessing
student achievement in education for sustainability; these educational
performance standards are one type of benchmark.
Other organizations, such as the World Bank and United Nations, are
working to develop indicators that measure progress in sustainable
development. John O'Connor, principal author of a recent World Bank
report on indicators, notes that significant intellectual retooling for
an interdisciplinary approach is needed to develop indicators that are
acceptable to disparate disciplines.2 Economists prefer statistical
tables, land managers are accustomed to graphic representations, and
still others favor narrative approaches. Finding an acceptable framework
of communication across various disciplines is a pressing need. The
World Bank considers this mandate to be so urgent that it has developed
interim indicators that can be employed by policy makers until an
improved, internationally agreed-upon framework is established. As
O'Connor notes, even if the Bank's calculations the first time around
are only approximations, they are a first step for providing decision
makers with an improved basis for assessing policy choices.
In calculating indicators of the wealth of nations, the World Bank
concluded that human resources often exceed the sum of the other two
components of a nation's wealth: natural resources and manufactured
assets. Ismail Serageldin, Vice President of the World Bank, notes that
the organization's findings "suggest that it is time to move beyond the
notion that investment is only what is embodied in machinery and
buildings. Investment in people, and capacity building in general, is
crucial for sustainable development."3
By stressing the importance of investing in capacity building -- that
is, in education and training -- the World Bank is tacitly recognizing
that it is individuals who will determine whether the nations of the
world will embark on a sustainable path. It is individuals who will
decide whether to act sustainably in their own lives. It is individuals
who will influence corporate behavior. It is individuals who will serve
as the leaders of communities and nations and help move them toward
sustainability.
As individuals, we all need to examine our own lives, decide our
priorities, and establish personal benchmarks to judge our progress. In
the end, what we do as individuals -- or what we fail to do -- will
determine whether humanity begins to live sustainably. One by one, our
individual actions will add to the sum total of human behaviors that
will determine our collective future.
| A National Agenda Supporting
Sustainability |
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"In almost all the natural domains, the Earth is under stress -- it is a
planet that is in need of intensive care. Can the United States, the
American people, pioneer sustainable patterns of consumption and
lifestyle, and can you educate for that? This is a challenge that we
would like to put out to you." So said Dr. Noel J. Brown of the U.N.
Environment Programme at the 1994 National Forum on Partnerships
Supporting Education About the Environment.
To meet this challenge, forum participants -- who included over 100
leaders from government, education, business, and the non-governmental
community -- discussed their individual and collective roles, reasons,
and opportunities for forming partnerships. The participants realized
that, despite their differences, they all shared a common vision: to
educate the nation about the benefits of protecting its natural and
cultural resources. It was agreed that a blueprint should be developed to
explore ways to build effective partnerships to support environmental
education and training activities.
Today this challenge has been realized; Education for Sustainability: An
Agenda for Action is complete. As a demonstration project of the Public
Linkage, Dialogue, and Education Task Force, the document builds on the
policy recommendations and actions highlighted in this report by offering
implementation options for the future. It presents useful examples of the
types of educational partnerships needed to establish an educational
infrastructure that successfully places society on a path to
sustainability. |
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Appendix A: Endnotes
Table of Contents
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