Sustainable America

A New Consensus for Prosperity, Opportunity,

and a Healthy Environment for the Future

The President's Council on Sustainable Development
In June 1993, when President Clinton created the President's Council on Sustainable Development, he asked us to find ways to bring people together to meet the needs of the present without jeopardizing the future. He gave us a task that required us to think about the future and about the consequences of the choices this generation makes on the lives of future generations. It is a task that has caused each of us to think about human needs, economic prosperity, and human interactions with nature differently than we had before.
No one can predict the future--how people will live, or what exactly they will need--but it is possible to foresee the likely effects of some of today's decisions and to make choices that honor the interests of present and future generations. In the nearly three years of the Council's work, in our meetings across the country, we heard concern that despite America's great wealth, power, and technological prowess, Americans cannot assume that the future of their children's lives will be better than the present. Those who met with us see, as we do, trends that lead in troubling directions and opportunities that must soon be seized or lost.
We view this challenge with considerable optimism because the potential benefits of knowledge are essentially inexhaustible; because global attention to developing sustainably is growing; and because many communities, companies, and individuals are independently taking first steps toward responding to the need for change.
But optimism is not complacency. Opportunities for change and anecdotes of progress do not by themselves redirect global trends. There are substantial obstacles to overcome that require conscious and concerted action, sometimes by government, sometimes by the private sector, or sometimes by citizens in communities or as individuals--but often, all sectors need to be actively involved. The recommendations in this report are not only for government, but also for the private sector and citizens since government by itself cannot overcome apathy, spur innovation, or inspire new values....National Goals Toward Sustainable Development
The following goals express the shared aspirations of the President's Council on sustainable Development. They are truly interdependent and flow from the Council's understanding that it is essential to seek economic prosperity, environmental protection, and social equity together. The achievement of any one goal is not enough to ensure that future generations will have at least the same opportunities to live and prosper that this generation enjoys: all are needed.
Goal 1: Health and the Environment
Ensure that every person enjoys the benefits of clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment at home, at work, and at play.
Goal 2: Economic Prosperity
Sustain a healthy U.S. economy that grows sufficiently to create meaningful jobs, reduce poverty, and provide the opportunity for a high quality of life for all in an increasingly competitive world.
Goal 3: Equity
Ensure that all Americans are afforded justice and have the opportunity to achieve economic, environmental, and social well-being.
Goal 4: Conservation of Nature
Use, conserve, protect, and restore natural resources--land, air, water, and biodiversity--in ways that help ensure long-term social, economic, and environmental benefits for ourselves and future generations.
Goal 5: Stewardship
Create a widely held ethic of stewardship that strongly encourages individuals, institutions, and corporations to take full responsibility for the economic, environmental, and social consequences of their actions.
Goal 6: Sustainable Communities
Encourage people to work together to create healthy communities where natural and historic resources are preserved, jobs are available, sprawl is contained, neighborhoods are secure, education is lifelong, transportation and health care are accessible, and all citizens have opportunities to improve the quality of their lives.
Goal 7: Civic Engagement
Create full opportunity for citizens, businesses, and communities to participate in and influence the natural resource, environmental, and economic decisions that affect them.
Goal 8: Population
Move toward stabilization of U.S. population.
Goal 9: International Responsibility
Take a leadership role in the development and implementation of global sustainable development policies, standards of conduct, and trade and foreign policies that further the achievement of sustainability.
Goal 10: Education
Ensure that all Americans have equal access to education and lifelong learning opportunities that will prepare them for meaningful work, a high quality of life, and an understanding of the concepts involved in sustainable development.
Source: Sustainable America. President's Council on Sustainable Development, Washington, DC, 1996.

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partnership of the American Library Association and Global Learning, Inc.,
with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development

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