| Steps Toward Sustainability From individual consumers to international corporations, from youths to
seniors, households to communities, this nation is taking its first tentative steps toward
becoming a sustainable society. The consumer who selects a recycled paper product at the
supermarket or who rejects a project because it is over-packaged is taking positive
action. The corporation that redesigns its manufacturing process to save energy and raw
materials has taken an equally positive step. The young person who devotes hours of
after-school or weekend time to volunteer in his or her community is also
participating--and it is a process of change that is gathering force across the nation and
around the world.
A 1995 survey noted that 61 percent of Americans favor the idea of
sustainable development, and that four out of 10 say they would tolerate changes in the
price of consumer goods, such as paying more for a gallon of gasoline if they were sure it
would help the environment. This willingness indicates that the public is developing
attitudes and values that foster sustainable living. Further, a March 1996 survey asked
respondents if the three goals of sustainable development--economic growth, environmental
protection and the health and happiness of people--can be accomplished collectively
without compromising any one of them, and 66 percent agree that it is possible to achieve
all three simultaneously.
Another indicator of change is in the industrial sector.
Manufacturers across the nation are adopting eco-efficient manufacturing processes, also
known as "industrial ecology." Eco-efficient firms design industrial processes
that mimic natural ecosystems, following nature's model by recycling valuable energy and
natural resources. The goal is a closed loop with little or no waste--a system that makes
good economic as well as environmental sense. Other evidence of change, drawn from the
actions of individuals, businesses, and manufacturers, is mounting:
 | Recent years have seen phenomenal success in converting a nation of |
| "throwaway consumers" to conscientious recyclers. In 1990,
Americans recycled 9.65 million tons of aluminum beverage cans, a recovery rate of 63
percent. The Berger family in Whitney Point, New York, has found ways to keep its trash to
3.0 pounds a year, rather than the 4.3 pounds of garbage produced every day by the average
American. "It's integrated into our lives," explains Cindy Berger. "It's
second nature, a habit." |
| Production of bicycles reached 110 million units worldwide in 1994;
12 million were bought in the United States alone. Mail carriers in St. Petersburg,
Florida, use bicycles on their rounds. Some police officers in New York City and
Washington, D.C., patrol on bicycles, as do some Secret Service agents at the White House.
While bicycles' overall impact on reducing energy use and air pollution may be small, it
is growing. |
| Nationwide, various high-profile retail chains have introduced
environmentally friendly practices. McDonalds, for example, through a partnership with the
Environmental Defense Fund, pays for independent evaluations of manufacturers' claims of
"biodegradable," "recyclable," and "saves energy." The
company shares that information with consumers, enabling them to make informed purchasing
decisions. |
| Home Depot and Scientific Certification Systems pioneered the first
U.S. private sector program to partner retailers, manufacturers, and third-party
environmental certification to promote continuous environmental improvement in consumer
products. Collins Pine, a sustainable forest products company, became the first to join
the program by introducing Collins' wood, a certified sustainable product, at select Home
Depot stores. |
| Interface Flooring has started to implement a licensing program for
carpeting. Interface manufactures the carpet (a petroleum-intensive product), ships and
installs it, maintains it, and continues to own the carpet throughout its life. Because
the carpet is made of free-laying carpet tiles, Interface's maintenance program includes
periodic selective replacement of individual tiles that show wear and tear. Replaced
carpet tiles are returned to a closed loop recycling center where individual components
are recycled into new carpet tiles. Interface is also implementing The Natural Step, a
program that combines science-based principles of sustainable development with total
quality management to introduce sound environmental practices to the factory floor. |
| Young people also are finding innovative ways to practice principles
of sustainability. For the past three years, fifth-grade students at Kimbark Elementary
School in San Bernardino, California, have lowered their school's energy bill by $5,000 a
year. One of the student ideas was to hang signs reading, "Oops, you left your lights
on," in empty classrooms. Students record each day's energy consumption, discuss
possible causes when high readings occur, and carry out strategies for lowering energy
use. |
The individuals and organizations cited above may not call what they
are doing "living sustainably," but they are making behavioral changes by
conserving resources, saving money, and making collective and collaborative contributions
to their community. Collectively, these actions--and others like them--will lead us to a
sustainable tomorrow.
The Need for Public Dialogue on Sustainability
Despite the encouraging trend toward sustainable living practices,
an overarching, incontrovertible fact remains: many Americans do not understand the
concept of, or concepts involved in, sustainable development.
For example, they have little if any understanding of such pervasive
environmental issues as biodiversity and global warming. A 1992 national opinion survey by
Peter D. Hart Research Associates indicated that only one percent of respondents consider
endangered species to be a serious environmental problem, and only one in five respondents
had heard of the loss of biological diversity. This response, according to E.O. Wilson in The
Diversity of Life, stands in startling contrast to the fact that approximately 27,000
species a year--74 per day, or three species every hour--are driven to extinction
worldwide.
Additionally, many people confuse the issue of global warming with
depletion of the ozone layer. A 1994 study by Carnegie-Mellon University revealed that
even well-educated citizens wrongly believe climate change can cause increased cases of
skin cancer and are convinced that their personal response should be to give up aerosol
sprays. Not only are these respondents confusing global warming and depletion of the ozone
layer, they also seem to be unaware that ozone- depleting chemicals have been federally
banned from aerosols for about 20 years.
If widely reported concepts such as global warming remain unfamiliar
to so many Americans, it is not surprising that sustainability -- a complex and
multidimensional concept, which involves finding a balance between achieving environmental
protection, economic progress, and sociopolitical equity--is unknown to as many as four
out of 10 citizens, as well as to many policy makers, business leaders, educators, and
community leaders.
Many approaches can be used to raise public awareness of
sustainability. But education--lifelong education, education within and outside the formal
schooling system throughout our lives--is the major, perhaps primary, tool for creating a
common understanding of this concept. This education may occur in formal schooling or in
such nonformal venues as the media, adult education programs, museum exhibits, conferences
and workshops, and nature center programs. The goal of this educational experience is for
citizens to become active participants in dialogues about sustainable development and in
developing meaningful sustainable development strategies--personally, locally, nationally,
and globally.
Dialogues on sustainability must involve as many people and as many
different viewpoints as possible. Multi-stakeholder dialogues compel people to work to
discover common ground on which to build consensus and create change. Exploration of
diverse views will result in wiser decisions leading to win-win solutions that provide
benefits for all constituencies. Ultimately, this approach encourages "buy in"
because participants feel they have a stake in the outcome. The result of a successful
process in a cooperative atmosphere is that the stakeholders develop shared visions.
At the heart of a sustainable society is an integrated, supportive
system that does not allow one component to dominate over another to the exclusion or
extinction of another, but allows every component to flourish. The consensus needed to
develop this system will be a gradual, cumulative process spreading outward from a few
individuals, groups, and communities, and building over the years.
Overcoming Barriers Through Dialogue and Education
Projections by the United Nations indicate that the world's human
population will increase from 5.5 billion to 8.5 billion by the year 2025. In 1988, 1.25
billion people worldwide breathed air containing unhealthy concentrations of suspended
particulate matter. The average annual rate of deforestation worldwide between 1980 and
1990 was approximately equivalent to an area the size of Georgia. In the United States,
citizens consume 25 percent of the Earth's resources although they constitute only 5
percent of the planet's population. The amount of energy used by a single person in the
United States is equivalent to that used by three Japanese, six Mexican, and eight Native
Americans. In the last 20 years, per capita consumption in the United States has increased
by 45 percent. Because 35 percent of resources in America are consumed in households, it
follows that lifestyle changes can make a direct impact on resource consumption.
Clearly, the time to chart and pursue a sustainable course is now.
But lack of knowledge, indifference, and resistance must first be addressed.
If sustainability is to become a reality, educators, government at
all levels, businesses, and non-governmental organizations must work together to foster an
awareness of common needs, knowledge of the long-term impacts of decisions, and
understanding of the benefits of achieving a sustainable society. The best way to allay
any apprehensions about reductions in the standard of living and overcome anxiety and fear
is to present positive visions and real-life examples of sustainability. Countless
examples testify to sustainability-oriented changes across the United States. This report
highlights some of these models, discusses the obstacles and efforts behind their success,
and relates them to Task Force policy recommendations. By highlighting these stories, our
hope is that their successes will inspire other grassroots efforts to spread the idea and
practice of sustainability into other communities across the nation and the globe.
Progress toward sustainability will be realized if we as a nation
can:
| build upon what is already working, |
| identify success stories and share them as models, |
| form productive partnerships to work for the common good and address
system constraints, and |
| educate individuals and communities for sustainability. |
Progress means seeking synergy with ongoing initiatives and
exploring new vehicles, such as experiential learning in the workplace, which will lead to
an understanding of sustainability. A process like the one used by the President's Council
on Sustainable Development and its Public Linkage, Dialogue, and Education Task Force can
be replicated to continue moving us forward in examining strategies for advancing
education for sustainability. The task is admittedly a big one, but is can be accomplished
by working together to find common solutions.
Source: Public Linkage, Dialogue and Education: Task Force
Report.
President's Council on Sustainable Development, Washington, DC, 1997. |