Chapter 1
Dialogue and Education:
Keys to Sustainability
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
product 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.
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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.1 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%
agree that it is possible to achieve all three simultaneously.2 |
Our society will not be unsustainable one day and sustainable
the next. Sustainability is a process with a beginning and no
end. The challenge will remain with us and our children and
their children.
-- Stephen Viederman
President,
Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation |
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."3
- 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.4
- 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 manufacturer' claims of "biodegradable," "recyclable,"
and "saves energy." The company shares that information with consumers,
enabling them to make informed purchasing decisions.5
- 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.6
- 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.
7
- 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.8
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.
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Brookside Fifth Graders: Students for Sustainability |
For the past four years, students of Brookside School in San Anselmo,
California, have worked with their teachers, Ruth Hicks and Laurette
Rogers, to help save a local endangered species, the California
freshwater shrimp (Syncaris pacifica). They adopted the shrimp
through the California State Adopt-a-Species Program. First, the
students learned all that they could about the shrimp. Then they
acted to put their knowledge into practice. The students visited
a native plant nursery to learn about methods that could be used
for restoring creekside habitat. They also contacted Paul Martin,
a local rancher whose property included one of the last 15 creeks
harboring the shrimp. The class asked for -- and was given --
permission to restore habitat along the creek. Partnerships were
formed among creek biologists, Americorps, and Future Farmers of
America members who worked with the students to make the creek
rehabilitation possible.
To build support for their project, the students formed a "Shrimp
Club" and arranged for the club logo to be stamped on grocery
bags; they also sold student-designed t-shirts to raise money.
The class's public relations committee arranged for the project
to be featured in magazines and newspapers, and on radio shows
and local and national television. The shrimp project has
received over $100,000 in awards and grants which will be
used to build fences to keep the run-off from cattle manure
out of the creek and to plant the banks with native plants.
One 10-year-old made a presentation to the University of
California Board of Regents expressing his concern over what
would happen to the shrimp if a proposed dam was built. Other
students involved with the project have gone to Sacramento
and Washington, D.C., to lobby for the shrimp. For example,
at the Endangered Species Act congressional hearings, these
students spoke about the importance of collaboration with
private landowners and the need to keep funding strong.
Rancher Paul Martin notes, "The shrimp project has been
accepted by the farmers in my area because the students have
been taught to respect a farmer and his property and work
cooperatively." The students and teachers have learned a
great deal about diplomacy and working with others with
varying perspectives. As Paul puts it, "The shrimp project
is not about a rehabilitated creek, it's about rehabilitated
people."
Participation in the project makes students feel empowered
and hopeful. Eleven-year-old Lucia says, "I learned a lot from
the shrimp project, and one of the main things was that kids
can really do a lot to save the earth. If every class in the
world helped one species, the world would be a much better
place. I learned so much about building dams, planting species
of the same kind, and showing people how much we care . . .
This project showed me how much kids can do." |
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.9 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.10
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.
| Sustainability: A Moving
Target |
The fact that the term "sustainability" has not yet entered the
mainstream of American consciousness may be due in part to confusion
about its meaning. Over the years, literally hundreds of definitions
have been suggested. One of the earliest was proposed in 1915 by
Canada's Commission on Conservation: "Each generation is entitled
to the interest on the natural capital, but the principal should
be handed down unimpaired."11 The actual term "sustainable
development" was first introduced in the late 1970s and
popularized in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment
and Development, also known as the Bruntland Commission, which
defines sustainability as "development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs."
In the final analysis, however, agreeing on a formal definition
of the term is not as important as coming to agreement on a vision
of a sustainable world. Citizens must work together to answer
critical questions that emulate their view of the world. What
would a sustainable lifestyle be like? How can sustainability
be achieved? What does a sustainable society mean? Clearly
these visions will differ based on a variety of issues, as well
as from community to community.
As changes occur in social, economic, political, and environmental
conditions, and as new scientific discoveries and technological
advances are introduced, society's vision of sustainability will
be affected. In other words, since conditions vary from one
community to another and across nations, what will be sustainable
under one set of circumstances may not be the best solution under
other conditions. Also, what might be considered a sustainable
society a few years from now might very well be seen as
unsustainable a few decades hence, as advances in technology
enable visions of sustainability to grow and improve.
A vision of sustainability in each community or country must take
into account a variety of different views and perspectives.
Businesses, nonprofit organizations, communities, and countries
must seek the common ground that supports their collective needs,
values, and goals. Then, as changes occur, they must continually
revisit and revise their vision to reflect current-day situations.
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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.12 In the United States, citizens
consume
25 percent of the Earth's resources although they constitute only five
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 Mexicans, and eight Native Americans.13 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.14 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 it
can be accomplished by working together to find common solutions.
| GAP: Households for
Sustainability |
Many of the resources consumed in the United States are used in
the
home. The Global Action Plan for the Earth (GAP) is a grassroots effort
providing individuals and communities with the motivation, support, and
hands-on experience they need to live their lives more sustainably. GAP
believes that the primary means for shifting America onto a sustainable
path is for households to make changes in the way they live.
To date, approximately 7,500 households in 12 countries have participated
on GAP's EcoTeams. GAP reports that, on average, these households sent 42
percent less garbage to landfills, used 25 percent less water, cut 16
percent of their carbon dioxide output, and used 16 percent less fuel for
transportation. These lifestyle changes helped houoseholds save an
average of $401 per year.
To further promote individual sustainability, PLTF teamed up with GAP to
work with citizens in cities visited by the Council to help put
sustainability ideas into practice. Says Sandy Kurtz of Chattanooga,
Tennessee, "The PCSD and the Public Linkage Task Force enabled us to
bring key community leaders to the table at the critical campaign
launching time by underlining our credibility when we needed it most. In
our first year, Global Action Plan-Chattanooga, with a small staff and
many volunteers, has become a special project of the Chattanooga Chamber
of Commerce Foundation, and receives financial assistance from
Chattanooga Public Works Department and several businesses. The result:
11 household EcoTeams have been started!"
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