At a minimum, sustainable development implies an end to government subsidies for overgrazing livestock on public lands, for cutting ancient forests, for supplying water far below cost so that agribusiness can grow monsoon crops in the desert, and for many other federal practices that are degrading our natural resources past the point of no return. It implies a different way of figuring the gross national product of this country, one that takes account of the state of the natural resources that fuel growth. Environmental groups must move this country-both its government and its people to come to grips with these issues, or the U.S. commitment to sustainable development will never be realized in any degree. Second, Rio demands that those of us in the established U.S. environmental groups examine our relations with communities of color in this country. If any single lesson emerged clearly from the range and the strength of the groups that participated at Rio, it was that nongovernmental organizations of the North and South must work hand in hand, communicating with each other as equals and following an agenda that both determine together. Until we can do this, we will not have a world environmental movement, and we will not be able to craft genuine solutions to world environmental problems. The same lesson applies inside this country. We in the mainstream environmental movement are still overwhelmingly European-American in our staffs and boards, and our work suffers from our lack of diversity. We need to seek out organizations of people of color as partners, draw on their expertise and their ideas to help shape our agendas, and stay in constant communication with them. "Sustainability" in this country must mean sustainability for everyone-so that the toxic burdens of industrial waste are not concentrated disproportionately in communities of color and the poor-or it will be only a facade. Finally, there is the Sustainable Development Commission, the new United Nations body approved at Rio. If the resolutions of Rio are to have any TOXIC WAste toxic Hey Everybody TAKE BI Brow For some participants, the cultural diversity of the Rio conference highlighted environmental equity concerns back home. Copyright, Sam Kittner photo. substantial resources for the commission. Moreover, it will be important to make the United States' first report to the commission a model for other countries; not simply a reworking of the annual Council on Environmental Quality report, but a serious, cross-sector review of U.S. laws and policies with substantial input from the public. One delegate to Rio, initially skeptical about the potential of the commission, later commented that it would be the nongovernmental organizations of the world that would "breathe life into it." That responsibility begins now. force at all, it will be because of this commission. Such a commission provides a tremendous opportunity and challenge for all of us to help realign the world's powers, so that they come to recognize the need to work for sustainable development and to resolve contentious global resource issues through peaceful negotiation. We need a commission with a sweeping mandate, empowered to monitor the implementation of Agenda 21 by international organizations and national governments, including the United States. We need a commission that can oversee the treaties signed at Rio and watch over trends in global environmental health. Such a commission will require an independent professional staff, expert advisory bodies that include nongovernmental and governmental experts, and the staff and funding for on-the-ground fact-finding capability. We in the U.S. public interest community have an overriding responsibility to follow every step as the Sustainable Development Commission is created and to pressure the federal government with every means of persuasion at our disposal. We must convince U.S. policy makers to back a strong mandate and There were many disappointments at Rio: the weakness of the global warming treaty, the failure of the United States to sign the biodiversity treaty, and the failure to take strong action to address population pressures, Third World debt, and resource consumption in the developed world. But the most disappointing prospect, the greatest fear of all, is that the potential to build on the true achievements of the Earth Summit may be lost-that the follow-up will be all talk and no action. We in the public interest community must strive to show the world how to live by the commitments made at Rio. ◊ RESOURCES Sustainability Will America's underdeveloped places benefit by Mencer Donahue Edwards T here have been few times when the United States has engaged in imagining "a better future" that Americans of color have not participated, often as leaders. Therefore, it should surprise no one to know that a handful of Americans of color were at the Earth Summit talking about sustainable development-abroad and back home. However, it may surprise some people to know that a key reason why people of color may enthusiastically embrace sustainable development is because they hope it is a new road that will lead to an old objective-a United States of America transformed by the guiding principles of freedom, justice, and equality. Cora Tucker, chair of Grassroots Leadership in Halifax, Virginia, articulated the meaning of this hope when she was in Rio. Speaking to the press, Ms. Tucker opined, "People talk about what's going on around the world. The same exact thing [goes on in America]. There are so many underdeveloped places in America, a so-called developed country." (Edwards is the Executive Director of The Panos Institute, a development information organization providing information resources on issues of sustainable development throughout the Americas.) It is their clear recognition of the There is much that these voices Sustainable development minimum, "sustainability" will need to First, there can be no sustainable simultaneously communicated the absence of-and the need for-justice and sustainable development in this country. For people of color, the potential benefits of sustainable development to their communities, such as new industry, improved infrastructure, and increased educational opportunity, is sufficient reason to once again engage in diverse political, ethical, spiritual, economic, and social discourse with white Americans. Such discourse could help diminish the racial, gender, and economic polarization which now deeply divides our nation. Second, ecologically sound and socially equitable development at home requires a transformation of the current operating paradigm, which juxtaposes economic development against environmental protection. Delegates to the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit adopted a preamble pledging to re-establish our spiritual interdependence to the sacredness of our Mother Earth; to respect and celebrate each of our cultures, languages, and beliefs about the natural world and our roles in healing ourselves; to insure environmental justice; to promote economic alternatives which would contribute to the development of environmentally safe livelihoods; and to secure our In doing so, they replaced traditional, narrowly defined environment and development issues with a comprehensive social agenda rendered as community development, selfdetermination, and economic, social, and political rights issues. Third, sustainable development in the United States must occur uniformly. The challenge will need to be met in Des Moines and East Los Angeles, in Agenda 21 "One of the major challenges facing the world community as it seeks to replace unsustainable development patterns with environmentally sound and sustainable development is the need to activate a sense of common purpose on behalf of all sectors of society...." Indianapolis and East St. Louis, in Seattle and Philadelphia. People of color know well that the benefits of grand ideas have too often skipped over their neighborhoods and barrios. -Chapter 27 Even the ashes of south central Los Angeles were unable to launch strong policies and programs to support the spread and advance of sustainable urban and rural communities in the United States. Finally, it will not be credible to promote sustainable development in the United States and block it in the developing world. Nonsustainable development in the rest of the world is felt throughout our country, but it is felt most powerfully in communities of color. People who flee nonsustainability in the developing world usually are incorporated into U.S. communities of color, thereby increasing the high level of vulnerability that already exists in those communities. The impact of the development struggles of countries like Haiti, Guatemala, Somalia, South Africa, Iraq, and Vietnam inside the United States is representative of America's global interdependence. It is said that the 21st century began in Rio in June 1992. If it did, will it be a better century for all U.S. citizens than the 20th? If there is going to be sustainable development in the United States, is it going to be for everybody, or for just one race, one gender, and one class? This is the future-focused challenge people of color continue to offer the United States. America may be able to avoid sustainable development and still enter the 21st century. The question is how will America enter the 21st century but avoid more meltdowns like Los Angeles?◊ Will social justice be part of the drive for sustainable development? If so, the future might bring less of the frustration that caused the destruction of south central Los Angeles. Douglas Pizac photo. Wide World. RESOURCES Greening at the Grassroots What polls say about Americans' environmental commitment by Frederick Allen and Gregg Sekscienski A re Americans really becoming "green" or are they just talking "green"? What do they expect of business? Do they believe the country can strike a balance between environmentalism and economic development? A look at some recent polling information from The Roper Organization, compiled from respondents' answers to multiple choice questions, reveals some trends. Individuals and the environment. Americans are more concerned about the environment than many other "traditional" issues. When asked recently what they believe to be a "good description of the American people," the leading description was "concerned about the environment," ahead of "loyal to country," "strong sense of family," "friendly," and "strong religious beliefs." An increasing proportion of individuals are trying to carry this attribute over into their personal lives. Another 1992 poll shows that 58 percent of Americans say they return. beer or soda bottles or cans to stores or recycling centers on a regular basis. Just three years ago, only 41 percent claimed they did it on a regular basis. Forty-three percent recycle newspapers regularly (up from 20 percent three (Allen is Senior Policy Advisor to the years ago), and 35 percent sort their garbage (up from 14 percent). Twelve percent avoid products from companies they feel aren't environmentally responsible, a proportion that has held steady since 1989. Business and the environment. The surveys also indicate that Americans want companies to show more environmental concern. Seventy percent say businesses have a definite responsibility toward environmental protection, yet only 35 percent of Americans feel businesses are fulfilling that responsibility fully or fairly well. In fact, Americans feel that business' environmental performance is dropping. Fifty-seven percent of those polled in 1991 said business activities have worsened pollution problems compared to 50 percent in 1983 and 47 percent in 1974. In contrast, 19 percent of those polled in 1991 felt business activities have helped reduce pollution problems, compared to 26 percent in Many Americans also seem to The economy and the environment. Moreover, 92 percent of those polled What's a Person to Do? by Dana Duxbury ustainable development appears at first to be a complex national or international concept, a way of thinking that could result in nations managing resources so efficiently and sensitively that the resources are able to sustain both a strong economic and environmental base. Yet, we all, on an individual basis, can contribute to sustainable development. How? By conserving resources and reducing the toxicity of what we buy, use, and throw away. Our goal should be to leave no footprints on the Earth as a result of what we do in our own homes and workplaces. Some question whether sustainable development is attainable. The more I think about the concept, the more I (Duxbury is an environmental consultant and founder of Dana Duxbury & Associates, which provides policy, educational, research, and facilitation consulting services on solid and hazardous waste management issues to government, industry, and public interest groups.) realize that we will not survive on and short-term decisions are made that have dire long-term results. We As a start, each one of us can •Set a reasonable temperature for ⚫Use water conservation devices for a choice is necessary, 64 percent say environmental protection is more important, while 17 percent say economic development is more important; 13 percent say, "It depends." At the same time, nearly equal numbers agreed and disagreed with the statement that, "The 1990s is the last decade when environmental catastrophe can be prevented." Americans are concerned about the environment. They are taking more personal responsibility for the environment and doing more on a personal basis than they have before. No longer is the environment simply a problem for others to solve. At the same time they are holding business to a higher standard than before. Fortunately, there is optimism that the concerns of the environment and the economy can be balanced. But for many Americans, this optimism is tempered by a sense of urgency. ◊ plants that require little water. Fix •Purchase products that are waste. •Look for alternatives to hazardous products such as oven and drain cleaners. If the hazardous products are needed, buy only what you need, use them according to label instructions, and use them up before taking them to a household hazardous waste collection program. •Use non-hazardous products or alternative methods, such as beneficial insects or integrated pest management practices, on your land. If you do use pesticides, use as little as possible. |