Our schools.
Well, and the Disney channel which subjects children to the "pro-social green initiative" before they can even utter their first word.
Considering the largest voting block for Obama in the election were youth between the ages of 18 - 25, it seems clear that the 1992 Agenda 21 strategy has been remarkably successful.
Education and Sustainable Development: Selected Background
Schools in many countries emphasize environmental education and ethics as they prepare students to be environmental stewards. The concept of “sustainable development” has been important in influencing this direction worldwide since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in Rio Janeiro. Sustainable development and environmental protection are integrally related; the “holistic” concept of sustainable development places environmental protection within a larger social context that includes economic growth and human well-being.The World Commission on Environment and Development...defined sustainable development as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' The 1992 Earth Summit...brought global attention to the idea that the planet's environmental problems are intimately linked to economic conditions and problems of social justice. The Earth Summit also highlighted the importance of environmental education in furthering sustainable development goals. Principle 21 from the Earth Summit Declaration on Environment and Development (the Rio Declaration) states in part: The creativity, ideals and courage of the youth of the world should be mobilized to forge a global partnership in order to achieve sustainable development and ensure a better future for all.
Agenda 21...is a broad-ranging program of actions developed by nations attending the Earth Summit. Chapter 25 of Agenda 21 is devoted to 'Children and Youth in Sustainable Development.' Agenda 21:
- recognizes the important participatory role of youth in decision making and states, 'the specific interests of children need to be taken fully into account in the participatory process on environment and development in order to safeguard the future sustainability of any actions taken to improve the environment.'
- states that governments should ensure that education ... incorporates the concepts of environmental awareness and sustainable development throughout the curricula.'
- States that governments should 'establish procedures to incorporate children's concerns into all relevant policies and strategies for environment and development at the local, regional and national levels....'
The EPA website also has links to website resources for k-12 students and teachers. Students in 5th grade can learn "how many people it takes to ruin an ecosystem." Or how pollution emissions and transportation are a major cause of global warming and how we choose to "move around" impacts our world tomorrow. They can learn about solar energy in our homes or wetlands or evil oil spills.
Strangely enough, what DIDN'T make the "sustainability" list is strapping trillions of dollars of debt onto future generations.
In 1993, President Clinton through an Executive Order, created The President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) to develop "bold, new approaches to achieve our economic, environmental, and equity goals." These include some familiar goals:
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.
We will delve deeper into each of these goals and how they have come to pass.
