To many observers, Earth Day marked the formal beginning of the environmental movement in the United States. Since that time, impressive gains have been made in air and water pollution control, renewable energy production, conservation, environmentally friendly building, species protection, and forest management.

Despite this progress, many environmental problems still remain. Many others have grown worse. In 1970, for instance, the world population hovered around 3 billion. Today it has exceeded the 6 billion mark and is growing by approximately 82 million people a year. Hunger and starvation have become a way of life in many nations. Each year, an estimated 12 million people mostly in less developed nations die of starvation and disease worsened by hunger and malnutrition. Species extinction continues as well. Today an estimated 40 to 100 species become extinct every day. In the United States and abroad, soil erosion and rangeland deterioration continue.

Added to the list of growing problems are a whole host of new ones that have cropped up. Climate change, groundwater pollution, topsoil depletion, drought and water shortages, ozone depletion, acid deposition, and growing mountains of urban trash top the list. Yet, along with the new problems are new and exciting solutions.

If we work together in solving these problems, then there is much hope. However, to address these problems in meaningful ways will require dramatic changes in the how we live our lives and conduct commerce. We need a way of life and an economy that are sustainable— approaches that do not bankrupt the Earth and increase human suffering. Most people call this sustainable development. Sustainable development is about creating a new relationship with the Earth and with each other. It is about creating healthy environment, vibrant communities, a sustainable economy and a sustainable system of commerce. It is about creating sustainable lifestyles. It requires new ways of consuming and managing resources using the best available scientific knowledge and understandings of complex systems and how they are maintained, even enhanced, over time. It will entail changes in the way we think and act in virtually every aspect of our society, from farming and manufacturing to urban living, from forest and water management to energy production and transportation.

Establishing a sustainable relationship with the Earth will require us to use resources more wisely — using only what we need and using all resources much more efficiently than we do today. Creating a sustainable way of life will very likely mean a massive expansion of our recycling efforts, not just delivering recyclables to markets, but encouraging manufacturers to use secondary materials for production and encouraging citizens, businesses, and government to buy products made from recycled materials.

Creating a sustainable society will also very likely mean dramatically increasing energy efficiency and a rapid shift to clean, economical renewable energy supplies, such as solar and wind energy. Another vital component of a sustainable society is restoration—replanting forests, grasslands, and wetlands—to ensure an adequate supply of resources for future generations as well as for the many species that share this planet with us.

Essential to the success of our efforts to create a sustainable society are measures that help to slow down, even stop, world population growth. In many countries, that means better access to education and improvements in economic opportunities. Population stabilization is vital in the industrialized nations, because resource-intensive lifestyles contribute as much to the current global crisis as population growth in the less developed nations. The U.S. has 5% of the world's population yet consumes 30% of the world's resources.

Curtailing population growth also entails efforts to better manage development around cities and towns. By enacting and adhering to judicious growth measures, we can preserve farmland, forests, pastures, wetlands, wildlands, and fisheries— all essential to our future and the well-being of the countless species that share this planet with us.

A sustainable future will be based on conservation, recycling, restoration, renewable resources, and population stabilization. Such a future will also focus on building healthy communities and economies that support the reduction of human suffering. These principles have been dubbed the “operating principles” of a sustainable society. Many experts believe that by putting these principles into practice in all sectors of our society, from agriculture to industry to transportation, we can build enduring and healthier relationships with each other and the planet.

The operating principles, however, must be complemented by a change in attitudes. No longer can we afford to regard the Earth as an infinite source of materials for exclusive human use. Many of the Earth' s resources, upon which human beings depend, are finite. The Earth offers a limited supply of resources. We ignore this imperative at our own risk

The sustainable development perspective includes an attitude that seeks cooperation with, rather than domination of, nature. Our efforts to dominate and control nature are often in vain and sometimes backfire on us. Cooperation may be one of the keys to our long-term success. By cooperation, we mean fitting into nature's cycles, such as creating production systems on farms that more closely correspond with nature's cycles. Cooperation with nature also entails efforts to produce  products that, when no longer useful or when broken, can be recycled into new products with little, if any, environmental impact. In some cases, products might break down to become valuable soil nutrients. We can also design products, buildings, even commercial products based on nature's sustainable design (the principle of biomimicry).

Finally, we believe it is time to rethink our position in the ecosystem. Humans are not separate from nature but a part of it. Our lives and our economy are vitally dependent on the environment. The Earth is the source of virtually all resources for all our goods. It also provides many free services such as erosion control and oxygen production. In addition, nature is a repository for all of our wastes. What we do to the environment we do to ourselves. The logical extension of this simple truth is that planet care is the ultimate form of self-care.

Despite the wonderful accomplishments of human society over many centuries, it is time to realize that humans are not the crowning achievement of nature, but rather members in a club comprised of all of Earth's living creatures. To achieve a sustainable relationship, many observers argue, it is time to recognize and respect the rights of other species to exist and thrive alongside humans. In this sense, natural resources may be viewed as the Earth's endowment to all species. Such a view may mean curbing our demands and finding new ways to live on the planet. It is also time to recognize that we will be economically healthier – and more sustainable – if we can find ways to reduce poverty, disease, and human suffering that result from the misuse of the environment. Creating a sustainable future will also require social changes, for example, efforts to promote treatment of other humans with much greater care and mutual respect. It will require efforts to reduce human suffering even if the suffering is not caused by misuse of the environment. It may also require humane efforts to promote democracy and more equitable society. In the long run, such changes will benefit all of us.

Thanks go to Debra Rowe, Richard Knaub, and Dan Chiras for their contribution in writing the essay and designing the diagrams about sustainability for eERL! This information on eERL is a reflection of their dedication to spreading the word about sustainable practices.