Sustainability is the ability to meet present day needs without jeopardizing the future's ability to provide for their needs as well. In order to have a sustainable system such as this it must be created equally in a democratic way. If sustainability is built only for the extremely rich the poor and middle class will be left out with ever rising costs of living. A green revolution is needed most from the bottom up, not the top down.

Social justice and further along so is Peace a necessity for a sustainable society. The resources and manpower devoted towards war is all we would need to combat global climate change and transition our economy from a fossil fuel dependent one to a cleaner / renewable energy / decentralized system. What would this story look like?

In 1992 a little girl named Severen Suzuki spoke at the Rio Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero:

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Severen was fighting for her future, fighting for the animals she may never see, the future that was unclear for her at such a young age. Did anyone listen? The whole world listened. A group organized to represent the ideals that all human beings aspire into a Ethical code. The Earth Charter. This charter was created by thousands of people representing hundreds of countries aiming at a universal ethical code of conduct for human beings. How do we treat each other? How do we treat the world? These questions were raised and answered.

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Preamble of the Earth Charter:

We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

You can read the Earth Charter here

If all of us were guided by a inner code of Ethics we could raise the bar on this society we all live within. A code of Ethics taken upon by every person and corporations to pledge to work together towards a more perfect world. What a concept. If ethics were more highly spoken of perhaps there would be less Bernie Madoffs and more Mahatma Gandhi's

You can't have a sustainable world if it's inequitable and meant only to hold up a few greedy people. We must have a ethical code of conduct to follow the rest of our endeavors into the 21st century. We already rode this roller coaster ride in the 20th century- A housing boom and bust, A great depression, Totalitarianism, Militarism and eventually a world war. Do we need to ride this ride all over again? Let's give peace a chance. Endorse the Earth Charter and spread it to others, make it alive in your everyday life and promote it through the work you do with your life. The next generation needs to wake up the seriousness of the jeopardy of all our inherited futures. We stand to lose it all if action isn't taken of the next 4 years to transition our economy away from business as usual. The world needs peace and healing most of all right now. We need to come together as one and heal our planet.

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Peace and Love,

Eric Stewart

Steward to the World – Eco-Spirtualist

This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2009.