1. Progress Toward Sustainability in the United States: A Report Card and a Recommended Agenda
John Dernbach
Widener University Law School

2. Overview
1. Project Overview
2. Report Card
3. Recommended
Agenda

3. 1. Project Overview

4. Scope and history Evaluation of U.S. activities
Recommendations for near-term future actions (next 5-10 years)
Two volumes:
Stumbling Toward Sustainability (2002) (U.S. actions between 1992 and 2002)
Agenda for a Sustainable America (January 2009) (U.S. actions since 2002)

5. 28 Chapters in Agenda for a Sustainable America--Covering Diversity of Topics
Consumption, population, and poverty
Conservation and management of natural resources
Waste and toxic chemicals
Land use and transportation
International trade, finance, and development assistance
Education
Local, state, and national governance

6. 41 Contributing Authors Recognized experts Interdisciplinary
From law schools, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector

7. Why should U.S. care? Freedom, opportunity, quality of life
Future generations
Stronger, more efficient America
Safer, more stable and secure world
“Special role” of U.S.
Moral and religious basis for sustainable development
Political/legal commitment

8. II. Report Card

9. Bad News
U.S. generally moving in the wrong direction on a variety of issues.
U.S. has, for example, an enormous ecological footprint. Although the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, our economy accounts for more than 28 percent of the world’s production of goods and services. The United States leads the world in use of natural resources, and, in most cases, in use of natural resources per capita, including fossil fuels and materials.

10. Good News
The United States is reaching a point where most decision makers understand issues within a sustainability framework, and understand why that perspective is both attractive and necessary.
The number of governmental and nongovernmental organizations engaged in sustainable development activities has greatly increased since 2002.
Since 2002, climate change is an important driver for sustainability for many decision makers in corporations, local governments, educational institutions, and religious organizations.

11. Six areas of greater progress
Local governance
Brownfields redevelopment
Business and industry
Colleges and universities
Kindergarten through 12th grade education
Religious organizations.

12. III. Recommendations

13. 1. The United States should systematically reduce its ecological footprint.

14. 2. The United States government must adopt, as soon as possible, greenhouse gas emission reduction programs that will reduce U.S. emissions to our fair share of safe global emissions.

15. 3. The United States should create more employment opportunities in environmental protection and restoration, and make it easier for unskilled and low-income persons to enter and remain in the workforce.

16. 4. Sustainable development should be an organizing principle for all levels of government.

17. 5. Nongovernmental actors should play a major role in achieving sustainability.

18. 6. Individuals, families, and consumers should have more sustainable options in the decisions they make. Can you:
--walk to work?
--purchase a car that gets 100 mpg?
--live in a big city, send your kids to a good public school, and feel safe?

19. 7. Sustainable development should become a central part of public and formal education. This includes:
--curriculum
--facilities/buildings
--research
--community outreach
--institutional mission

20. 8. The United States should strengthen its environmental and natural resources laws:
Clean Air Act
Clean Water Act
Endangered Species Act
Resources Conservation and Recovery Act
Etc.

21. 9. The United States needs to play an international leadership role on behalf of sustainable development.

22. 10. The United States needs to improve the information and data available to the public to make decisions for sustainability.

23. Achieving a sustainable America
Sustained political commitment
Technological innovation
Invention—economic, legal, social

24. “They gave their today for our tomorrow.”

25. Who are we, and how do we want to be remembered?

26. Prof. John C. Dernbach
Widener University Law School
3800 Vartan Way
Harrisburg, PA
(717)
(717) (fax)