The Common Agenda — Resources

Related Links

The following projects and initiatives have principles, agendas, or other visions for sustainable and healthy futures. Have something to add? Contact us!

Biodiversity Conservation

Agenda 21
A comprehensive plan of global, national, and local action endorsed by the United Nations.

Biomimicry Principles
Fundamental mechanics of the natural world which can be applied to achieve sustainable human activities.

CERES Principles
A ten-point code of corporate environmental conduct to be publicly endorsed by companies as an environmental mission statement or ethic.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Close to one year after the release of the core Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) findings in March 2005 a survey of individuals involved in the MA process provides widespread evidence that the assessment is having an impact on its target audiences, but the extent of that impact is very mixed.

National Agenda for Clean Water
A broad-based alliance of national, regional and local groups have come together as the Clean Water Network to protect and strengthen the federal Clean Water Act. Significant improvements in the law, funding, implementation and enforcement are needed to clean up and protect the nation's surface and ground waters from contamination and to safeguard aquatic ecosystems.

Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All types of Forests
A statement of principles for a global consensus on the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests from the United Nations.

Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives
The Swedish Parliament has established 16 environmental quality objectives, such as "Clean Air" and "Good-Quality Groundwater", to guide Sweden towards a sustainable society.

Built Environment and Smart Growth

Ahwahnee Principles
These principles provide a blueprint for elected officials to
create compact, mixed-use,walkable, transit-oriented developments in their local communities. Cities and counties across the nation have adopted them to break the cycle of sprawl.

Hannover Principles
Nine principles from McDonough Architects.

John Todd Ecological Design, Inc.
Principles of an "Eco Machine"- a wastewater treatment system that naturally treats sewage and industrial waste to re-use quality.

Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy (ORTEE) Model Principles
A Canadian framework of sustainability ideals for use by local communities. The objective is for these principles to act as a touchstone for any community interested in developing sustainability initiatives.

Principles of Smart Growth
The Smart Growth Principles describe the various aspects of planning and development that make up smart growth.

Principles of Sustainable Development Minnesota
The Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development offers five principles as guideposts along the path of sustainable development.

Sanborn Principles for Sustainable Development
A pathway, including specific principles, for those wishing to pursue sustainable development. Those principles, below, have been used around the world by cities, towns, and groups, to move toward a more sustainable future.

The Living Building Principles
The Cascadia Region Green Building Council has issued a challenge to all building owners, architects, engineers and design professionals to build in a way that will provide all of us and our children with a sustainable future.

The Equator Principles
An industry approach for financial institutions in determining, assessing and managing environmental & social risk in project financing.

The Five Principles of Ecological Design
From Van der Ryn Architects, five principles for environmentally sound building practices.

The Natural Step's Principles for Sustainability
A framework grounded in natural science that serves as a guide for businesses, communities, educators, government entities, and individuals on the path toward sustainable development.

Towards a Sustainable America
A 1999 report from President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development outlining elements of a sustainable United States.

Climate and Energy

1Sky Policy Platform
The 1Sky policy platform is designed to do what our best scientists say is necessary to stabilize our
endangered climate, while delivering economic opportunity and energy security for our country.

2007 Energy Platform
Clean energy is a must to combat global warming and protect American security, families, health and environment.

Apollo Alliance
A crash program for sustainable energy independence would create three million good jobs, free the nation from imported oil, and promote a healthier environment.

Ten Principles for Just Climate Change Policies in the US
10 principles set forth by the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative to ensure that US policy addressing climate changes protects the most vulnerable communities.

Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice Principles
Set of 17 principles arising from the 1991 People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit and which outline elements of Environmental Justice.

The Louisville Charter A first step to creating a safe and healthy global environment is a major reform of our nation’s chemicals policy.

The Netherlands National Environmental Policy Plan
The Netherlands possesses the most advanced framework for achieving sustainability of any industrialized nation and is supported by innovative environmental management approaches and is highly accountable to its participatory citizenry.

Public Health & Medicine

Environmental Health Indicators: Bridging the Chasm of Public Health and the Environment
2004 book published by the National Academies Press examines the environmental health indicators described by various organizations.

Final Statement from the Lowell International Summit on Science and the Precautionary Principle
More than 85 scientists from 17 countries convened in 2001 to address the role of environmental science in preventative health policy.

The Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle
Here is the Science and Environmental Health Network's collection of definitive statements on our range of issues. We - as individuals or as an organization - have had a hand in most of them. They express the ideas and values that guide our work and that we believe are widely shared. Use them and quote them freely.

Labor

Apollo Alliance
A crash program for sustainable energy independence would create three million good jobs, free the nation from imported oil, and promote a healthier environment.

Sustainable Food Systems

A New Food Declaration for the 21st Century
A pledge to support, through individual and collective efforts, a new food ethic that insures access to, and development of, local and regional food systems in which food is produced in a manner.

Asilomar Declaration for Sustainable Agriculture
A declaration of seven challenges that must be met before our adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.

Dakar Declaration
120 participants from 40 countries, representing farmers, workers, agricultural trade unions, women, scientists and health, environmental, consumer and development activists commitment to the elimination of pesticides, the termination of genetic engineering of organisms in food and agriculture, the end of corporate globalization and the realization of food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture worldwide.

The Giessen Declaration
Participants in a 2005 meeting held at the Schloss Rauischholzhausen affirmed and declared a set of principles for nutrition and health.

The Vivid Picture Project
While there are some examples of successful food system practices, no detailed vision or plan exists on how to transition the whole food chain to a sustainable model. The Vivid Picture project is designed to generate a blueprint for a sustainable food system, and a change agenda to achieve the vision.

Toxic Materials

12 Principles of Green Chemistry
The principles behind the objectives of Green Chemistry: to promote chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances.

The Louisville Charter
A first step to creating a safe and healthy global environment is a major reform of our nation’s chemicals policy.

Other Vision Statements

Bridging the Sustainability Gap
A guide for policy makers based on the recently published book, From Here to Sustainability.

Covenant for Honoring Children
Nine guiding principles for living – taken together, they offer a holistic way of restoring natural and human communities, thus brightening the outlook for the world we share.

Great Transition: Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead
This essay from the Tellus Institute is an examination of the possibilities for a sustainable and desirable world. The essay describes the historic roots, current dynamics, future perils, and alternative pathways for world development.

Soul of Environmentalism
Written in response to "Death of Environmentalism," this essay intends to "jump-start" discussion about the strategic challenges shared by environmental advocates.

The Earth Charter
An authoritative synthesis of values, principles, and aspirations that are widely shared by growing numbers of men and women in all regions of the world.


The Common Agenda About the Agenda Introduction Generational Goals Priority Actions Closing: Toward a Sustainable Future Summary Suggested Uses Contributors Resources Today’s Voices Discussion Groups Foundational Documents Related Links Support the Agenda		The Common Agenda — Resources Related Links The following projects and initiatives have principles, agendas, or other visions for sustainable and healthy futures. Have something to add? Contact us! Biodiversity Conservation Agenda 21 A comprehensive plan of global, national, and local action endorsed by the United Nations. Biomimicry Principles Fundamental mechanics of the natural world which can be applied to achieve sustainable human activities. CERES Principles A ten-point code of corporate environmental conduct to be publicly endorsed by companies as an environmental mission statement or ethic. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Close to one year after the release of the core Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) findings in March 2005 a survey of individuals involved in the MA process provides widespread evidence that the assessment is having an impact on its target audiences, but the extent of that impact is very mixed. National Agenda for Clean Water A broad-based alliance of national, regional and local groups have come together as the Clean Water Network to protect and strengthen the federal Clean Water Act. Significant improvements in the law, funding, implementation and enforcement are needed to clean up and protect the nation's surface and ground waters from contamination and to safeguard aquatic ecosystems. Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All types of Forests A statement of principles for a global consensus on the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests from the United Nations. Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives The Swedish Parliament has established 16 environmental quality objectives, such as "Clean Air" and "Good-Quality Groundwater", to guide Sweden towards a sustainable society. Built Environment and Smart Growth Ahwahnee Principles These principles provide a blueprint for elected officials to create compact, mixed-use,walkable, transit-oriented developments in their local communities. Cities and counties across the nation have adopted them to break the cycle of sprawl. Hannover Principles Nine principles from McDonough Architects. John Todd Ecological Design, Inc. Principles of an "Eco Machine"- a wastewater treatment system that naturally treats sewage and industrial waste to re-use quality. Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy (ORTEE) Model Principles A Canadian framework of sustainability ideals for use by local communities. The objective is for these principles to act as a touchstone for any community interested in developing sustainability initiatives. Principles of Smart Growth The Smart Growth Principles describe the various aspects of planning and development that make up smart growth. Principles of Sustainable Development Minnesota The Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development offers five principles as guideposts along the path of sustainable development. Sanborn Principles for Sustainable Development A pathway, including specific principles, for those wishing to pursue sustainable development. Those principles, below, have been used around the world by cities, towns, and groups, to move toward a more sustainable future. The Living Building Principles The Cascadia Region Green Building Council has issued a challenge to all building owners, architects, engineers and design professionals to build in a way that will provide all of us and our children with a sustainable future. The Equator Principles An industry approach for financial institutions in determining, assessing and managing environmental & social risk in project financing. The Five Principles of Ecological Design From Van der Ryn Architects, five principles for environmentally sound building practices. The Natural Step's Principles for Sustainability A framework grounded in natural science that serves as a guide for businesses, communities, educators, government entities, and individuals on the path toward sustainable development. Towards a Sustainable America A 1999 report from President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development outlining elements of a sustainable United States. Climate and Energy 1Sky Policy Platform The 1Sky policy platform is designed to do what our best scientists say is necessary to stabilize our endangered climate, while delivering economic opportunity and energy security for our country. 2007 Energy Platform Clean energy is a must to combat global warming and protect American security, families, health and environment. Apollo Alliance A crash program for sustainable energy independence would create three million good jobs, free the nation from imported oil, and promote a healthier environment. Ten Principles for Just Climate Change Policies in the US 10 principles set forth by the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative to ensure that US policy addressing climate changes protects the most vulnerable communities. Environmental Justice Environmental Justice Principles Set of 17 principles arising from the 1991 People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit and which outline elements of Environmental Justice. The Louisville Charter A first step to creating a safe and healthy global environment is a major reform of our nation’s chemicals policy. The Netherlands National Environmental Policy Plan The Netherlands possesses the most advanced framework for achieving sustainability of any industrialized nation and is supported by innovative environmental management approaches and is highly accountable to its participatory citizenry. Public Health & Medicine Environmental Health Indicators: Bridging the Chasm of Public Health and the Environment 2004 book published by the National Academies Press examines the environmental health indicators described by various organizations. Final Statement from the Lowell International Summit on Science and the Precautionary Principle More than 85 scientists from 17 countries convened in 2001 to address the role of environmental science in preventative health policy. The Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle Here is the Science and Environmental Health Network's collection of definitive statements on our range of issues. We - as individuals or as an organization - have had a hand in most of them. They express the ideas and values that guide our work and that we believe are widely shared. Use them and quote them freely. Labor Apollo Alliance A crash program for sustainable energy independence would create three million good jobs, free the nation from imported oil, and promote a healthier environment. Sustainable Food Systems A New Food Declaration for the 21st Century A pledge to support, through individual and collective efforts, a new food ethic that insures access to, and development of, local and regional food systems in which food is produced in a manner. Asilomar Declaration for Sustainable Agriculture A declaration of seven challenges that must be met before our adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. Dakar Declaration 120 participants from 40 countries, representing farmers, workers, agricultural trade unions, women, scientists and health, environmental, consumer and development activists commitment to the elimination of pesticides, the termination of genetic engineering of organisms in food and agriculture, the end of corporate globalization and the realization of food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture worldwide. The Giessen Declaration Participants in a 2005 meeting held at the Schloss Rauischholzhausen affirmed and declared a set of principles for nutrition and health. The Vivid Picture Project While there are some examples of successful food system practices, no detailed vision or plan exists on how to transition the whole food chain to a sustainable model. The Vivid Picture project is designed to generate a blueprint for a sustainable food system, and a change agenda to achieve the vision. Toxic Materials 12 Principles of Green Chemistry The principles behind the objectives of Green Chemistry: to promote chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. The Louisville Charter A first step to creating a safe and healthy global environment is a major reform of our nation’s chemicals policy. Other Vision Statements Bridging the Sustainability Gap A guide for policy makers based on the recently published book, From Here to Sustainability. Covenant for Honoring Children Nine guiding principles for living – taken together, they offer a holistic way of restoring natural and human communities, thus brightening the outlook for the world we share. Great Transition: Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead This essay from the Tellus Institute is an examination of the possibilities for a sustainable and desirable world. The essay describes the historic roots, current dynamics, future perils, and alternative pathways for world development. Soul of Environmentalism Written in response to "Death of Environmentalism," this essay intends to "jump-start" discussion about the strategic challenges shared by environmental advocates. The Earth Charter An authoritative synthesis of values, principles, and aspirations that are widely shared by growing numbers of men and women in all regions of the world.