The Common Agenda

Suggested Uses

We hope that A Common Agenda for Health and Environment and the process that created it inspire people and the organizations that represent them to take bold action to realize the future it envisions: one in which human ingenuity drives sustainable production and energizing work; healthy social and physical environments nourish both human and non-human life; and vibrant communities thrive, without discrimination and without violence.

A primary use of the Common Agenda is to promote the setting of Generational Goals. At the national level, the Agenda calls for a National Council on Sustainability and Future Generations to promote action across federal agencies to restore public and ecosystem health, including engaging the public in the refining of Generational Goals (Priority Action 1). Contact us if you are interested in advocating for the establishment of the Council. State-level initiatives to establish Generational Goals could complement existing campaigns on specific environmental or health issues. Community leaders can use the Common Agenda to stimulate discussion about existing programs and steps that hold the most promise for making progress towards the Vibrant Communities or other Generational Goals.

In addition to promoting Generational Goals, the Common Agenda can:

Provide guideposts against which to examine proposed decisions in the public and private sectors;
Prompt the establishment of benchmarks for tracking progress towards societal goals;
Help in framing connections between issues of concern, to draw new allies that haven’t engaged on each other’s issues before ;
Serve as an educational tool for outreach to political leaders on cross-cutting issues, reminding them of the interconnections among environment and health issues, and the importance of addressing multiple issues simultaneously;
Serve as a standard against which to assess candidates’ platforms or track records at all levels of government;
Stimulate new ideas for legislation, company or agency policies or programs to implement priority actions.

We invite you to share with us how you use the Common Agenda.


The Common Agenda About the Agenda Introduction Generational Goals Priority Actions Closing: Toward a Sustainable Future Summary Suggested Uses Contributors Resources Support the Agenda		The Common Agenda Suggested Uses We hope that A Common Agenda for Health and Environment and the process that created it inspire people and the organizations that represent them to take bold action to realize the future it envisions: one in which human ingenuity drives sustainable production and energizing work; healthy social and physical environments nourish both human and non-human life; and vibrant communities thrive, without discrimination and without violence. A primary use of the Common Agenda is to promote the setting of Generational Goals. At the national level, the Agenda calls for a National Council on Sustainability and Future Generations to promote action across federal agencies to restore public and ecosystem health, including engaging the public in the refining of Generational Goals (Priority Action 1). Contact us if you are interested in advocating for the establishment of the Council. State-level initiatives to establish Generational Goals could complement existing campaigns on specific environmental or health issues. Community leaders can use the Common Agenda to stimulate discussion about existing programs and steps that hold the most promise for making progress towards the Vibrant Communities or other Generational Goals. In addition to promoting Generational Goals, the Common Agenda can: Provide guideposts against which to examine proposed decisions in the public and private sectors; Prompt the establishment of benchmarks for tracking progress towards societal goals; Help in framing connections between issues of concern, to draw new allies that haven’t engaged on each other’s issues before ; Serve as an educational tool for outreach to political leaders on cross-cutting issues, reminding them of the interconnections among environment and health issues, and the importance of addressing multiple issues simultaneously; Serve as a standard against which to assess candidates’ platforms or track records at all levels of government; Stimulate new ideas for legislation, company or agency policies or programs to implement priority actions. We invite you to share with us how you use the Common Agenda.