(e)-leaderships

This is a statement of intent for our generation. Our nation represents a small fraction of the world’s population, but uses far more than our share of the world’s energy, and emits a large percentage of the world’s carbon dioxide pollution. We are a country with a huge ecological footprint. Our current lifestyle comes at the expense of the health of the planet and its people. As a citizen in one of the most industrialized, wealthy, and powerful countries in the world, I recognize that with these privileges comes responsibility. I recognize that the Earth is finite and in a finite world, steady growth forever is impossible. I see that measures of economic growth are not directly correlated with human well-being or happiness. I recognize that my everyday actions continue to affect communities on a local and global scale, today and in the future, for better or for worse. 

Today, I commit to a more sustainable lifestyle. I will take environmental responsibility and promote sustainable development in my daily life by:

1. Respecting and protecting ecological integrity by:
• Exploring my local natural environment.
• Supporting efforts to conserve natural resources and ecosystems.
• Avoiding products damaging to humans and the natural world.
• Supporting and promoting the humane treatment of all life.
2. Promoting a culture of democracy, social justice, and peace by:
• Learning about international social, political, and environmental issues and recognizing how they are interconnected.
• Advocating the basic human right to clean air and water.
• Making my voice heard through voting and social activism.
• Respecting everyone’s right to free speech and opinion.
• Supporting efforts to use non-violence in conflict resolution.
• Investing my money in a socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible manner.
3. Reducing my consumption of resources by:
• Resisting the urge to buy things I don’t need.
• Understanding the environmental and social impact of the things I do buy.
• Reducing the amount of garbage I create.
• Reducing my waste of fresh water.
• Recycling and buying items made from recycled or reused material where possible.
• Travelling by foot, bike, public transit, train, and carpool when possible.
• Being aware of where my food comes from and making best efforts to buy food produced locally and sustainably.

I also call on our elder generations and those in power to support and mentor this vision — to help shape the present so that the future citizens will not remember this time as one of wasteful consumerism and social blindness. Today, I take responsibility, so that the generations of tomorrow will think of this era as one of responsible living and positive change.

Most of the world’s social and environmental problems stem from a basic neglect of responsibility for the consequences of actions of governments and individuals. In the decade since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit there has been little improvement in global environmental and development conditions - it’s obvious we can’t leave it up to our governments to take leadership in effecting change. It’s up to the individuals that make up society. It’s up to us.

First drafted in the spring of 2002 by the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, the RoR is currently circulating around the world. Launched at last year’s World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg by the Skyfish Project, it has been signed and endorsed by thousands of responsible individuals worldwide. [skyfish project]