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What is "sustainable development?" The UN's 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development recognizes the right of every individual to enjoy a healthy and productive life, and the right of every sovereign state to use its resources to that end. But, the declaration goes on, "this right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations."
In the United States, such calls for "sustainability" are often conceived as infringements on individual freedom and national sovereignty. On his way to the 1992 Rio Summit, the former President Bush said, "The American way of life is not up for negotiation." But does it have to be? In a sustainable community, residents consume resources (and produce waste) at a rate that allows their children (and their neighbors' children) to enjoy the same lifestyle. Sustainability is about living smarter, not less. And thanks to advances in ecology, planning and alternative energy it's now possible (and affordable) to build communities that are not only less harmful to the environment, but more enjoyable for the individual.
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