The year 2002 marks the ten-year anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. Little progress has been made towards the realization of Agenda 21, the program for sustainable development committed to by so many governments at that historic meeting. While economic growth has continued apace, social and environmental conditions have deteriorated. Nevertheless, governments, institutions and individuals around the world have been developing the knowledge and technologies needed for a sustainable future.

While a growing number of faculty at colleges and universities are attempting to teach about sustainability, the obstacles are considerable: First, our understanding of the meaning of sustainability continues to be problematic. Educators and others struggle with vague and conflicting definitions. Second, education for sustainable development poses a serious challenge to traditional higher education. It is fundamentally interdisciplinary, requiring integrated thinkers and decision makers who can engage in teaching and research to forge a sustainable future. Most colleges and universities, however, are still deeply embedded in the narrow disciplinary paradigm, and faculty members lack the training or resources to teach sustainability in their fields. A paradigm shift in higher education is needed.

The question increasingly is, can we awaken people to the urgency of the global challenges we face, and mobilize the political will to create a sustainable future before ecological and social disasters make this impossible? The Earth Charter has emerged as a potent force for change in the way we think about Earth and ourselves. Completed in 2000, the Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and titutions, and communities, and as a learning tool for our schools and universities.