Endorse the Earth Charter for Earth Day!

The Earth Charter is one of the most remarkable documents I've ever read. It reminds me of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence in the sense that I can feel a sacred intention of the authors when I read the words. In today's culture, words have become so devalued that they often appear to be the lowest common denomination of social currency. Too often they are empty of any real meaning. Too infrequently do they serve to ennoble and uplift. But the words of the Earth Charter are different; they have real power and a potential to change hearts and minds. Those words remind us of who we can be if we make the choice, and "decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities," as the Preamble below suggests.

I chose to become an "Endorser" of the Earth Charter -- any individual or organization can do so online with just a few mouse clicks -- on my father's birthday. I didn't set out to do it then. But it is fitting that I did it on that day because, as I wrote him in a card, he is the one who gave me a deep reverence, respect and sense of responsibility for the natural world in which we live, for what some call simply, "Nature." Most people think of Nature as "out there" in the great outdoors, the wilds, protected forests and wilderness areas and great parklands. But Nature is "in here" as well as "out there." So, too, the Earth is us and everything inside and outside us.

I urge everyone, if you do nothing else for lack of time or money or opportunity to commemorate Earth Day, to log onto The Earth Charter Initiative web site and become an Endorser. In so doing, you agree to "embrace the spirit and aims of the document. . . [and] pledge to join the global partnership for a just, sustainable, and peaceful world and to work for the realization of the values and principles of the Earth Charter."

The Preamble sets the tone, concerned yet hopeful and determined, for the 16 principles that are the heart of the Charter. The Preamble is an invocation, a call, to all of us. I invite you to heed it:

PREAMBLE
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

Earth, Our Home
Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has provided the conditions essential to life's evolution. The resilience of the community of life and the well-being of humanity depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecological systems, a rich variety of plants and animals, fertile soils, pure waters, and clean air. The global environment with its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples. The protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.

The Global Situation
The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive extinction of species. Communities are being undermined. The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Injustice, poverty, ignorance, and violent conflict are widespread and the cause of great suffering. An unprecedented rise in human population has overburdened ecological and social systems. The foundations of global security are threatened. These trends are perilous—but not inevitable.

The Challenges Ahead
The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one another or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life. Fundamental changes are needed in our values, institutions, and ways of living. We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development is primarily about being more, not having more. We have the knowledge and technology to provide for all and to reduce our impacts on the environment. The emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities to build a democratic and humane world. Our environmental, economic, political, social, and spiritual challenges are interconnected, and together we can forge inclusive solutions.

Universal Responsibility
To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities. We are at once citizens of different nations and of one world in which the local and global are linked. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being of the human family and the larger living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in nature.

We urgently need a shared vision of basic values to provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community. Therefore, together in hope we affirm the following interdependent principles for a sustainable way of life as a common standard by which the conduct of all individuals, organizations, businesses, governments, and transnational institutions is to be guided and assessed.