The easiest way to coordinate the implementation of the Complete Program is geographically, by building such as Carruthers Hall or the Law School, or by area such as the Blue Ridge Hospital complex. If large enough, the building or area, may be further subdivided, as with the Unversity Hospital. An Area Recycling Committee (ARC) is formed for every building or area, so that each department can be represented in implementation and recycling efforts.


Formation
The Recycling Office first researches a building or area to determine which departments reside there. Letters are then sent to the department notifying chairpersons and managers of the upcoming committee formation. Department heads are requested to select a representative to serve on the recycling committee and
then attend, the the new reppresentative, the initial committee formation presentation. It is recommended that the department head seek a volunteer to represent their needs, rather than appoint a representative whenever possible, and that at least one department head be an Ex Officio member of the committee.

Structure & Responsibilities

The Recycling Office recommends that the Area Recycling Committee (ARC) meet
weekly using the U.Va. Recycling Program Implementation Plan until the program is up and running. The planning time frame can last from 2 to 4 weeks. Committee structure and responsibilities are as follows:

Election of a Chairperson: The duties of the chairperson consist of calling and chairing meetings, compiling departmental needs information, coordinating the recycling program implementation schedule, compiling a committee phone/info list, and maintaining the program. The phone list should consist of each committee member’s name, department, phone number, and electronic mail address.

Each ARC member notifies and educates their department about the implementation. In the case of large departments, it is advisable to form a supplemental departmental committee. The ARC member would then act as a go-between for the departmental committee and the larger Area Recycling Committee.

The committee also has the responsibility of targeting the reduction and reuse of paper and other products and to make recommendations on environmentally smart products. Examples of these responsibilities include 2 sided copying, on-line report versus hard copy, conversion of yellow legal pad (Mixed Paper) to white legal pad (White Office Paper), the use of shredded paper for packaging (instead
of "polystyrene peanuts"), the reduction of periodicals ordered, and the ordering of plastics of types 1 and 2.

After successfully setting up the recycling program, the committee and the Recycling Office work together in maintaining and improving it.
The Recycling Office strongly recommends that each department have a recycling office staff member visit the department at a staff meeting or an in-service training session to answer questions and provide training.

The Planning Phase

The formation of the Area Recycling Committee includes a full presentation of the recycling program, decisions on departmental representation, and establishment of regularly scheduled committee meetings. The number of necessary meetings before program implementation can range from three to five.
The committee meets and covers the following topics:

White Office VS. Mixed Paper
The Mobile Shelf System (MSS) for paper collection
Number and type of paper recycling boxes
Number and placement of MSS
Use of boxes, MSS, and outdoor containers
Services provided by the Recycling Office
Interaction with Building Services
Education/in-service sessions and meetings with the committee and departmental
staff.
The Implementation Phase
In the Implementation Phase, the Recycling Office installs Mobile Shelf Systems filled with empty boxes at previously designated locations. The Recycling Coordinator visits your building to distribute boxes to each workstation. In the process, he educates individual faculty and staff members about the recycling program and distributes hardcopies of this guide.

After implementation, if minor problems occur, they can be addressed by the Area
Recycling Committee, and the Recycling Office
The Production Phase

In the Production Phase, the program is operating successfully. The Area
Recycling Committee continues to meet as needed. Ongoing education/in-service
presentations are scheduled for staff as needed.
Office Paper Recycling

Paper Recycling Boxes

Boxes are color coded to handle the two grades of recyclable paper. While boxes
with Green labels store White Office Paper only, boxes with Black labels store
Mixed Paper only.

The Recycling Office provides Mobile Shelf Systems (MSS) stocked with empty,
labeled boxes. Additionally, each workstation ordinarily receives a pair of
boxes, White Office and Mixed. When one of your boxes becomes full, you take it
to the nearest MSS, and exchange it for an empty one. Often, similar sets of
boxes are placed at other locations, such as next to copiers, in newspaper
reading areas, and other areas with heavy paper use.

Recycling Office crews empty each MSS regularly and restock it with empty boxes.
If you have any questions, please call 982-5033.

White Office VS. Mixed Paper

These are only general sorting rules for paper. For a complete list of types of
White Office and Mixed paper, refer to Section 1, Drive-By Recycling

If it’s white, not glossy, and has no adhesive on it anywhere, it’s probably
White Office grade.

If it’s not white, is glossy, or has adhesive or glue on it, it’s definitely
Mixed Paper.

Special Cases: fax paper and copier paper ream wrappings are Mixed Paper.
Green-Bar computer paper is White Office Paper in the Health Sciences Center,
but is Mixed Paper in the academic areas.

Why Should I Bother?
Why should you spend time separating paper? It all gets recycled anyway, doesn’t
it? Yes, but high-quality White Office Paper can be recycled into more
high-quality paper, plus there are no chemical bleach by-products when repulping
white paper. Mixed Paper, however, gets recycled into low-grade paper products
like cardboard boxes and fiberboard. If our white paper gets recycled as white
paper, we are then helping to "close the loop" and provide a source for more
office-quality paper. Otherwise trees have to fill in the gap. White paper also
brings in more revenue to help offset hauling costs. So separating paper helps
provide funds for further recycling efforts, and results in more efficient use
of energy and trees.

It’s This Easy
There are two ways to use the paper recycling boxes:

The first way is to have a White Office Paper box on end (Label side up) and
a Mixed Paper box laying flat next to your trash can. It is important to
neatly stack the White Office paper in the boxes so that the recycling crew can
check to make sure it is all white, without looking through possibly
confidential documents.

The
second way involves using just a White Office Paper box for white paper
collection, and putting the box top either on top of the box or across part of
your trash can for Mixed paper. When the White Office Paper box is full, take it
to the nearest Mobile Shelf System and neatly empty the Mixed Paper box top into
a black labeled Mixed Paper recycling box on the shelf. Put the box top on the
green labeled White Office Paper box and then put it on the shelf. Take an empty
green labeled White Office Paper box back, and start all over. You can also vary
these methods to suit your needs.

Does It Matter If a Little Non-White Paper Goes Into a White Office Paper
Box?
Yes! If a load of White Office paper is contaminated with a small amount of
Mixed Paper, the entire multi-ton shipment of paper can be downgraded to Mixed.
That means we’ve just lost all that White Office Paper that might have been
recycled into high-quality paper products and means more trees get cut to fill
in the difference. Plus, the University lost needed revenue from that paper.

Office Cardboard Recycling

Why Do I Have To Stack White Office Paper Vertically?
Our recycling crew must inspect White Office Paper boxes for Mixed Paper
contamination by looking at the edges of the paper. Vertical stacking allows
them to do this quickly and efficiently. An added benefit of stacking White
Office paper this way is that our recy cling crew will not have to look through
any of your possibly confidential paper. For highly sensitive documents, such as
medical records, the Recycling Office and University have established a Policy
on Confidentiality. This policy ensures that the Recycling crew nor anyone else
will ever see your confidential documents.
U.Va. buildings with the Complete Program have desginated areas at which to
leave their cardboard. In most, buildings, these areas are at or near a loading
dock. At University Hospital and the Primary Care Center, however, these areas
are more localized by department or floor. If you are unsure of where to leave
your cardboard contact your Area Recycling Committee member or call 982-5033.
Offices without the Complete Program, should call
982-5033
to make special arrangements to have their cardboard recycled. For a complete
list of what types of cardboard the Recycling Office accepts, refer to the What
Can I Recycle? section. Please flatten all cardboard.
In every implementation, the Recycling Office offers a metal, glass and plastic
recycling program. Indoor recycling containers for aluminum, steel, and tin
cans, glass, and plastic of types 1 and 2 are placed in various areas such as
cafeterias, and snack areas. Please empty all recyclable containers and rinse
whenever possible. Also, please crush aluminum cans and plastic containers to
conserve space.

The only types of plastics accepted at this time are clear types 1 and 2. They
are co-mingled with the metals, and later separated at the processing plant.
Look at the bottom of the plastic container for a recycling symbol, and the type
number will be inside that symbol. We do not recycle plastic bags at this time.

If your office is in a U.Va. building which does not have the recycling program
for these materials, but you are currently collecting them, please refer to The
Basic Method.

In the present evolving process of humanity, the need to respect the relationship between human development and a environmental sustainability is seen as the only way to assure the future of the planet, after centuries of applying a development philosophy that has been detrimental to nature. At the same time, international standards and national legislation have unfolded on diverse ecological issues, with the purpose of regulating economic activities that destroy the environment. Nonetheless, legal implementation is not, in reality, free of contradictions that hinder the effective advancement in the field of environmental protection.

Considering the aforementioned reasons, the Earth Council, with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Small Grants Program of the World Bank, held a technical consultation on Indigenous Rights, Environmental Legislation and Sustainable Development. The conference took place last June in San Jose, Costa Rica and gathered indigenous lawyers and experts from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru.

Objectives

The present document, resulting from the information compiled during the technical consultation, aims to achieve the following objectives:

To contribute to the treatment of environmental issues from different perspectives and approaches, especially as they relate to Indigenous Peoples.

To determine the relationship between domestic and international law as put into practice in different Central and South American countries.

To identify, through concrete case studies, gaps and contradictions between the content of specific laws and their application.
To present suggestions within the framework of the National Councils on Sustainable Development (NCSD), in order to facilitate the implementation of such legal systems and to limit possible errors and contradictions in the future.

Building on the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, the 1982 Nairobi Declaration, and many existing international conventions and General Assembly resolutions, there is now a need to consolidate and extend relevant legal principles in a new charter to guide state behaviour in the transition to sustainable development. It would provide the basis for, and be subsequently expanded into, a Convention, setting out the sovereign rights and reciprocal responsibilities of all states on environmental protection and sustainable development. The charter should prescribe new norms for state and interstate behaviour needed to maintain livelihoods and life on our shared planet, including basic norms for prior notification, consultation, and assessment of activities likely to have an impact on neighbouring states or global commons. 1

In line with this recommendation, the Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) proposed creation of an Earth Charter at an early meeting of the United Nations Preparatory Committee as plans were being made for the 1992 Earth Summit. The proposal attracted wide support from world leaders, national and international bodies, legal institutes and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A number of draft Earth Charters were circulated by a variety of concerned groups. However, intergovernmental agreement on “new norms for state and interstate behavior” proved very difficult. Even though the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development enunciated a number of fundamental principles, it fell short of the aspirations that many leaders, NGOs and people at large had for the Earth Charter. Therefore, at the conclusion of the Earth Summit, Maurice F. Strong, the UNCED Secretary General called for ongoing international efforts to reach agreement on an Earth Charter. 2

A new Earth Charter Project was formally initiated in 1994 through the collaborative efforts of Maurice F. Strong and the Earth Council and Mikhail S. Gorbachev and Green Cross International with the support of the government of The Netherlands. 3 This collaboration was facilitated by Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers of The Netherlands and Jim MacNeill, the former Secretary General of the World Commission on Environment and Development. The initial phase of the Project was managed by an international Earth Charter Steering Committee and by Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun, who served as Executive Director of the Project. The first international workshop on the Earth Charter was held at The Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands, May 20-31, 1995, and was attended by representatives of a wide range of organization and groups, who came from over thirty countries and diverse cultures. The secretariat for the Earth Charter Project has been established at the Earth Council headquarters in Costa Rica. In the near future an international Earth Charter Commission will be assembled with responsibility for overseeing preparation of a draft Earth Charter that will be submitted to the peoples and nations of the world for their consideration and endorsement.

In the light of the international consultations conducted during the early phases of the Project, the current intention is to create a relatively brief and succinct document that sets forth principles that are fundamental in character, universal in applicability, and enduring in their validity. The Earth Charter should provide clear guidelines for the conduct of nations and peoples regarding the environment and sustainable development, ensuring the future health and integrity of the Earth as a secure home for humanity and other forms of life. 4 It must be written in language that is inspiring and easily translatable into all languages. To achieve its purpose, the Earth Charter must build on the great wisdom traditions of the world, the insights of science, the growing world literature on global ethics and the ethics of environment and development, and earlier declarations, charters, and covenants, which include documents created by a variety of non-governmental groups as well as legal instruments endorsed by states. It must draw heavily on the experience of those peoples whose cultural practices and belief systems most effectively promote environmental protection and sustainable living. In addition, through a process of extensive world wide consultation and consensus building involving all parts of civil society, it must set forth a fresh, integrated, and more complete vision than has yet been realized of the shared concerns and fundamental values and guidelines that are essential to the future well-being of humanity and the larger community of life on Earth.

International law is one especially important source of ideas upon which those concerned with the Earth Charter can draw. This “Summary and Survey” endeavors to provide a concise overview of the principles relevant to the Earth Charter that have been articulated in international law and related international documents. The “Summary of Principles” in Part One organizes the principles considered under nine categories and provides a brief statement describing each principle. This material could, of course, be organized in a variety of different ways, and some principles fit easily under more than one category. The “Survey of Principles” in Part Two provides a variety of examples of the way each principle has been actually formulated in different specific documents. The various formulations of each principle are presented chronologically so that a reader can trace the development and evolution of a principle. The material in Part Two also shows the degree to which there is a wide consensus around a particular principle. In some cases, a principle may have been affirmed and reaffirmed in many major international documents, but in other cases, the support for a principle may not be as significant.

Some selectivity regarding which documents to include in the “Survey” has been necessary because the body of relevant international law is large. For example, the UN Interagency Committee for Sustainable Development recently identified over seventy international legal instruments which may be considered part of international law for sustainable development. 5 Among the legal documents surveyed are the most important soft law documents in the environmental and sustainable development law field, including the Stockholm Declaration (1972), World Charter for Nature (1982), Rio Declaration (1992), and Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable Development, which is a lenghty forty chapter legal instrument approved by 177 governments and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations. While these soft law documents are very significant statements of the common concerns, aspirations, and responsibilities of the international community, they are not viewed as having the same binding force as other legal instruments.

Materials have also been included from a variety of international treaties and conventions that are sometimes described as hard law documents, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (1975), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), and The Convention on Biological Diversity (1992). These legal instruments set forth very specific binding obligations and duties. Among the documents surveyed is the new Draft International Covenant on Environment and Development prepared by the Commission on Environmental Law of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which attempts “an integrated legal framework” for “existing and future international and national policies and laws on environment and development.” 6 This Draft Covenant, which presents an especially significant new synthesis of legal principles, was introduced at the United Nations in 1995.

In addition, the “Survey” draws on material from a variety of reports prepared by important commissions, legal experts groups, and international organizations. For example in this category one will find excerpts from Our Common Future (1987), the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, and the IUCN/UNEP/WWF report on Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living (1991), which updates their earlier World Conservation Strategy. The reports included in the “Survey” have all involved broad international participation, and they reflect the emerging international consensus.

At the end of the “Summary and Survey” is a bibliography of sources that identifies the legal status (legal document, soft law, etc.) of the various documents surveyed. In the “Survey” all legal documents (hard law) and soft law legal instruments are identified as such with an (LD) or (SL). The Earth Charter will be designed as a soft law document. It is, however, important to remember that some documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are initially accepted as soft law instruments but over the years acquire increasing binding force among those who have endorsed them.

The statement of each principle in Part One, the “Summary,” is based on the material in Part Two, the “Survey.” Following the statement of each principle, the relevant sections of Part Two are identified by numbers in parentheses ( ). The language used in formulating each principle in the “Summary” is for the most part borrowed from various formulations employed in the legal documents cited in the “Survey.” In a few cases some significant phrases like “the community of life” are employed which are derived from one of the reports consulted rather than from an international legal document. This has been done when a concept or phrase seems especially significant from the perspective of the Earth Charter Project. The origin of the ideas and language used in the statement of each principle in Part One will be evident if the relevant section of the “Survey” in Part Two is consulted.

The “Summary and Survey” focuses attention primarily on what the evidence suggests is the emerging international common ground in the area of environment and development. However, those using this report should keep in mind that the documents upon which it is based each have their own distinct orientation and emphasis, reflecting the particular context in which they were written. In this sense these documents are different. When analyzing this material, the most common approach of scholars and legal experts has been to compare and contrast documents, noting both differences and similarities regarding the principles involved. Such studies are often instructive, and a reader can use the “Survey” to compare and contrast the position of different legal instruments and reports on specific principles. It is also noteworthy that some principles are not cited at all in certain documents, which in some cases may reflect an important difference in viewpoint. The summary of legal principles in Part One should not be interpreted to mean that there are no such differences. Preparation of an Earth Charter will require that some complex issues be addressed, and much dialogue and deliberation within and between diverse groups throughout the world will be required. The “Summary and Survey” seeks to facilitate and advance the process of dialogue and deliberation by putting roughly twenty-five years of international study, debate, and treaty making pertaining to environment and development in a perspective that may be helpful.

It is not part of the purpose of this “Summary and Survey” to propose that all of the principles cited belong in the Earth Charter. They do not. However, it is hoped that this report will help to provide essential background material for deciding what should be considered for the Earth Charter. One challenge is to reflect on the principles presented here and to identify the core values and principles at work in this material. Some of these core values may have already been clearly formulated but some may only be implicit and require fresh conceptualization. Furthermore, the Earth Charter should include some ideas and principles that go beyond what may be found in existing international environmental and sustainable development law documents and reports. After reviewing carefully what has been formulated to date, the further challenge is to decide what is missing and needs articulation. It is in this regard that the world’s wisdom traditions, the new science, and contemporary philosophical reflection as well as fresh insights emerging out of grass roots experience may be very helpful. In order to draw on the most creative thinking in all cultures and to ensure a wide sense of ownership of the Earth Charter when it is finally drafted, the consultation process for producing the Earth Charter has been designed to be as inclusive as possible and highly participatory.

Several important documents contain attempts to formulate a brief list of core principles, and several such lists may be found in the appendices to this report. Included are the five General Principles cited in the World Charter for Nature, the eight General Principles, Rights and Responsibilities proposed by the World Commission on Environment and Development, as well as the Commission’s Tokyo Declaration, and the nine principles of sustainable living put forth in Caring for the Earth. These lists, which may be found in Appendices I, II, and III, continue to be instructive when one is reflecting on core values and principles for an Earth Charter.

In recent years a number of major efforts have been made to identify the core values and principles at work in international environmental law and in the international law of sustainable development. For example, the World Conservation Union’s Draft International Covenant on Environment and Development includes a section on Fundamental Principles followed by a section on General Obligations. These parts of the Covenant are contained in Appendix IV.

A consultation of international legal experts convened by the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD) in 1993 identified four core elements of the concept of sustainable development, which include: (1) the needs of present and future generations must be taken into account; (2) renewable and non-renewable resources must be conserved; (3) access to and the use of natural resources must be equitable, taking into account the needs of all people; and (4) issues of environment and development must be treated in an integrated manner. 7

In addition, a Discussion Paper for a recent UN Expert Group Meeting on Identification of Principles in International Law for Sustainable Development argues that “there is a relatively clear core of principles on which consensus exists,” and it proposes “a benchmark set of principles of sustainable development.” 8 This list of twenty-three principles is drawn, first and foremost, from the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21. It may be found in Appendix V.

During the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, a great number and variety of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world gathered for the occasion and formed an International NGO Forum at the Global Forum ‘92. Among these private, non-profit, voluntary groups were grass roots organizations, environment and development associations, indigenous peoples groups, religious organizations, and groups associated with the women’s movement. Identifying themselves as representatives of the emerging new transnational civil society and disappointed with the progress of the official deliberations at the Rio Earth Summit, the International NGO Forum produced forty-six “people’s treaties,” in which the participating NGOs sought “to define more specific commitments to each other for action at local, national, and international levels.” 9 These “people’s treaties,” which vary considerably in quality, contain a wide variety of NGO action plans in support of sustainable development, and they seek to articulate the basic principles that underlie the proposed post-Rio NGO programs.

Since these documents are not recognized as part of existing international law and are not the work of an official international commission or legal experts group, they have not been cited in the material included in Part Two, the “Survey of Principles.” However, the NGO “people’s treaties” do articulate the outcome of the deliberations of a very important international assembly and ongoing network of organizations. Furthermore, Agenda 21, which is a soft law document, calls for “strengthening the role of non-governmental organizations as social partners” and urges the United Nations and governments to draw upon the expertise and capacity of NGOs “at all levels from policy-making and decision-making to implementation.” 10 It is appropriate, therefore, to include some material from the Rio NGO treaties in this Report, and selections from these documents are included in Appendix VI. The selections begin with the entire People’s Earth Declaration, which provides an overview of the vision and concerns expressed in the NGO treaties. Excerpts from seven additional NGO treaties have also been included. Some readers may find it useful to consult some of the other treaties not cited in Appendix VI, which deal with issues such as international debt, trade, transnational corporations, climate change, population, poverty, food security, water, fisheries, sustainable agriculture, forests, marine ecosystems, militarism, the nuclear problem, youth, women, environmental education, and urbanization.

In conclusion, it is hoped that this “Summary and Survey” will help to organize and further the search for the elements of an Earth Charter. In preparing the “Summary and Survey” I have received the encouragement and assistance of a number of people. I wish to thank especially Maurice F. Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council and the Earth Charter Management Committee, and the members of the Earth Charter Management Committee for their support. I am very grateful to Nicholas Robinson, Professor of Environmental Law at the Pace University School of Law, for his assistance with identifying and securing legal instruments and other relevant materials and for his very helpful comments and suggestions as this report has evolved. I also extend my special thanks to Wolfgang E. Burhenne, J. Ronald Engel, Maximo T. Kalaw, Jr., and Arthur H. Westing for their comments and recommendations. Claire Wilson and Janet Winkler have helped track down documents and spent long hours entering this report into the computer and making numerous revisions, and I very much appreciate their assistance.

_________________

(1)Our Common Future, Report of World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), pp. 332-33.

(2)”The Earth Charter: A Joint Initiative of the Earth Council and Green Cross International,” a Report prepared by the Earth Council and Green Cross International in connection with the Earth Charter Workshop, The Peace Palace, The Hague, May 31, 1995, Part One, 1.1.

(3)Ibid.

(4)”The Earth Charter: A Joint Initiative of the Earth Council and Green Cross International,” Part One, 1.1; “Proposal for Phase II of Earth Charter Project,” November, 1995, Earth Charter Management Committee.

(5)Mary Pat Williams Silveira, International Legal Instruments and Sustainable Development: Principles, Requirements and Restructuring, Willamette Law Review (Spring 1995), p. 5.

(6)Preamble, Draft International Covenant on Environment and Development prepared by the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law

(7)Discussion Paper prepared for Expert Group Meeting on Identification of Principles in International Law for Sustainable Development, Geneva, 26-28 September 1995, pp. 4-5.

(8)Ibid., pp. 8-33.

(9)Treaty No. 1, People’s Earth Declaration, Principle 21, in Alternative Treaties: Synergistic Processes for Sustainable Communities & Global Responsibility, A Revised Edition of the Alternative Treaties from the International NGO Forum, Rio de Janeiro, June 1-14, 1992, published by Ideas for Tomorrow Today and International Synergy Institute, pp. 33-35.

(10)Agenda 21, chapter 27.3-8, in Agenda 21: The United Nations Programme of Action from Rio, The final text of agreements negotiated by Governments at the

. The Goal: A Global Partnership

The general objective of international environmental and sustainable development law is formation of a global partnership of all peoples and nations to ensure for present and future generations the well-being of humanity and the larger community of life by promoting equitable and sustainable development and by protecting and restoring the health and integrity of the Earth’s biosphere, of which all life is a part and apart from which humanity cannot survive or realize its creative potential. This global alliance should be founded on commitment to an integrated framework of shared ethical principles and practical guidelines. (1)

II. Preamble: The Human Situation

The environmental and developmental problems facing humanity involve a complex of interrelated issues including: increasing degradation of the global environment, deterioration and depletion of natural resources, excessive consumption, rising population pressures, perpetuation of disparities between and within nations, poverty, pollution, ignorance, injustice, and armed conflict. The decisions and choices humanity makes in response to the challenge of these critical problems will have major consequences for the future of life on Earth. Humanity stands at a defining moment in its history. (2)

III. World View

1. The biosphere is a unity, a unique and indivisible ecosystem, and all of its diverse constituent parts are interdependent. (3)

2. Humanity is part of nature and the community of life, and all life depends for survival and well-being on the functioning of natural systems. (4)

3. Every life form is unique and possesses intrinsic value independent of its worth to humanity. Nature as a whole and the community of life warrant respect. (5)

IV.A Common Concern and Universal Responsibility

1. The well-being of the community of life and the protection of the environment are a common concern of humanity. (6)

2. Nature as a whole, the Earth, and all life forms should be respected. All persons have a fundamental responsibility to respect and care for the community of life. (5, 10)

3. Protect, preserve, and, insofar as possible, restore the health and integrity of ecosystems, ensuring the functioning of essential ecological processes and life support systems throughout the Earth. (7, 10, 13)

a. Provide special protection to fragile ecosystems such as are found in deserts, semi-arid lands, mountains, wetlands, and certain coastal areas and on small islands.

4. Conserve biodiversity including the diversity of species, the range of genetic stocks within each species, and the variety of ecosystems. (8)

a. Provide special protection to endangered species and their habitats.

V. The Rights of People

1. All human beings, including future generations, have a right to an environment adequate for their health, well-being, and dignity, and the responsibility to protect the environment. (9, 10)

2. All persons, without being required to prove an interest, have the right to seek, receive, and disseminate information on activities or measures that are likely to have environmental impact and the right to participate, individually or collectively, in relevant decision-making processes. (9, 29)

3. All peoples have a right to their economic, social, political and cultural development and a responsibility to adopt sustainable patterns of development. (11, 22)

4. All human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and indivisible. (21)

VI. Sustainable Development

1. The purpose of development is to meet the basic needs of humanity, improve the quality of life for all, and ensure a secure future. (11, 12)

2. All humanity has the duty to integrate environmental conservation with development activity at all stages and levels so as to achieve sustainable development, keeping human resource use and related activity within the limits of the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. Sustainable development promotes the well-being of both people and ecosystems. (12)

3. Protection of the environment is best achieved by preventing environmental harm rather than by attempting to remedy or compensate for such harm. (13)

a. Activities which are likely to cause irreversible environmental change or damage should be avoided altogether.

4. Activities which are likely to cause potential or actual harm to the environment shall be preceded by a thorough environmental impact assessment. (14)

5. Precautionary Principle: In situations where there is the risk of irreversible or serious damage to the environment, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as reason to postpone action to avoid potentially irreversible or serious harm to the environment. (15)

6. The development and implementation of appropriate demographic policies, ensuring that human population levels remain within the carrying capacity of the Earth, are necessary to improve the quality of life for all people and to protect the environment. (16)

7. The elimination of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption is essential and requires adoption of the following measures.

a. Minimize the depletion of non-renewable resources.
b. Ensure all renewable resources are used sustainably.
c. Use all resources with restraint and as efficiently as possible.
d. Develop and adopt technologies that increase energy efficiency.
e. Develop and adopt technologies that use renewable resources to generate energy.
f. Prevent, reduce, and control pollution.
g. Minimize waste: reduce the volume of materials used, reuse, recycle. (17, 35)
8. Governments, businesses and other organizations should cooperate in promoting the development and adoption of environmentally sound technologies. (18, 36)

9. Policy makers should adopt a system of economic indicators for measuring economic health and development that reflects the full social and environmental cost of human activities, thereby integrating environmental and economic measures. (19)

10. The prices of commodities and raw materials should reflect the full direct and indirect social and environmental costs of their extraction, production, transport, marketing, and, where appropriate, ultimate disposal. (20)

11. Peace and security, environmental protection, sustainable development, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and indivisible. (21)

VII. Equity and Justice

1. Intergenerational Equity: Each generation has a responsibility to recognize limits to its freedom of action in relation to the environment and to act accordingly with appropriate care and restraint so that future generations inherit a world that meets their needs. (22)

2. The achievement of sustainable development requires creation of a just and equitable international economic system which ensures that the costs and benefits arising from the use of natural resources are shared fairly among the nations, between rich and poor, and between present and future generations. (22, 23)

3. The eradication of poverty is an ethical imperative and an essential requirement for sustainable development and environmental protection. (24)

4. The particular situation and needs of developing countries, especially of the least developed and most environmentally vulnerable, is a high priority, and the developed countries bear a special responsibility to provide essential financial, scientific, technical, and legal assistance in support of the developing countries’ pursuit of environmental conservation and sustainable development. (25, 36)

5. States should cooperate with other nations in establishing joint research efforts for developing environmentally sound technologies and facilitate the transfer of such technologies, strengthening national capacities and accelerating the transition to sustainable development throughout the world. (18, 36)

6. Equality and equity between women and men and the full participation of women in all spheres of social, cultural, economic, and political life, including management decision-making, are essential to the achievement of environmental conservation and sustainable development. (26)

7. The identity, culture, and interests of indigenous peoples, and especially their traditional approaches to sustainable development, should be respected and supported. Indigenous peoples have the right to control their lands, territories and natural resources, and they should be provided opportunities to participate in decision-making processes that are likely to affect their interests in the area of environment and development. (27)

VIII. Governance and Security

1. All States have (a) the sovereign right to utilize their resources to meet their sustainable development needs and (b) the responsibility to develop and implement a national plan for the protection and preservation of the environment within the levels of their national jurisdiction, and to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause potential or actual harm to the environment of other States or areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. (28)

2. In view of the different contributions to global environmental degradation and differences in financial and technological resources, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. Accordingly, the developed countries acknowledge the responsibilities that they bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development. (28, 40)

3. Transparent and accountable governance and the democratic participation of all concerned persons in decision-making processes are prerequisites for achievement of environmental protection and sustainable development. (29)

a. Strengthen NGOs and increase their participation.

4. Environmental education programs should be established in school systems as an integral part of general education at all levels, and environmental information and opportunities for environmental training should be provided to the public, ensuring that all people have the knowledge, skills, and values to cooperate in protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development. (30)

5. All persons have the right to effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including for redress and remedy, in enforcing their environmental rights. States shall ensure that a person in another State who is adversely affected by transboundary environmental harm has the right of access to administrative and judicial procedures equal to that afforded to its own citizens in cases of domestic environmental law. (31)

6. States shall develop national law regarding liability and compensation for the victims of pollution and other environmental damage. Each State is liable for significant harm to the environment of other States and to areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. States shall cease the activities causing significant harm, restore the damaged environment insofar as possible, and where that is not possible, provide compensation or other remedy for the harm. (32)

7. States shall resolve all their environmental disputes peacefully and by appropriate means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. (33)

8. States shall cooperate in the further development of international law and in formulating and strengthening of international rules, standards and recommended practices on issues of common concern for the protection and preservation of the environment and sustainable use of natural resources, taking into account the need for flexible means of implementation based on their respective capabilities. (34)

IX. Environmental Protection

1. States shall take, individually or jointly as appropriate, all measures necessary to prevent, reduce, and control pollution, giving special attention to the disposal in an environmentally safe manner of radioactive, toxic, and other hazardous wastes that cannot be reused or recycled. (17, 35)

2. States shall conduct and encourage scientific research and establish scientific monitoring programs for the collection of environmental information on all aspects of the environment and on human environmental impacts, ensure the dissemination of scientific data and information, and promote scientific cooperation in the fields of environmental conservation and sustainable development, strengthening national capacities. (36)

3. States shall establish specific national standards, including emission, quality, product, and process standards, designed to prevent harm to the environment or to restore or enhance environmental quality. (37)

4. States shall take appropriate measures to prevent transboundary environmental harm. Do not do to others what you would not do to your own citizens. (38)

a. Ensure prior and timely notification and consultation.
b. Set standards, monitor, exchange information.
c. Establish contingency plans for emergencies, including prompt notification.
5. Transboundary natural resources should be used in a reasonable and equitable manner, and States should cooperate with other States in the conservation and restoration of such natural resources. (39)
6. States have an obligation to protect and preserve the atmosphere and to take appropriate measures with regard to activities under their jurisdiction or control to prevent, reduce, or control any atmospheric interference or significant risk thereof, which threatens harm to human health, the community of life, or ecosystems. (40)

7. States shall ensure the conservation and where necessary the regeneration of soils for all living systems by taking effective measures to prevent soil erosion, to combat desertification, to safeguard the processes of organic decomposition and to promote the continuing fertility of soils. (41)

8. States shall take all appropriate measures to maintain and restore the quality of water including atmospheric, marine, ground and surface fresh water, to meet basic human needs and as an essential component of aquatic systems. They shall, in particular, establish standards to safeguard the supply and quality of drinking water and to maintain the capacity of aquatic systems to support life. (42)

9. States shall prohibit the intentional introduction into the environment of alien or modified organisms which are likely to have adverse effects on other organisms or the environment. They shall also take the appropriate measures to prevent accidental introduction or escape of such organisms. (43)

10. Nature shall be secured against degradation caused by warfare or other military activities. (44)

11. Natural and cultural areas, including Antarctica, of outstanding aesthetic, cultural, ecological, scientific, and spiritual significance should be identified, protected, preserved, and restored. (45)

12. Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is part of the common heritage of humanity, and the exploration and use of outer space should be carried out exclusively for peaceful purposes and so as to equitably benefit and serve the interests of all nations and peoples, including future generations. The exploration and use of outer space should avoid the harmful contamination of the environment in space and on the moon and other celestial bodies and should also avoid causing harm to the environment on Earth through introduction of extraterrestrial matter. (46)

Note:

The IUCN/UNEP/WWF report Caring for the Earth (1991) endorses the principle that: “People should treat all creatures decently, and protect them from cruelty, avoidable suffering, and unnecessary killing.” (47) However, to date this principle, which is concerned with the treatment of individual sentient beings as distinct from species, has not been included or recommended for inclusion in international law.

Background

Efforts to develop a set of principles for ecological security were intensified at the United Nations Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. Since then, many groups and coalitions have made valuable contributions to the articulation of principles and values needed for sustainable development. In 1987, the Brundtland Commission called for a new charter “to consolidate and extend relevant legal principles to guide State behavior in the transition to sustainable development”.

The Earth Charter was one of the expected outcomes of the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The intention was to craft an agreement on a statement of ethical principles to guide the conduct of people and nations towards each other and the earth so as to ensure a sustainable future, building on the various declarations and charters which emerged since the Stockholm conference. The call for such a charter caught the imagination of individuals and organizations around the world, as well as some governments. During the two years leading up to and including the Earth Summit, NGO and government delegations from around the world worked on elements of the Charter. Still, governments could not reach agreement on an Earth Charter. Instead, they adopted the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which, though valuable in itself, did not meet the expectations of a “people’s” Earth Charter.

Following the Earth Summit, two international NGOs, the Earth Council and Green Cross International, with the support of the Dutch Government, joined forces with others to pursue the development of an Earth Charter. In May 1995, they co-sponsored a meeting in The Hague, where some 60 representatives from various groups met and proposed a broad consultation process, which would lead to a universally acceptable Charter. Over a two-year period, consultations were held worldwide among some international organizations. At the same time, an overview of principles of environmental conservation and sustainable development, as articulated in international law documents and related reports, was compiled in a working paper called Principles of Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development: Summary and Survey. It formed a guide for this phase of the consultation process.

In early 1997, an Earth Charter Commission composed of 23 distinguished individuals, from every continent, was formed to oversee the drafting and consultation process. During the Rio+5 Forum in March 1997, the Commission proposed a “Benchmark Draft”, based on the initial consultation and review of the previous efforts since 1972, to serve as a guide for further consultation to develop a “People’s Earth Charter”.

Since the creation of the Earth Charter Commission, the Earth Council Secretariat initiated a consultation and valuing processes in some 25 countries (annex 1), primarily by initiating national Earth Charter committees which would pursue the objectives described in section 2.1. These committees continue to expand participation and conduct Earth Charter workshops using the Benchmark Draft in diverse ways according to their cultural context and specific critical issues of concern. The Benchmark Draft is used as a tool of analysis, as an instrument for invoking personal and social values and as a document in process to be evaluated and validated.

The learning from the initial phase of the campaign highlight four orientations that go beyond drafting a document: first, the process necessitates an integration of personal and social values into a coherent inner and outer “ecology of values”. Second, the values must be translated into initiatives that addresses the current crisis that affect people’s lives. Third, that “political will” rest on people’s personal and organizational commitments as foundations for government action. Fourth, that the campaign’s driving force comes from civil society’s normative function of articulating public interest and the common good and from within the individual’s deep personal spiritual motivations and resources.

The Millennium Campaign

The transition to sustainable development will require basic changes in the values, behavior and attitudes of civil society, the private economic society and governments. Ultimately, sustainability will depend on the decisions citizen will make on what to produce, consume, waste and the lifestyles they will pursue.

The Earth Charter Millennium Campaign seeks to catalyze change in the above mentioned areas.

A. Campaign Objectives

To conduct a series of national workshops to facilitate the articulation of a new people’s vision, rooted in shared ethical and spiritual values, that integrates humanity’s social, economic and environmental goals and express it in an Earth Charter Document;

To promote the Earth Charter as an ethical framework for sustainable development, particularly through National Councils for Sustainable Development, to address the crisis of growing poverty, destruction of environmental life support systems, social violence and personal alienation from nature and society;

To involve various sectors of society to translate Earth Charter principles into professional and organizational work ethics, educational curriculum, religious ministries, development plans and personal commitments on sustainable consumption and lifestyles;

To contribute to the Earth Charter drafting process and the creation of educational materials;
To participate in regional and global fora and to promote the Earth Charter values in inter-governmental negotiations and agreements as well as activities of transnational organizations;

To organize a People’s Earth Charter Millennium Assembly in the year 2000 to agree on a final draft of the Earth Charter and present it to the People’s Millennium Assembly at the United Nations.

To have Governments at the United Nations adopt the Earth Charter in the year 2002, during the UN Rio+10 Assembly.
B. The Campaign Activities

The Campaign activities fall into two main areas: the drafting process and the consultation valuing process.

1. Earth Charter Drafting Activities

A drafting team, led by Professor Steven Rockefeller, is pursuing the on-going process of refining the Earth Charter Benchmark Draft by:

Reviewing and integrating the results of all consultations and contributions, and ensuring a dynamic and culturally appropriate translation of the Benchmark Draft in all major languages;

Presenting to the Earth Charter Commission in January 1999 a Benchmark Draft II together with a brief introduction to the structure and organization of the revised document;

Conducting workshops and seeking input from expert groups in such areas as culture, science and economics to ensure that these value spheres are integrated into the ethical framework of the Earth Charter;

Designing and publishing educational and training tools to support the Earth Charter process;

Preparing a working paper that identifies what needs to be done and best practices to implement the Earth Charter principles. This paper will identify specific goals for each principle and measures for determining to what degree the goals are being achieved;

Publishing in the year 2000, a book of essays on the ethical, legal, scientific, and other foundations of the Earth Charter. The author of these essays will reflect diverse cultural perspectives.
2. Consultation and Valuing Activities

2.1. National Valuing and promoting Workshops
National campaigns have been launched by the Earth Council and are being managed by national Earth Charter Committees. These are composed of representatives of partner organizations, National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) or similar entities, and of diverse professional, social, economic and spiritual groups. All are invited to involve their constituencies in translating Earth Charter values into operational terms and in contributing to the Earth Charter Draft. The specific objectives of these national campaigns are:

To use the principles in the Earth Charter Benchmark Draft as a tool to initiate a process of internal reflection and elicit people’s personal values.

To promote the Earth Charter principles to become the values framework for National Sustainability Plans. This work will involve over 70 NCSDs that participated in the Rio+5 process and Forum. This will involve accessing the values underlying management practices such as: sustainable agriculture and coastal area management, biodiversity, energy and financial systems, which are priority areas of major foundation grants.

To translate the Earth Charter principles into professional work ethics and code of conduct of professional associations such as: doctors, lawyers, engineers financial managers, etc.

To translate the Earth Charter principles into values’ curriculum and training pedagogy of both formal and informal educational institutions such as schools, scouting movement, formation groups, etc.

To make the Earth Charter principles part of the teachings and instructions of religious and spiritual groups.

To adopt the Earth Charter principles as specific public interest advocacy of NGOs and community based networks.

To disseminate the Earth Charter principles as part of popular culture through mass media and communication.
2.2. Regional activities

Organizing Regional Workshops - presided over by Regional Chairs of the Earth Charter Commission (See annex 5)

To consolidate national results.

To coordinate with Regional NCSD consultations (PrepComs) and integrate Earth Charter values into regional positions, policies and action programs in regional economic, social and environmental fora.

To select representatives for the Millennium Earth Charter Assembly.

Supporting the creation of Regional Earth Charter Committees to be chaired by the regional chairs of the Earth Charter Commission to address the culture specific needs of each region and to coordinate national campaigns in the region. These committees will also be important mechanisms for tapping regional resources for the campaign.

3. Global Activities

Advocating Earth Charter values in inter-governmental fora, led by partner organizations which are involved in the specific themes of each forum.

Conducting an open consultation through a special Earth Charter web site http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/ managed by the Earth Council Secretariat that will ensure transparency and participation. This site will provide information on the various consultation processes, and solicit inputs from all interested parties.

Organizing a Millennium Earth Charter Assembly - presided by the Earth Charter Commission.

drafting and valuing activities are to culminate in the Millennium Earth Charter Assembly to be held in the year 2000 (date to be determinate) where 200 representatives selected through regional workshops and the Earth Charter commissioners will have a final workshop to:

Craft and agree on the final document for a People’s Earth Charter.
Present it to the United Nations Peoples assembly in the year 2000.
Forming an international Resource Team to help support the campaign. Initially, this team will be composed of the key active partner organizations involved in the campaign. (attached list, annex 2)
Strengthening the coordinating secretariat at the Earth Council in San José, Costa Rica.
Establishing a small UN liaison and northern coordinating office in New York for the duration of the Campaign..
Organizing an Earth Charter Commission meeting in January 1999 to release a Benchmark Draft II.
Post Millennium Assembly activities

Presentation of the final document to national governments through NCSDs and Earth Charter committees for formal adaptation during the 10th anniversary of the Earth Summit in the year 2002.

Promoting the adaptation of a covenant for sustainable development at the UN based on the Earth Charter and IUCN’s work
Expected Results

An adopted “Peoples” Earth Charter with a global constituency by the year 2000.

Adaptation of Earth Charter values by professional organizations and association.

Earth Charter principles and values as part of curriculum of formal and non-formal educational institutions.

Earth Charter endorsed and taught by religious and spiritual groups.

Earth Charter principles as well as processes discussed in popular media.

Earth Charter values and principles form a framework for countries National Sustainable Development plans and programs.

Earth Charter values and principles become major considerations in inter-governmental negotiations and activities of transnational organizations.

The Earth Charter will have enough constituencies to be adopted by countries at the United Nations as a basis for a covenant on sustainable development by the year 2002.
Participating Organizations

While the Earth Council Secretariat is the coordinating organization for this campaign under the Earth Charter Commission it relies on partner organizations which form the Drafting Team, the International Resource Team (annex 2) and the organizations forming the National and Regional committees for implementing the program.

Project Secretariat

The Earth Council is a non-governmental organization that derives its legal status from the Earth Council Foundation, an international non-profit organization. Its secretariat was established in San José, Costa Rica in September 1992 at the invitation of the Costa Rican government.

Organized by its chairman Mr. Maurice Strong after the Earth Summit of 1992, the Earth Council’s mission is:

To support and empower people in building a more secure, equitable and sustainable future.
and its’ mandate is:

To operationalize the Earth Summit Agreements and sustainable development through the empowerment of civil society.
To achieve its mission, the Earth Council has developed a strategic program called “Making Sustainability work”, which integrates the elements of: participatory mechanisms such as National Councils, legislative agendas for sustainable development, Knowledge Resource Facilities for informed participation of civil society, Capital Investment Collaborative for supporting local sustainability investment plans; and underlying all the programs is the Earth Charter to provide the Values Framework for sustainable development. (see diagram of work programme – annex 3)

In its’ work the Earth Council has developed a network of partner institutes, NGOs, National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) which it intends to mobilize for the campaign (attach matrix annex 4)

Whatever career path you follow, it is important to realize that many jobs that involve work with animals include activities that cause unnecessary animal suffering. This concern arm in areas such as research; testing; breeding; zoos; aquaria; circuses; and businesses that use animals in the production of food, clothing, cosmetics, and drugs. Careers involving the exploitation and consumptive use of animals will pose many difficult situations for individuals who believe that animals deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. It is important to keep this in mind as you interview for jobs in these fields.

The basic fields of specialization involving work with animals that The HSUS recommends for those who care deeply about animals include:

ANIMAL WELFARE/ PROTECTION Institutions specializing in this field are concerned with the prevention and alleviation of animal suffering. Animal protection includes programs for legislative reform, cruelty investigation, humane education, animal sheltering, and animal control. For example, a humane society executive director is responsible for overseeing all of the agency’s departments and is concerned with all facets of the humane society’s operation including fund raising, membership recruitment, personnel management, and program planning. A director of animal control is the municipal equivalent of the humane society director. Both are concerned with the prevention and elimination of conflicts between animals and community residents. It is the responsibility of these agencies to patrol for, and impound, animals running at large in violation of the local ordinance. An animal control officer is a professional animal care specialist who has been trained to handle all manner of situations involving pets and pet owners. They may conduct inspections of pet shops, kennels, and other commercial enterprises to ensure that animals are receiving adequate care. Some operate animal ambulances or specialize in the rescue of trapped and injured animals. A shelter manager is responsible for the operation and maintenance of a kennel facility and staff providing for the impoundment of dogs, cats, and other animals. The duties of an animal care attendant include cleaning, grooming, feeding, and exercising the animals.

CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION This field is concerned with the planned protection of ecological communities including air, water, flora, fauna, and land, to prevent their exploitation or destruction. Conservation involves programs of habitat preservation, species propagation, and field research. Environmental protection may involve urban planning and pollution control. ‘Me principal institutions working in this field include state and national non-profit organizations chartered for the protection and/or study of wild animals. A wildlife conservation officer, also known as a game warden, enforces the laws and regulations regarding hunting, trapping, and fishing. The officer may patrol a district in search of game law violators and investigate reports of game law violations, as well as assist in the preparation and prosecution of criminal charges against violators.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT This field is concerned with the management of wildlife as a natural resource. Wildlife management is concerned with the planned use and exploitation of wild animals in a manner intended to minimize waste and ensure that wildlife populations are not depleted. A wildlife management biologist who manages wildlife populations for non-consumptive uses is known as a non-game biologist. These biologists study the abundance and distribution of animal species. They may also engage in habitat alteration or the selective planting of flora preferred by wildlife. A wildlife management biologist whose primary duties relate to the consumptive exploitation of animals is known as a game biologist. Such biologists are responsible for recommending seasonal game regulations relative to the length of hunting and trapping seasons, bag limits, and game quotas.

VETERINARY MEDICINE This field is concerned with the prevention and treatment of animal health problems. Veterinary medicine involves animal care and research. The major areas of concentration are private practice, food inspection, pet products marketing, and zoological park management. Veterinarians may specialize in small animal practice, which is 9 confined to the treatment of dogs, cats, and other small household pets, or concentrate on farm animals and horses. To become a veterinarian, a person must earn a Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine (D.V.M.) degree, which usually includes two to four years of undergraduate education, plus three to four years of professional veterinary education. Veterinary specialists obtain an additional four years of education and training. A veterinary technician is primarily employed as an assistant to a veterinarian. Duties may include specimen collection, surgical preparation, laboratory analysis, animal hospital management, emergency first aid treatment, client consultation, surgical nursing, the administration of medication, and the routine care of hospitalized animals.

SERVICES FOR PETS This field includes a variety of jobs. Pet groomers maintain the health, condition and physical appearance of animals’ coats. Pet groomers bathe, clip, and style dogs and cats. Groomers must either serve an apprenticeship or attend a vocational school. Pet sitters provide care, companionship, and supervision for pets in the absence of their owners. The pet sitter may care for an aged or infirm animal who cannot be left unattended while the owner shops for groceries, or he or she may tend an animal for several days or weeks while the owner is out of town. For more information contact the National Association of Pet Sitters, 1200 G St., NW, Suite 760, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 393-3317, or the American Grooming Shop Association, 4575 Galley Road, Suite 400-A, Colorado Springs, CO 80915, (719) 570-7788.

ANIMAL TRAINER Dog obedience instructors account for the greatest number of animal trainers who are professionally employed. The objective of obedience training is to produce a manageable companion who is responsive to direction. Trainers are also employed to teach dogs to assist individuals who are sight- or hearing-impaired. An animal handler works in partnership with an individual animal. Some handlers are employed with the United States Custom Service, while others are employed by military branches and municipal and state law enforcement agencies. Animal training is a technical skill that uses knowledge of animal’s habits and learning ability. ‘Me trainer teaches an animal to do certain things upon command. Some trainers work with animals in the entertainment industry, which includes circuses, carnivals, zoological parks, and the motion picture and television industries. Some of these industries have no codes specifically defining and prohibiting cruelty to animals. Therefore, it is important to be sure that when you choose a career, in this or any other area, that the organization has and enforces a strong set of standards and procedures to ensure the humane treatment of animals. For more information, contact the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, P.O. Box 3734, Salinas, CA 93912; 1-800-PET-DOGS.
In addition to the careers profiled here, there are numerous other routes to finding positions in animal welfare, conservation, and allied professions. Accountants, computer technicians, architects, printers, carpenters, and other specialists are also employed by those institutions responsible for the protection of animals.

We hope that these brief descriptions have given you a sense of the wide variety of options available in careers working with animals. Enclosed are references that you may find useful in further researching your career options. For more information, contact The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L St., NW, Washington DC, 20037 (http://www.hsus.org) or-contact the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212, or key in specific occupations on their web site (http://stats.bls.gov/ch/home.htm).

Planetary Progress, by Thomas Berry. Progress with minimal regard for well-being of the life systems of the planet and the role that religious traditions play.Economics, Environment, and Community, by Herman Daly. Questioning the prevailing economic theories and envisioning an economics that is more supportive of a whole earth community.

Protecting the Global Commons, by Gro Harlem Brundtland. Excerpts from the Norwegian Prime Minister’s May 2 address at the Smithsonian Institution Symposium on Global Change.

Thinking Like a Mountain, by Aldo Leopold. Essay on a personal experience in hunting.

Peace with God…With All Creation, by Pope John Paul II. Religious leadership for a new, socially just ecological ethic.

The Dance of Herons, by Barry Holstun Lopez. Fiction, the bond between humankind and Earth.

Changing Our Minds, by Paul Erlich. The need for evolution in human’s awareness of and relationship to the environment.

The Road and the Wheel, by Wendell Berry and Jeff Settembrino. Two opposing views of man’s relationship to nature and the environment.George Bush on Environmental Ethics. In his speech at the Sixth International Waterfowl Symposium, Bush outlines five principles of his administration’s environmental ethic.

Projects include: