Envision a world in which education is no longer seen as an objective in and of itself, but as a means to bring about change in behavior and lifestyle that can ultimately change the world.  ACT LOCALLY, THINK GLOBALLY is a concept that grew in part from international meetings focused on quality of life issues, economic development, land practices, and use of resources.

It is the job of educators to disseminate knowledge and help students develop skills that will prepare them, as part of the adult public, to support changes toward sustainability before depletion and misuse go much further.  This vision for education has grown from the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment that has been holding international conferences since 1972.

By 1983 the impact of economic development on the environment became the focus of the U.N. World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission).  This organization first introduced and popularized the term sustainability and called for strategies integrating both environment and economic development.  Subsequent international conferences have been held, including the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 and the President's Council on Sustainable Development in 1993, which have promoted sustainability concepts and stressed the important role of education. One of the most recent and exciting examples is the National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America (NTM) that was held in Detroit, Michigan in April 1999.  Over 3,500 people across the United States attended, and 60,000 participated via satellite and the Internet.  A realistic program strategy for the development of sustainability will include:

• an unprecedented degree of international cooperation
  
• an understanding of the global forces that affect human lives
  
• empowerment of students to become responsible citizens