Dr. Julian Agyeman, author of Sustainable Communities and the Challenge of Environmental Justice (NYU Press, 2005), will present three platform programs on sustainability and social justice in a special series of talks.  His three linked talks will be titled overall: 'Thoughts on a just sustainability: linking environmental quality with human equality'. In this wide ranging set of three interrelated talks, Professor Agyeman will advance his concept of 'just sustainability' which sees social justice and environmental protection as being not only possible, but essential to our global futures. He will explore, among others, the inextricable links between environmental quality and human equality; the need to move our policy focus from 'standard of living' to 'quality of life' and well being, and the need to balance our change strategies between personal behavior change and wider paradigm and policy shifts.

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On October 5, Dr. Julian Agyeman, Chairperson of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University presented the first of three presentations on sustainable development and social justice. Most of us understand the concept of 'sustainable development' in its environmental context. This refers to utilizing resources to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that future generations will also be able to meet their needs.

Dr. Agyman challenged us to expand our concept of sustainability to include a concern for social justice and to understand the concept in a global context. For example, it is popularly recognized that climate change is a major problem that effects the population of the world. This problem is often discussed in scientific and economic terms. By changing the paradigm we change the kinds of questions that we ask. The relevant questions are those that pertain to the uneven distribution of consequences. Who is doing the polluting, and who reaps the biggest problems connected with this act?

In our country Katrina demonstrated dramatically the ways in which a hurricane had a disproportionate effect on the population of Louisiana. The wealthy escaped and the poor became victims.

Currently, we compose 4½% of the world's population and utilize 25% of the world’s resources. By 2050 it is projected that there will be 10 billion people on earth. What is a fair share of the earth's resources? In order to provide a stable, sustainable level of consumption for everyone, we need an 80% reduction in CO2 production and many of our resources by 2050. Clearly, our pattern of over consumption is not sustainable, and it has been a problem which has threatened our national security as well as global stability.

Presently, we measure our progress by our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a calculation which focuses exclusively on the value of the goods that we produce. Our standard of living is measured by our financial resources which serves as the engine to propel our over consumption. Based on the GDP our standard of living is among the highest in the world. However, our quality of life has not improved since the 1970s and there is evidence that supports the idea that it has declined.

As a nation we work longer hours and have fewer weeks of vacation than our European counterparts. On a Happy Planet Index (http://happyplanetindex.org) measure we trail most of Europe. These are countries that not only rank above us in environmental sustainability, but also in their active concern for social justice. In order to achieve greater quality of life, we need more leisure time, not more money. We need a health care system and an education system that
promotes the well-being of all of our citizens. The Happy Planet Index measure of progress is: Life Expectancy X Life Satisfactions / Ecological footprint.

We are obsessed with efficiency because this helps us to forget that it is we that need to change our behavior. We need to examine our lives more in terms of “sufficiency”. Sufficiency asks how much do we really need? Another component of a just sustainability is spatial justice. This focuses on an equal geographic distribution of society’s wants and needs, which may include access to, but not be limited to, job opportunities, health care, quality education, clean air and a fair distribution of food.

There should not be a conflict between preservation of our environment and the creation of jobs. Because of technological innovations a substantial number of “green jobs” can be created and can significantly impact our economy and quality of life. There aren’t really any environmental issues. The issues we see out there that some people call environmental issues are, in reality, human behavior issues. They are issues created by our greed. We need to ensure a better quality of life for everyone by meeting human needs in a just and equitable manner while maintaining the integrity and health of our local and global environment.

I want to thank Dr. Agyeman for taking the time to read this article and for offering relevant additions and corrections.

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In his third presentation on 7 December 2008, Dr. Julian Agyman, Chairperson of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, began his discussion with a summary for measuring our country’s progress towards a Just Sustainability. He reminded us once again that the United States composes 4.5 percent of the world’s population and utilizes 25 percent of the world’s resources. A continuation of this ratio of consumption not only will not be sustainable in the future, but will continue to cause global political conflicts and instability.

Working towards a just sustainability would lead to an improvement of the quality of human life that takes into consideration environmental limits. Specifically, it would require:

1. A per capita allocation of resources.

2. The development of spatial justice policies and plans which focus on an equal distribution of society’s wants and needs.

3. An education system whose goal is to help to develop the potential of children in an environment that supports individual creativity.

4. A focus on community wellbeing.

5. The measurement of real progress, not GDP.

6. Developing a concept of sufficiency, not efficiency.

The American Dream needs to be redefined. In the past, the American Dream was based on the immigrants' hope of attaining a greater material prosperity than was possible in their countries of origin. While the definition of the Dream has changed during the past 100 years, it still focuses on material and social status achievement based on an individual’s hard work and motivation. This narrow definition needs to be reconsidered. We have learned that accumulating a lot of "stuff" does not contribute to well being. As a society we have been trying to meet non-material needs with material goods. This has resulted in an over-consumption of food as well as material goods. New measures of progress and happiness need to be developed, possibly more based on the well being of the entire community rather than the ego-centric needs of the individual. The Happy Planet Index, for example, measures progress by using the formula: (Life Expectancy X Life Satisfactions) / Ecological Footprint.

The Merck Family Fund Survey has suggested that our over-consumption is not based on human values, but is the result of three factors:

1. Social pressure to conform to ever rising consumption patterns.

2. Economic power structure dictated by corporations.

3. Influence of ad agencies and the media, especially TV and the film industry.

Over-consumption not only does not lead to satisfaction, but is often the cause of both physical illness and mental stress. For example, there are health problems such as diabetes (which is now increasingly diagnosed in children), high blood pressure and related heart problems; all of which are the consequence of obesity. In addition to the physical fall out, there has been a growing increase of credit card debt which, as we have most recently witnessed, has been a determining factor in our economic recession and the source of emotional stress for many Americans.

Julian ended his talk by discussing the response to consumerism by a growing group he identifies as "The Creative Class." This group is composed of young professionals who value the arts and the importance of living in communities in which diversity is valued. Perhaps this is a new trend that will grow, or simply a small group of individuals who have found their niche.

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