EARTH CHARTER & The Community of Life

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Recognize that all beings are inter-
dependent and every form of life has
value, regardless of its worth to
human beings.

Accept that with the right to own,
manage and use natural resources
comes the duty to prevent environmental
harm and to protect the rights of people.

~ The Earth Charter

Please note that this web page is under continual development as new issues and questions arise on how to apply the Earth charter in our daily lives. If you have further submissions or questions, please email us at earthcharter @ sgicanada.org (no spaces).

Everything Affects us All

The Earth Charter asks us to respect and care for the community of life. At a practical level, it means individuals need to realize that virtually every aspect of our lives has some consequence associated with it.

More than ever before in our globalized world, so many things have some relationship to each other--relationships we may not be aware of--but have serious consequences to life elsewhere on this planet.

By respecting and caring for the community of life, the Earth Charter asks us to think about the "common good," "public interest" and the environment over "personal gain," "pure self-interest" and ourselves. It does this because the Earth Charter asks us to recognize the fact that we are not simply isolated individuals, but inter-connected members of a global society.

In short, we are not alone.

What does this have to do with me?

Ultimately, the Earth Charter encourages us to be responsible in how we use the resources of our planet and society. In a materialistic society, buying and using the cheapest product may not be the best choice when taking into account the total costs involved in its production and disposal relative to its usefulness.

For example, buying disposable items may be convenient and cheap, but the price of the item may not take into account the environmental cost of its disposal in city landfills. While it may seem cheap to buy, it may in fact cost more in the long run when you include garbage disposal and landfill maintenance costs that cities must fund from taxes collected from homeowners. In many Canadian urban centres, households are paying more for any increased garbage that they produce, leading to increased taxes, levies and other payments. These costs could be reduced or eliminated if we did not purchase as many disposable items in the first place.

This is just one example of how worthwhile it is for individuals, households and communities to be more responsible for our choices. In this case alone, the more responsible we are, the more environmentally friendly we can be--which can also save money in the process.

"Every one of us can
make a contribution...
just imagine what's
happening if there are
billions of people out
there doing something.
Just imagine the power
of what we can do."

Wangari Maathai,
Green Belt Movement
(Kenya)

But "community of life" also involves being responsible for the common good of society and humanity as a whole. Where our food is produced, how it is produced, what effect does food production have on a local community--are all questions people in the developed world need to think about in order to "respect and care for the community of life.

What sort of trade-offs were made in the production of the cheapest produce, meat, or drink? Were there negative effects as a result of the production? What was lost in the process? Was anything gained?

International Links

The Earth Council	Web site for the organization that began the Earth Charter Initiative.
National Councils for Sustainable Development	Web site for the international organization that promotes and implements sustainable development at the national level in more than 70 countries following a recommendation from the 1992 Earth Summit.
United Nations Division for Sustainable Development	This is the web site for the Division for Sustainable Development within the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
World Business Council for Sustainable Development	Web site for the international business organization promoting sustainable development in the economy at various levels.
International Institute for Sustainable Development	Web site for an international research institute promoting sustainable development by evaluating public policies that can affect environmental and economic issues.
Global Development Research Center	Web site for an institute that carries out initiatives in education and research on the environment, and urban and community development.
Sustainable Development International	Web site for an international organization bringing together policy makers and business people to discuss the diverse issues relating to sustainable development. Some issues include climate change, energy, water, agriculture, health, forests, oceans and transportation.