| Universities Emphasize Sustainable Environmentalism 9/23/04 More than 300 universities in the U. S. and 40 other countries have signed onto the Talloires Declaration, "a 10-point action plan to incorporate sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research and campus operations." Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington), President Loren J. Anderson bragged that PLU is the first college in the Pacific Northwest to hop on board the environmental indoctrination train. "It's our obligation to protect our resources for the future," Anderson said. The Talloires Declaration was adopted during an international conference in Talloires, France in 1990. Its authors believe that earth is in grave danger of being destroyed due to the "inequitable and unsustainable production and consumption patterns that aggravate poverty in many regions of the world." The declaration emphasizes indoctrinating university students with a wide curriculum, advancing the cause of social justice and other United Nations type mumbo jumbo. The 10-point plan seeks to involve the public, governments, and industry into its ambitious efforts toward an environmentally sustainable future and to produce graduates that are thoroughly indoctrinated as "ecologically responsible citizens." Number 8, Enhance Capacity of Primary and Secondary Schools, is most troubling. The promoters intend to start with the small ones in primary grades and move on to the secondary schools, ensuring there will be little resistance to their message once the children reach college age. A quick look at the web site of the Talloires Declaration reveals, not surprisingly, close ties to the United Nations and a little known organization, The Center for Respect of Life and Environment that promotes environmental justice through religion. Before sending that young person off to college, parents need to see if the chosen school promotes sustainable environmental policies. RELATED STORY: PLU signs pact to promote environmental sustainability PLU proved its commitment to responsible environmental practices by becoming the first college in the Pacific Northwest to sign The Talloires Declaration, a 10-point action plan to incorporate sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research and campus operations. "It's our obligation to protect our resources for the future," PLU President Loren J. Anderson said. Composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France, The Talloires Declaration is the official statement of university administrators dedicated to environmental sustainability in higher education. It has been signed by more than 300 universities in more than 40 countries. For more information, go to www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html The signing took place on Earth Day, during which Sandra Postel, one of the world's foremost authorities on global water issues, presented a lecture. The agreement is one more step by PLU's active sustainability committee, which last semester started a new public awareness campaign and in June hosted a series of workshops. For more information on the committee or its programs, visit www.plu.edu/sustain. ++++++++++ SECOND ARTICLE THE TALLOIRES DECLARATION
Local, regional, and global air and water pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the ozone layer and emission of "green house" gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. These environmental changes are caused by inequitable and unsustainable production and consumption patterns that aggravate poverty in many regions of the world. We believe that urgent actions are needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse the trends. Stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration are crucial elements in creating an equitable and sustainable future for all humankind in harmony with nature. Universities have a major role in the education, research, policy formation, and information exchange necessary to make these goals possible. Thus, university leaders must initiate and support mobilization of internal and external resources so that their institutions respond to this urgent challenge. We, therefore, agree to take the following actions: 1. Increase Awareness of Environmentally Sustainable Development Use every opportunity to raise public, government, industry, foundation, and university awareness by openly addressing the urgent need to move toward an environmentally sustainable future. 2. Create an Institutional Culture of Sustainability Encourage all universities to engage in education, research, policy formation, and information exchange on population, environment, and development to move toward global sustainability. 3. Educate for Environmentally Responsible Citizenship Establish programs to produce expertise in environmental management, sustainable economic development, population, and related fields to ensure that all university graduates are environmentally literate and have the awareness and understanding to be ecologically responsible citizens.
5. Practice Institutional Ecology Set an example of environmental responsibility by establishing institutional ecology policies and practices of resource conservation, recycling, waste reduction, and environmentally sound operations. 6. Involve All Stakeholders Encourage involvement of government, foundations, and industry in supporting interdisciplinary research, education, policy formation, and information exchange in environmentally sustainable development. Expand work with community and nongovernmental organizations to assist in finding solutions to environmental problems. 7. Collaborate for Interdisciplinary Approaches Convene university faculty and administrators with environmental practitioners to develop interdisciplinary approaches to curricula, research initiatives, operations, and outreach activities that support an environmentally sustainable future. 8. Enhance Capacity of Primary and Secondary Schools Establish partnerships with primary and secondary schools to help develop the capacity for interdisciplinary teaching about population, environment, and sustainable development. 9. Broaden Service and Outreach Nationally and Internationally Work with national and international organizations to promote a worldwide university effort toward a sustainable future. 10. Maintain the Movement Establish a Secretariat and a steering committee to continue this momentum, and to inform and support each other's efforts in carrying out this declaration.
Jean Mayer, President Tufts University, U.S.A. (Conference Convener)
Universidad Autonoma de Centro America, Costa Rica L. Ayo Banjo, Vice Chancellor University of Ibadan, Nigeria Boonrod Binson, Chancellor Chulalongkorn University, Thailand Robert W. Charlton, Vice Chancellor & Principal University of Witwatersrand, Union of South Africa Constantine W. Curris, President University of Northern Iowa, U.S.A. Michele Gendreau-Massaloux, Rector l’Academie de Paris, France Mario Ojeda Gomez, President Colegio de Mexico, Mexico Adamu Nayaya Mohammed, Vice Chancellor Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria Augusto Frederico Muller, President Fundacao Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Brazil Calvin H. Plimpton, President Emeritus American University of Beirut, Lebanon Wesley Posvar, President University of Pittsburgh, U.S.A. T. Navaneeth Rao, Vice Chancellor Osmania University, India Moonis Raza, Vice Chanc ellor Emeritus University of New Delhi, India Pavel D. Sarkisov, Rector D. I. Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology U.S.S.R. Stuart Saunders, Vice Chancellor & Principal University of Cape Town, Union of South Africa Akilagpa Sawyerr, Vice Chancellor University of Ghana, Ghana Carlos Vogt, President Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil David Ward, Vice Chancellor University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A. Xide Xie, President Emeritus Fudan University, People’s Republic of China
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