3. The environment is the sum total of influences
which affect the survival and development of an organism or community
of organisms. It is unique to each organism or community of organisms,
each of which interact with biophysical, technological, and social
influences in different ways. Yet all are embedded in a complex web of
influence. Practices of conservation, protection and restoration of
nature and are not separate from questions of justice, of who benefits
and who is burdened by these actions. Environmental justice entails
meeting basic needs of living and unborn generations, through fair
distribution and use of natural and social resources free from misuse,
scarcity, and pollution of natureÕs bounty. Sustainability requires
over coming the arbitrary dualism between natural and human systems,
inviting and celebrating nature as an actor in our social and
technological life, reducing the careless exploitation of nature for
greed. We can achieve sustainability through greater cooperation
between communities and nature, working on the urban habitat at the
metropolitan bioregional scale.
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