The Earth Charter provides a unique framework to help local communities understand sustainable development in their local context, and what steps they can take toward environmental protection, social equity, broad economic opportunity, and a culture of peace. The Earth Charter's framework of 16 principles is an ideal framework for communities to identify shared values and goals; the first step in forming a successful sustainability program. The Earth Charter's ability to prompt individuals to find common ground around life's most important issues lies at the base of EarthCAT. View the Earth Charter (http://www.earthcharter.org/innerpg.cfm?id_menu=19) or visit the Earth Charter Website at www.earthcharter.org .

Background to the Earth Charter
The Earth Charter is a declaration of core principles that defines sustainability in a comprehensive, integrated way. The Charter reflects a consensus among communities, individuals, and organizations around the globe. More than 5,000 people from all walks of life in 52 countries participated in drafting of the Charter. For the first time in history, people of the world have come together from different cultures, different religions, and different continents, and agreed that we need to embrace social and economic justice and a safe and healthy environment, and that the change that's required has to be done democratically, peacefully, and without violence. These things are inseparable; it is impossible to have one without the other. The whole system needs to be involved to move things forward in a new direction. Adopting the Earth Charter principles, embracing a vision shared by people all over the world, can be a powerful way to help your community explore what you can do to become more sustainable. This Charter gives you a starting point based on solid understanding of sustainability in both local and global contexts. It can serve as a useful vehicle to engage your community in a discussion of values and begin planning activities toward sustainability.

Endorsing the Earth Charter
Endorsing the Earth Charter is by no means a prerequisite for using EarthCAT or using the Earth Charter principles to frame local discussions about sustainability. Many communities will use the Charter as a starting point when devising sustainability programs but decide not to endorse it for one reason or another. However, conducting a campaign to have your community endorse the Earth Charter can be a compelling way to catalyze the community and to give people a sense of linkage between what you are doing locally and what's happening at the global level. The Earth Charter is a vision statement, it's an ethical framework, and it provides helpful guidance for community policies and programs. Beginning your community visioning process by considering the vision that thousands of people in over 52 countries have adopted is a powerful way to educate the community and to raise awareness of issues that ordinarily may not touch your lives.

The decision to endorse the Earth Charter can be controversial. If you do decide to begin an endorsement campaign, you should study the resources available from the Earth Charter that provide some responses to the criticisms that are made of the document. In some ways, the fact that it is controversial points to the deep meaning of the document; if it were a weak-willed statement full of compromises, it wouldn't mean much to anyone and could not have galvanized the support it has had in countries all over the world.

If you embark on an endorsement campaign, the first thing you will need to do is to devise an endorsement strategy. If you are interested in doing so, please refer to chapter one of Taking Action: A Workbook for Sustainable Communities . Taking Action is available for download from EarthCAT's home page. (http://www.earthcharter.org/)