Sustainability

In an age when fuel prices are soaring and global demand for fossil fuels is growing, we must advance to the next stage in development where our economic, social, agricultural and energy systems are designed to be in balance with nature rather than against it.

The concept of sustainability is simple. According to famed agrarian writer Wendell Berry, sustainable agriculture is "agriculture that does not deplete soils or people."

As the price of oil and natural gas continue to rise, agriculture will have to adapt to meet the needs of a changing future. In the long run, sustainable agriculture will become the modern way of farming and more natural systems will replace old petrochemical inputs. This means growing our food in ways that replenish the soil and relying on modern, sustainable advances in agriculture that works in harmony with the environment.

And just as these changes come to the fields of rural America, they will also spread to cities and urban populations as our nation looks to more sustainable systems and materials to continue building a prosperous America.

Building a sustainable future means creating innovative solutions for new energy alternatives, home and building construction, food production, transportation, and industry. It will take real leaders to work on the serious challenges that our nation will face in the coming future and a commitment to sustainability will be a large part of what I bring to Congress this fall.

As one of the most lasting definitions of sustainability, found in the Brundtland Commission, I fully agree that our common future rests in creating an economic future that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."