Earth is at a critical crossroads. While revolutionary advances in science andtechnology have lifted humanity to new heights of prosperity and longevity in many parts of the world, hundreds of millions of people are vulnerable to the impacts of hazards and natural disasters, extreme poverty, infectious disease and a host of other challenges. At the same time,human activity, especially in the last 100 years, is threatening the health of the environment and potentially posing risks of unprecedented magnitude to our shared future.

We are a throwaway society: Americans alone throw out 150,000 tons of packaging each day, or 120 miles of tractor-trailers end-to-end. This is 195 million tons of garbage every year! And unfortunately, we are all-too-quick to throw out last year's or last- month's style in favor of the latest trendy item.