Post by lead blogger Douglas F. Williamson, Interactive and Social Media Coordinator at Earth Charter International

 So, I'll be headed to Rio for the UN Conf. on Sustainable Development next week representing my employer, Earth Charter International. Many of you may wonder, "What does that mean, and why is Rio important?" If you are indeed wondering, let me tell you a bit. The Rio Conference will be bringing together more than 120 heads of state and another 50,000 (at least) stakeholders from business, civil society, and other sectors of society to see if humanity can figure out the next steps towards solving a lot of our big challenges, like how to feed 9 billion people in 2050, or how to help more than 1 billion people out of debilitating poverty, and how do to these and many other massive challenges without continuing to degrade the natural resources, air, water, soil, fisheries, glaciers, etc. like we have been excessively doing for far too long.

The perspective I'm bringing, the Earth Charter perspective, is that of a deep sustainability that entails an ethical foundation based on respect and care for all people, life, ecosystems, and future generations. The challenges are massive but we, as humans, as moral beings, have an obligation to steer our societies towards justice, peace, and sustainability, for the sake of all life for all time. That's what I'll be doing in Rio and if you're interested, you'll be able to follow me and the Rio scene here and on a variety of other social media. Let me know what you want to know and if you want to help.