There are many ways to define sustainability. In an urban context, sustainability means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. To be sustainable our communities must coexist peacefully within the ecosystem that ultimately provides for us. We must also strive for a more equitable distribution of resources throughout the region so that all of the current generation can enjoy a good quality of life.

Many trends indicate that with current technology, human lifestyles are not very sustainable, particularly in industrialized countries such as the United States. Nonrenewable resources, such as petroleum, are becoming more expensive as it becomes more difficult to supply, yet demand continues to increase. The combustion of fossil fuels is heating the earth and altering the global climate in ways that are dramatic and difficult to predict. Climate change, deforestation, and the fragmentation of natural habitats by human presence has led to one of the fastest rates of species extinction in the history of life on earth.

Furthermore, not all members of our society get a fair share of the resources we have and use. The gap between rich and poor in the United States has been growing since the 1970's. In addition, housing markets and policy tend to concentrate low-income people in the same neighborhoods, leading to fewer public resources (such as good schools) for those communities.

A sustainable city is one composed of diverse, mixed-income communities with good public transit, energy efficient green buildings, a vibrant local economy that pays living wages, and public spaces that provide enjoyment for wildlife as well as people. A sustainable city uses low-impact renewable sources of energy, food, and materials.

At CAMP, we hope to integrate a vision of sustainable, just, and livable cities into everything that we do. Through the help of donations, we have used low impact materials and high-efficiency green technology to rehab the building, we maintain an organic vegetable and native flower garden, and we support non-profit organizations working for economic and racial justice.

P.S. Check out this list of cool things (i.e. social justice, urban sustainability) going on around St. Louis.
http://stlcamp.org/cool_things_around_st_louis