Sustainability is the mission of The Natural Step Monona. We are a grassroots, non-partisan group that advocates for, educates about, and promotes sustainability, with the goal of helping Monona become an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable community.

What does that mean? To become sustainable, society needs to extract only as many materials from the Earth as can be reabsorbed; to stop polluting the environment with things that don’t naturally break down or harmlessly assimilate; and to make sure we don’t exhaust resources through overuse and degradation. We also must ensure that people are treated fairly and efficiently so their needs don’t conflict with these practices for preserving the earth’s natural cycles.

This is not a political ideology; it is a human necessity. For each and every human. At this time of political transition, it is important to remember that whether we consider ourselves to be red or blue or something in between on the political spectrum, we all need to be green.

Putting the issue of sustainability front and center where it belongs is political, though. Moving our municipalities, states, nations, and world toward a sustainable future calls for political leadership. Getting municipalities, businesses, and citizens to do their part and work together in the process requires our political leaders to foster cooperative creativity and innovation in all sectors.

Whichever candidate had won the presidential election last week, we would expect his administration to take actions toward sustainability. Both John McCain and Barack Obama had pledged to confront climate change and invest in renewable energy technologies. President Bush has been an obstructionist rather than a promoter of progress on these issues, so the election of either candidate would have brought vast improvements over the Bush administration’s policies.

With the election of Obama, however, there is more evidence that his advances toward sustainability will be bolder, as is necessary, and will happen with greater, and more thoughtfully deliberated, haste. In addition to combating climate change and investing in renewable energy technology, Obama shows a clear understanding of the science behind climate change and the urgency needed to address it. His votes show support for the protection of endangered species, raising CAFE standards for vehicles, cleaning our waterways through effective stormwater management, and strong environmental oversight of federal agencies through the National Environmental Policy Act.

President-elect Obama’s proposed policies are forward-thinking, not pandering to those who are fearful of a future without oil or who are unwilling to believe that such a future is coming. It seems very likely that his leadership will be what we need to create a sustainable future.

Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “Barack Obama’s election is a victory for everyone who wants new solutions that will repower, refuel, and rebuild America. Through a comprehensive approach, we can create clean energy, cut our dependence on oil, and create millions of new jobs. From taking on global warming to advancing clean energy, President-elect Obama has sent a clear message that he will make progress on the environmental and energy challenges that our nation faces today.”

A Sierra Club statement said, “If the Obama administration is as smartly, deliberately, and thoughtfully run as his presidential campaign, our country and our future are in very capable hands.”

”Mass extinction, global warming, and erosion of diversity are the greatest threats humanity has ever faced,” said Center for Biological Diversity Executive Director Kierán Suckling. “The time left to address them is growing short. In our twenty years advocating for wildlife, wilderness, and untamed culture, we’ve never before witnessed a presidential election with so much promise to actually solve these issues.”

With the chant of “change” still echoing, we must embrace this new opportunity to work together for our futures and those of the following generations, whether we were chanting for “change” or not. With positivism swelling in minds and hearts (Yes, we can!), we must build on it by becoming more involved in our democratic process, whether we are positive, unsure, or doubtful. And hearkening to John McCain asking us in his concession speech to join him in “offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences, and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited,” we must focus on what we have in common with one another, not what keeps us apart.

Sustainability is a human issue. It deserves our support in every way we can give it. We must demand the political leadership to move us toward a sustainable future. Let’s make sure our voices are heard. From the neighborhood to the nation, let’s make sure our voices are heard.