National Strategy for Sustainability - Ideas for Change in America

There are many levels of society that must change: individual, household, community, state, federal and global.
There are many aspects of society that must change, in each of those spheres, such as inefficiencies that cause waste (which may be as simple as "heat loss").
The scope of the exercise can be overwhelming.
So I suggest focus on what will give the "best bang for buck", and expand from there.

When considering a problem, there is a technique called the "5 Why's" to help identify the root cause.
Addressing the root cause, particularly those that affect multiple aspects, has a wonderfully compounding effect.

As an example, starting with the assumption that our present society is unsustainable:
Why? – Our demands for energy, land, water and food exceed what the planet can supply.
Why? – Our population has increased beyond sustainable limits, and with population increase comes increased demand.
Why? – Increased population is required for economic growth.
Why? – We have let the economy drive society, instead of the other way around.
Why? – The concept of "wealth", and the opportunities it provides, only considers the dollar.

Of course, this is only one example of what can be uncovered, and ideally with each question it should look at the next "level" of scope. I'm sure each individual will come up with a different set of answers.

Fundamentally, the sustainability equation is simple:
Resource Usage = Resource Replenishment.
Unfortunately, it gets messy once we get into the detail, but this equation can still be useful.

So here are three suggestions:
1. After estimating the cost/benefit of some of the actions that can be taken, focus on those that give the best "bang for buck".
2. The most effective actions address the root causes of multiple problems. So identify the root causes, and the problems that they affect.
3. The simplistic equation to be applied to determine whether a process is sustainable is: Resource Usage = Resource Replenishment.

I hope this helps. - by gaz elle