Why: We are approaching the limits of the natural world

Earth is a closed system. More than a home, Earth nurtures our existence. What we do to the environment, we do to ourselves.

Nature moves in cycles. Humans can no longer operate in a linear "take, make, waste" fashion. Deforestation, desertification, topsoil loss, species eradication, greenhouse gas production and habitat destruction are just a few of the indicators of decline in the natural world.

Through these responses to natural decline, the green movement has evolved to become the next revolution in human development:
• the warnings of Rachel Carson
• U.S. environmental policy
• the Endangered Species Act
• the modern conservation movement
• the emergence of "natural capital" as an economic model, which focuses on the profitable and sustainable use of natural resources, as opposed to exploitation for quick and maximum profit
• biomimicry models such as cradle-to-cradle design, where sustainable • manufacturing systems mimic nature
• the recognition of the interconnection of human and ecological rights