Enlarging the Human Dimensions of Earth System Science

Sustainability, meaning meeting human needs and values while also preserving Earth's life-support systems, can only be achieved if a just and equitable distribution of access to natural resources exists. The same environment is shared by all peoples; all must have an interest in preserving it; therefore all must receive a fair share of the benefits that preservation allows. As with most sustainability objectives, the most effective strategy remains to "think globally but act locally." In the Northern Great Plains, the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC) is committed to providing leadership toward sustainability. UMAC realized it needed to serve its region's largest minority, Native Americans, in order to nurture regionally the type of just society a sustainable system demands. The consortium therefore added a tribal university, Sinte Gleska, to its original seven partners. SGU shares with the other consortium universities the longer history Native Americans have with the region's environment and the closer connection they experience to Nature. Both cultures, indigenous and western, benefit. A path has been set that allows Sinte Gleska University to help organize a parallel consortium of tribal colleges committed to economic benefit and responsible planetary stewardship.