On Earth Day, citizens launch a two-year campaign with a petition calling on the President to produce a long-term strategy targeting social and environmental crises.

April 22, 2010. Washington, DC. On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day -- as the seas and food prices rise, forests and employment fall, the gap between rich and poor widens, and record numbers of species become extinct while the global population grows beyond the natural resources to sustain it -- a number of US citizens and organizations have launched a petition and campaign calling on the federal government to respond with a national sustainability plan.

Four decades ago Earth Day sought to raise awareness and action to address the threats to the environment and human health. Today, a time when faith in government, corporations, financial and others institutions has declined, the threats to the earth and our well-being have become more complicated. Many Americans find the problems overwhelming, some readily believing they are exaggerated or "hoaxes." Yet the majority of scientists warn these problems are real and denial will not make them go away.

The citizens petition calls on the federal government to show leadership in the face of these challenges and present to American citizens and the international community a national strategy for sustainable development by 2012, the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit. On this Earth Day, the United States remains one of the few industrialized countries without a national sustainable development strategy.

The call for a national sustainability strategy looks to our leaders to move beyond short-term fixes and political expediency toward the long-term security and well-being of our country, to show the courage needed to answer the skepticism and charges of conspiracy with scientific facts and an open dialogue with citizens about our future. However, the call is not simply about facts but about the right thing to do for our loved ones, the communities in which we live, and the planet on which we depend. Although we may not want to hear what the doctor says, we need to pay attention to the advice of those dedicated to ensuring our health and those we love.

Thus, the call for a national sustainability strategy is also to our fellow citizens to engage with our government and each other in a respectful national dialogue to address these 21st century challenges to our country's future.