INTRODUCTION

Until recently it has been conventional wisdom that profits were the implacable enemy of nature. A cease-fire with the natural world was the most that industry and commerce could ever hope for. But at the China-US Center for Sustainable Development we believe that business initiative can manage more than just damage control.

In our work together, our objective is to collaborate on initiatives that will benefit both countries and ultimately the world. We focus on initiatives that can further the Center’s strategic goals:

• Setting standards for sustainable development; and
• Building the human and organizational capacity to achieve a sustaining future.

We seek to create enterprise by learning from nature’s design model: waste is a nutrient, all energy comes from the sun, and natural diversity is the rule - not the exception. Good design can prosper in the marketplace and exemplify social justice and environmental intelligence.

This new approach to the redesign of human industry has been called "cradle to cradle" and it inspires our goals and initiatives. Cradle to cradle design embraces positive aspirations, human ingenuity and abundance, and liberates the regenerative energy inherent in human enterprise.

It is within this spirit the Center engages in three areas of action:

• Enterprise creation
• Capacity building
• Strategic opportunities

And we have agreed to prioritize three cross cutting themes:

• Climate change and energy
• Health and environment
• Information and communication technology for sustainable development

We invite you to contact the Secretariat if you have a proposal for a new initiative or if you wish to contribute to an existing one.