March 1994

Dear Friends:

It is a privilege to share with you An Earth Charter and Agenda 21 for Iowa. This document reflects the concerns of Iowans about environment and development issues and offers practical ways we can continue to work together for Iowa's sustainable future.

Our road to the Rio Earth Summitt began in 1991 with a public hearing, community forums and a conference at The University of Northern Iowa. Four revisions to this resulting document, An Earth Charter and Agenda 21 for Iowa, allowed us to exchange expertise, knowledge and awareness of successes at local levels and to include numerous ideas and suggestions from broad cross-representative sectors in Iowa.

The document as it exists today is part of a process. The issues and solutions examined here and are not exhaustive. This work in progress will change as you become involved to reflect new directions, as ways of meeting new challenges are explored.

We encourage your involvement in this process which is based in the concept that the road from Rio will be more important than the road to Rio. Environmental and developmental problems will only be solved by both loal action and global cooperation. We now look forward to other Iowans sharing with us the sustainable development endeavors in which they are engaged.

It is our long range objective that this document will lead to:

1. individuals in their communities joining with others in Iowa to make a difference locally and around the state;
2. communities taking responsibility for local environment problems and engaging citizens in helping to solve them; and
3. the State Legislature taking action to provide new educational opportunities and new programmatic alternatives in which the citizens of Iowa can take part to develop new solutions.

The United Nations will develop an Earth Charter by 1995, the year of its 50th Anniversary. Iowa leads the way today with An Earth Charter and Agenda 21 for Iowa.

Sincerely,

Katy Hansen
President, United Nations Association - USA, Iowa Division