What is Sustainable Development?
There are many definitions but a good one is "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". In other words, a process of social and economic development that can be sustained, not one that will ruin the world for our children.

The road from Rio to Birmingham
At Rio an undertaking was given that local councils would produce their own plan - a Local Agenda 21. This would involve consulting with the community, because it is the people in the area who have the local knowledge needed to make sensible decisions for their future.  The Year for the Environment 2000 is an important part of Birmingham's own Local Agenda 21, which incorporates subsequent developments such as the Seven Key Concepts for children's learning, an outcome of last year's Holland Report.

The Agenda 21 document
Agenda 21 is actually a huge document, with 40 chapters in 4 sections.  It deals with social and economic dimensions, conservation and management of resources, strengthening the role of major groups, and the means of implementation.

For more information about the document itself visit the Agenda 21 web site.  This provides good overviews and a lot of detail.