Summary: 

Human beings are creatures who necessarily interact with each other socially and also with the wider environment on which they depend for virtually everything. The ways in which human beings have acted and interacted has led to ecological damage, social inequality and a large number of injustices, in addition to the cultural and material wealth and well-being that has made many civilizations rich and productive.

This chapter has shown that sustainable development requires all humans to connect the social with the environmental, to see where these connections are going at local, regional, national and global levels, and act accordingly. Through using physical and social networks, through harnessing the opportunities new media technologies offer, a great number of positive things can be achieved to right many of the wrongs that are evident in so many places.

Sometimes it is clear that a simple and specific activity can bring people together, which makes this connection between the social and the environment, such as can be seen in the growing of local food in Detroit and elsewhere.Increasingly, many people are feeling compelled to leave their homelands in the search for social, economic and ecological peace and security. Everyone needs to eat, and addressing fundamental human needs while respecting natural ecologies is a must for development that is both just and sustainable. 

Homework: 

Review Chapter 4 and preview Chapter 5.