ABSTRACT
Sustainable development is often characterized as a system of resource use that aims to meet current human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met in the future. To ensure that the environment will continue to meet human needs, those working in the field of sustainable development have worked to develop policies and practices that guide development toward this goal. This has not been an easy or straightforward task, as different cultures hold different values toward the environment, including how to develop and sustain resource use. Within sustainable development discussions concerning the environment, much of the discussion has focused on two competing value systems: naturalism and universalism.
