Gray and green?: Stewardship and sustainability in an aging society

Abstract

The natural environment has been a missing part of the context in public policy forums and educational programs when discussing the implications of an aging society. We believe that stewardship and the sustainability of natural resources should be considered in addition to economics and health care when addressing the themes of well-being and quality of life for future generations. This article presents on overview of the usage of the concept environment in aging studies and presents critically important concepts such as sustainability, stewardship, natural capital, carrying capacity, and ecological footprint in recognizing the relevancy of including the natural environment in discussions about our aging society. Also we propose directions for future research and discuss advocacy and organizational activities related to ecology and aging studies. © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.