Stanford describes its program as follows:

The 21st century is a critical time in our earth's history. The quality and quantity of natural resources—oceans, forests, freshwater, air—are stressed by the increasing demands of human activity. At the same time, nearly a billion people do not have enough food to eat and more than a billion do not have access to clean water. The challenges of providing the resources we need without irrevocably compromising our precious life-support systems are formidable. Through Stanford's Initiative on the Environment and Sustainability, environmental researchers and scholars are taking up these challenges, helping to ensure that current and future generations can live well on our planet. Related Website's: The Woods Institute for the Environment and the Stanford Challenge: Initiative on Environment of Sustainability.