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

The natural environment has been a missing part of the context in public po licy forums and educational programs when discussing the implications of an aging society. We believe that stewardship and the sustainability of natur al resources should be considered in addition to economics and health care when addressing the themes of well-being and quality of life for future gen erations. This article presents an overview of usage of the concept environ ment in aging studies and presents critically important concepts such as su stainability, stewardship, natural capital, carrying capacity, and ecologic al footprint in recognizing the relevancy of including the natural environm ent 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.