We believe that if sustainability goals are to be met, we must change the way science intersects with society. To that end, over the last three years we have collaborated with the Ecological Society of America and other organizations to create Earth Stewardship Initiative (ESI) Demonstration Projects in Portland, OR; Baltimore, MD; Sacramento, CA; and this summer in Louisville, KY. The goal of these projects is to connect communities with ecologists, urban planners, and designers, who then co-design and co-manage urban environments to promote social and ecological resilience and revitalization.  This approach builds on the U.N. Millennium Development Goals to provide a vision for a sustainable and equitable future.