Sustainable development is undoubtedly a good idea. In the 1990s, the concept evolved into a general guiding principle in environmental policy. The way in which (good) ideas are also turned into politics is the subject of this investigation. Through a comparative analysis of the environmental policies of Germany, Great Britain, and the USA, the developmental trajectories since the late 1960s are traced. This approach makes it clear that environmental policy does not arise solely from the awareness of ecological threats and risks, but is always also the result of conflicts between societal actors.