An answer to the sustainability v. growth debate?

Could it be that there was an answer to the sustainability v. economic growth as early as the 1990s? Witness the second goal of the President's Council on Sustainable Development's Sustainable America, published in 1996:

Sustain a healthy U.S. economy that grows sufficiently to create meaningful jobs, reduce poverty, and provide the opportunity for a high quality of life for all in an increasingly competitive world (p. 12).

Beautifully written and with a clear normative framework. This statement sees growth necessary that improves quality of life: a means to an end rather than an end in itself. This statement could help get the current economic debate back on track.