Science and conscience have a complex, elusive relationship and this is nowhere better illustrated than in the relationship between environmental science and environmental ethics. Some ecological descriptions are more or less laden with values: order, stability, diversity, communities, interdependence, health, integrity, resilience, efficiency, flourishing. Examples from the Ecological Society of America and a sustainable biosphere, as this differs from sustainable development, advocated by the United Nations UNCED conference. Asking what is "vital" joins environmental science and environmental ethics.