Transcript What is Sustainability?

What is Sustainability?
Overview
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Definitions
Concept
Translation
Origin
Utility
Definitions
Sustainability is …
“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs”
- Brundtland Commission
“An approach to ensure the long-term viability and
integrity of the mission by minimizing resource needs,
reducing environmental impacts, and managing
resources as to provide realistic training environments”
- Fort Bragg working definition
Concept
In order for a society to be sustainable, nature’s functions
and diversity are not systematically:
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…subject to increasing concentrations of substances extracted from
the Earth’s crust;
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…subject to increasing concentrations of substances produced by
society; or
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…impoverished by over-harvesting or other forms of ecosystem
manipulation; and
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Resources are used fairly and efficiently in order to meet basic
human needs worldwide.
- The Natural Step for Business
Translation
• You can’t use renewable resources faster than they
replenish themselves.
• You can’t dump garbage into Nature any faster than
Nature can absorb it without going haywire.
• If you are using non-renewable resources for basic
necessities, invest some into the development of
renewable stuff that can replace it.
- Alan AtKisson
Origins
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Communities
Regional Programs
State Initiatives
Corporations and Industry
Communities
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City of Austin Sustainable Communities Initiative
Chattanooga Venture
The Livable Tucson Program
Sustainable Seattle
Sustainable City, San Francisco
Sustainable Boston Initiative
Regional Programs
• Thomas Jefferson
Sustainability Council
• Sustainability Indicators
Project for Central Texas
• Clinch Powell
Sustainable Development
Initiative
State Initiatives
• Sustainable Washington
• Smart Growth for Colorado’s Future
• Maryland Smart Growth Program
• North Carolina Environmental Sustainability
Plan
• Florida Sustainable Communities
Federal Programs
• EPA Smart Growth Network
• EPA Green Communities
• Federal Highway Administration Transportation
and Community and System Preservation
Program
• U.S. Interagency Working Group Sustainable
Development Indicators
• Department of Energy, Center of Excellence in
Sustainable Development
• Local Agenda 21
Corporate & Industrial
Programs
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Interface
Cooperative Bank
Sunoco
General Motors Corporation
Saunders Hotel Group
Swissôtel
Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group
Sierra Business Council
Potential Utility
Sustainability is the natural progression for
environmental protection efforts. It provides:
• A unified basis for resolving issues that cross
regulatory frameworks, regional boundaries,
and/or are influenced by non-environmental
factors
• An approach for integrating environmental issues
into the fabric of human activity
• A platform for explaining issues, building
consensus, obtaining support, and working with
relevant partners
Summary
• Sustainability is a new goal for
environmental efforts
• It implies an umbrella framework that is
inclusive of all parties
• Its foundation comes from communities
seeking to resolve complicated interrelated
issues
• It can help the Army