• Executive Summary
• What do you mean we aren't sustainable?
• Social and ecological limits
• History of sustainability
• Definitions of sustainability
• The future of sustainability
• Resources

Executive Summary

Sustainability is part of a trend to once again consider the whole instead of specifics. Sustainability emphasizes relationships rather than pieces in isolation. The ecological movement has focused attention during the last century on the degradation of natural systems. Sustainability brings to light the connections between natural and human communities, between nature and culture. Sustainability is not at all about regressing to primitive living conditions. It is about understanding our situation, and developing as communities in ways that are equitable, and that make sense ecologically and economically.

• What are your hopes and fears?
• What motivates you?
• Does it make sense to you to get involved?
• Do you believe that your actions make a difference?
• Do you believe solutions have to do more with personal action and responsibility or more with political and structural change?

What do you mean we aren't sustainable?

The future has always been uncertain. Environmental disturbance and constant change are fundamental laws of nature.

Why all the fuss now? There is a growing awareness and acceptance that population growth, resource consumption, and increasingly powerful technologies are combining to weaken and simplify the ecological systems and communities of our planet. Problems generated by humans are increasing in number and complexity in virtually every locale and region, and are now for the first time in recorded history demanding our attention on a global level. There is evidence to suggest that we are altering the energy flows and material and nutrient cycles of the planet significantly enough to endanger and threaten a healthy future for humans and many other life forms.

Social and ecological limits

We live on a planet with finite quantities of air, water, and land. We can only consume so much, and expand and grow so far before we run out of these things. If social limits do not first constrain our growth, then at some point ecological constraints may transform the old frontier expression of "grow or die" into another reality of "grow and die". It is also becoming clear that we cannot preserve nature, or freeze it in any particular state (and probably do not want to). We are part of a changing and dynamic ecological system that we know as the Earth.

Theoretically, many of us could pack up and fly off into space to colonize some distant moon or planet, but this notion seems to be fanciful at best. Besides, no one knows of other planets that even remotely approach the earth in terms of it's beauty, irony, and paradox. We are bound to our home planet.

History of sustainability

A brief history of the six syllable concept su-stain-a-bi-li-ty
The concept of sustainability (the "S" word) has been around for a long time, although only recently has it entered popular culture. The modern roots of sustainability begin in the early 20th century theory of renewable resource management, most notably in sustainable agriculture and forestry, and in theories of "sustained yield." The real power of the concept of sustainability lies in its integration of economic, social, and ecological systems, previously studied and dealt with separately.

Two publications appeared in 1980 that brought the term of sustainability into wide public use: Lester Brown's Building a Sustainable Society, and the International Union of Conservation of Nature's World Conservation Strategy.

The Brundtland Commission
The modern sustainability movement began when The World Commission on Environment and Development, through the Brundtland Commission, released their report Our Common Future in 1987. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The Brundtland Commission tried to reconcile the interests of economic development with those of environmental conservation. Whereas the sustained yield perspective of the early 20th century focused on biological systems, the new theory of sustainability considers human needs and wants as well as ecological functions and processes. The Brundtland report has been reviewed variously as clever green repackaging of the status quo of international trade and finance, or alternately as a sign of hope for the human race. The goal of the Brundtland Commission was to bring everyone into the discussion. Bankers, developers and economists are attracted to the report's ideas of development, while ecologists and conservationists focus on the sustainable aspects of the report.

Definitions of sustainability

While there are many definitions of and criteria for sustainability, the real work of defining the concept will have to be done by people living and working in communities: you and me.

An important first step is sorting through feelings about the concept of sustainability. Do you believe in sustainable growth? Or do you support ideas of sustainable communities or a sustainable society? It is crucial that to examine your own values and assumptions and identify your priorities. Is economic growth at the top of your list, or social justice or ecological protection? Do you trust knowledge developed by scientists and experts, or the diverse perspectives and beliefs of community people?

Definitions of sustainability show the diversity of perspectives related to the concept. Many definitions, including the most famous one which emerged from the Brundtland report, are vague and ambiguous. Some say that sustainability is and will remain impossible to exactly define. Others argue that ambiguity is valuable in getting a range of conflicting voices together around a table to discuss issues. It also seems to be much easier to define what is not sustainable than to say what is. All of this leaves the very real challenge of figuring out what a sustainable community could look like, and then going on to plan to move in that desired direction.

• Each generation is entitled to the interest of the natural capital, but the principal should be handed on unimpaired.---Canadian Conservation Commission, 1915

• A sustainable society is one which satisfies its needs without diminishing the prospects of future generations.---Lester Brown, Founder and President, Worldwatch Institute

• development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.--- World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission)

• 'Sustainable growth' is a contradiction in terms: nothing physical can grow indefinitely. 'Sustainable use' is applicable only to renewable resources: it means using them at rates within their capacity for renewal.---International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

• A transition to sustainability involves moving from linear to cyclical processes and technologies. "The only processes we can rely on indefinitely are cyclical; all linear processes must eventually come to an end."---Dr. Karl Henrik-Robert, MD, The Natural Step, Sweden

• Our vision is of a life-sustaining earth. We are committed to the achievement of a dignified, peaceful, and equitable existence. We believe a sustainable United States will have an economy that equitably provides for satisfying livelihoods and a safe, healthy, high quality life for current and future generations. Our nation will protect its environment, its natural resource base, and the functions and viability of natural systems on which all life depends.---President's Council on Sustainable Development

• Sustainability is our long-term cultural, economic, and environmental health and vitality.---Sustainable Seattle

• Weak Sustainability: "Each generation should inherit an aggregate stock of manufactured and natural assets no less than the stock inherited by the previous generation."Strong Sustainability:"Each generation should inherit a stock of natural assets no less than the stock of such assets inherited by the previous generation.---Herman E. Daly and John B. Cobb Jr., scholars and authors of texts on environmental economics

• Sustainability, by my definition, refers to maintenance of the potential for our land and water ecosystems to produce the same quantity and quality of goods and services in perpetuity. Potential is emphasized because it makes implicit the option to return to alternative conditions rather than a permanent loss of some capability... I propose that sustainability is based on two principles:

  • 1. preventing the degradation of the productive capacity of our lands and waters -- no net loss of productivity; and 2. preventing the loss of genetic diversity, including species -- no loss of genetic potential. I make three observations about these principles. First, each has both an ecological and an ethical basis (i.e., although they are human constructs, they can be objectively defined in ecological terms).
  • Second, principle 2, no net loss of genetic potential, is probably the most fundamental, since we can sometimes restore productive capacity to degraded ecosystems but have only very limited capacity to restore lost genetic potential.
  • Third, no principle (in my view) is absolute or inviolate.
  ---Jerry Franklin University of Washington Forestry Professor

The future of sustainability

As the year 2000 approaches, there will be a great deal of excitement and drama with respect to ideas such as sustainability. It will soon be clear whether our current concern and optimism for the future is not just a passing fad. While there is widespread agreement that our current patterns of development are not sustainable, there is very little agreement as to what should, or could be sustained. Now is the time to explore ways the meanings of sustainability, and to involve more people in the discussion of what we really want to pass on to our children, and our children's children.

In the Northwest
The sustainability movement has been a strong force for about five years in Seattle, but how long or to what extent the term sustainability will remain in fashion is questionable. The Northwest environment appears superficially to be healthy. The beautiful mountains, waters, and forests do a good job of masking the incredible volumes of resources consumed and wastes produced here on a daily basis. We hear about disappearing species and old growth, but in general people believe there is no reason to hurry, and no call for radical action. In the Northwest, we "import" much of our local wealth, and export many of our problems. Assessing community sustainability challenges us to comprehensively consider how healthy we are, and at the same time to consider how the well-being of our area relates to that of the region and planet.

Hopes and fears
While discussions of sustainability shed light on current problems, the objective of sustainability is to motivate action to create better ways of life. Discussions of sustainability should avoid the trap of emphasizing and increasing the fear of the decline in quality of life.Many questions are imbedded in the concept of sustainability. Can our communities be sustained as we currently know them? If they cannot be sustained, then what would sustainable communities look like? Are there other ways of arranging our activities that would be healthier, more attractive, and more rewarding?

Sustainability is not environmentalism
Environmentalists, motivated by concern for the future, often believe sacrifice and hardship are necessary in order to save the forests, rivers, and planet. Advocates of sustainability, on the other hand, believe we do not need to sacrifice as much as we need to trade some destructive behaviors for some productive and healthy ones. For example, we might see that it is in our best interest to trade driving our car to work for walking. When we give up our habit of getting into our comfortable private auto, we gain in exercise, in learning about our neighborhood, and in peace of mind.

Anthropocentrism
Sustainability is generally understood to begin with a concern by humans for the future of humanity. This anthropocentric view is expanded to include a concern for all life, with the realization that humans depend on complete and healthy ecosystems as much as they depend on other humans. This perspective places a high value on human life, but accepts that human culture ultimately owes its existence to nature in its entirety. Do the earth and all living things exist for humankind? Perhaps. Do we depend on the earth and all living things for our existence? Yes.

Resources

• Callenbach, Ernest. 1975. Ecotopia: the notebooks and reports of William Weston. Berkeley: Banyon Tree.



• Lyle, John T. 1994. Regenerative design for sustainable development. New York: Wiley.



• Orr, David W. 1992. Ecological literacy: education and transition to a post modern world. Albany: State University of New York.



• World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Our common future (The Bruntland Report). New York: Oxford University Press.