What is Sustainability?
Posted on by September 23, 2009 by Karin Styrenius
Everybody talks about sustainability these days. But what does a sustainable development mean?
Ideas For Change divides sustainable development into three interdependent elements:
- economy
- environment
- society
This comes from the UN definition from the report Our Common Future. This report laid the groundwork for the convening of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the adoption of Agenda 21.
Consider the Impact on the Seventh Generation
A sustainable development meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet its own needs.
We like this concept because it has a long term perspective. It’s a little bit like the Great Law of Iroquois Native Americans: in every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation.
The Concept of Sustainability Is a Good Starting Point
We also like the definition because it has a holistic perspective. We believe there is an urgent need to look at our problems from several different angles: the climate changes, the financial crises, the Iraq war, the famines in Uganda and the problems in today’s suburbs of the Western world. They are all linked together.
We have to find methods that weigh up different aspects of a problem so that we can find the very best solutions. The concept of sustainability is a good starting point.
Social business, human rights, art & culture … what gets you going?
Welcome to give us your ideas for change!
/The Ideas For Change team
