emrgnc
definitions
100 definitions (printfriendlypdf)
definitions of sustainability -
Sustainability as an emergent concept reveals deep concerns about fundamental values and our own continued existence. While each person's definition of sustainability is seen to be the most relevant, the question is a universal one and common to all.
Whether our definition of sustainability is anthropocentric, biocentric, egocentric, ecocentric, econocentric, sociocentric, worldcentric or perhaps simply personally eccentric, they are all valid.
Collected here is an emerging list of the thousands of definitions of sustainability reflecting different conceptualizations and applications of this emergent concept.
Sustainability is …
"Sustainability - n. the property of being sustainable" - Princeton University
"Sustainable development seeks to meet the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future" - World Commission on Environment and Development (page 40: 1987)
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts: the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organisation on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs." - World Commission on Environment and Development (page 43: 1987)
"Ecological sustainable development is using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased." National Strategy for Ecological Sustainable Development (Australia)
"I have used the word perennial rather than sustainable because I want to imply more than just holding the line, more than just preventing further degradation. Living systems are not static, they are continually unfolding into new forms. This means the consequences of our effects on the biosphere don't die away, they will continue to resonate into the indefinite future. If we are to thrive in perpetuity, we and our economic systems must consciously rejoin the jostling, creative melée that is the adventure of life on Earth." Geoff Davies - Economia
“…the right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations." - 1992 Rio Earth Summit
“…meeting the needs of current and future generations through simultaneous environmental, social and economic improvement.” - State Sustainability Strategy (Western Australia)
“The principle of ensuring that our actions today do not limit the range of, social, environmental and economic options open to future generations." - Maroochy Shire
“…economic and social changes that promote human prosperity and quality of life without causing ecological or social damage.” - City of Seattle
"Output Rule: Waste emissions should be within the assimilative capacity of the environment to absorb without unacceptable degradation of its future waste-absorptive capacity or other important services. Input Rules: a) Renewables: harvest rates of renewable resources should be within the regenerative capacity of the ecosystem. b) Non-renewables: depletion rates should be equal to the rate at which renewable substitutes can be developed and deployed." - Daly, in Photiades, 1998
"Sustainability is a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society and its members are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals indefinitely."- World IQ
"Sustainability means using, developing and protecting resources at a rate and in a manner that enables people to meet their current needs and also provides that future generations can meet their own needs, ... simultaneously meeting environmental, economic and community needs." - State of Oregon
"Sustainability means living within the resources of the planet without damaging the environment now or within the future. It also means having an economic system that provides a genuine quality of life, rather than depending on increased consumption." - West London Friends of the Earth
"Sustainability is a relationship between dynamic cultural, economic, and biophysical systems associated across the landscape such that quality of life for humans continues -- both for individuals and cultures. It is a relationship in which the effects of human activities do not threaten the integrity of the self-organizing systems that provide the context for these activities. An ecosystem has integrity if it retains its complexity and capacity for self-organization (arguably its health) and sufficient diversity, within its structures and functions, to maintain the ecosystem's self-organizing complexity through time." - Eco-Watch (Iverson, Cornett)
"Living on the earth's income rather than eroding its capital. It means keeping the consumption of renewable natural resources within the limits of their replenishment. It means handing down to successive generations not only man-made wealth, but also natural wealth, such as clean and adequate water supplies, good arable land, a wealth of wildlife, and ample forests"- The United Kingdom's Sustainable Development Strategy
"But in its fullest sense, sustainability involves a balance of economic, environmental, and social concerns considered over the long term." - Columbia University Biosphere 2
"Each generation is entitled to the interest on the natural capital, but the principal should be handed on unimpaired." - Canada's Commission on Conservation (in 1915)
"The ability of a community or society to develop a strategy of economic growth and development that continues to function indefinitely within the limits set by ecology and is beneficial to all stakeholders and the environment." - Non-Profit Good Practice Guide
"Sustainable development- one of the slipperiest pieces of soap you are ever likely to find in the shower" - Peter Woodward , Shell Workshop
"Sustainable development is the lightest footprint possible on the biosphere and, most importantly, a consciousness that can sustain it." - Ken Wilber (Author, philosopher, founder of The Integral Institute)
"Development without destruction" - Maurice Strong, Secretary General of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit
"The ability to sustain the things that are essential to a meaningful and happy existence, now and forever, for ourselves and for those for whom we care." - Stephen Forsyth (Author and Philosopher)
"Sustainability is acting, with good grace, like we plan to stay."
... and many others courtesy of
the Sustainability Reporting Program (Canada).
and MIT
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