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Towards Sustainability
Defining Sustainability
Sustainability is a concept that has emerged over the past twenty years in response to global trends, which impact quality of life. These trends include:
- rapid population growth,
- limitations of the oil economy,
- climate change and its negative impacts on the ecology and atmosphere,
- decreasing resource renewal and increasing resource consumption,
- increasing pollution, and
- increasing wealth disparity and inability to meet basic needs for all people.
Sustainability is considered to be a mindset – a philosophy and approach. It is an ethical and values-based process of decision-making, which is intended to permeate everything we do and choose not to do.
The core of sustainability is to:
- achieve a good life today
-
leave a quality future for next generations
A sustainable society depends upon the achievement of four conditions:
- a vibrant, healthy and inclusive community,
-
a healthy environment,
- a responsible and innovative economy, and
- a strong leadership government and community (at all levels) – a sustainable community depends on everyone working together and cannot be delivered by any one party acting alone.
