What is Sustainability?
Sustainability
is a concept that links the interconnected components of economic,
environmental, and human social issues. In the early 1980's,
the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development surveyed
the effects of development on people around the world and provided a
commonly used definition. Other definitions have been offered
since then and share similar themes:
"A sustainable society meets
the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs." Brandtland Commission (United Nations)
"Sustainability is "...the
emerging doctrine that economic growth and development must take place,
and be maintained over time, within the limits set by ecology, the
interrelations of human beings and their works, the biosphere and
the physical and chemical laws that govern it. It follows that
environmental protection and economic development are complementary
rather than antagonistic processes." William Ruckelshaus, former EPA administrator
Sustainability
is "...An economic state where the demands placed upon the environment
by people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of
the environment for future generations."
Paul Hawken, author and businessman
A
sustainable city is a "...place where present day decisions about
resource use and land development do not impinge on the quality of
air, water, land and the economic livelihood of future generations." Minneapolis
Plan
How Should Sustainability Be Addressed at WSU?
Many
countries, governments, cities, and communities are struggling to
define the implications of sustainability. Like any institution,
Washington State University will have to work hard to determine how
it will respond to the issues and challenges of addressing sustainability.
While the specific answers are yet uncertain, it is clear that moving
toward sustainability will require interdisciplinary thought, collective
discussions, collective decisions, and collective commitment and actions.
The Campus & Community Ecology Project will contribute
to a campus dialogue about sustainability to help this community
process. To begin, several brief summaries about sustainability
at WSU are offered:
