Sustainability 101: What is Sustainability?

Rick Crawford

I was talking to a friend the other day about sustainability and he stopped me mid-sentence and said, “what the hell are you talking about?” I had been using the term “sustainability” as if it would be automatically understood.  I put some more thought into it, and realized I could be doing a better job of explaining sustainability and not making the assumption that everyone understands.  So I thought it would be worthwhile to start a “Sustainability 101” blog series with the intent of making sustainability a bit more understandable. 

Let’s start with the obvious question…what is sustainability?  First off, I think what is confusing about sustainability is that there are many different definitions that are applicable depending on the context.  For example, a quick Google search returns the following definitions:

• the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. “the sustainability of economic growth”

• avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. “the pursuit of global environmental sustainability”

I think in recent years, the term sustainability is associated with environmental sustainability, but there are still many other definitions that, depending on the context, can have different meanings.  That said, the definition I am referring to is the one defined by the 1987 Brundtland Commission who defined “sustainable development” as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  

Sustainable Development: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

I prefer the above definition of sustainability because it includes future generations.  Case in point, Easter Island is a society that collapsed due to its growing population and demand for natural resources, and are a classic example for sustainability.  Here’s quick video of what happened to Easter Island:

Another way of viewing sustainability is the ancient Native American proverb that says, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”  To further substantiate this proverb, the Iroquois also had a guiding principle called the seventh generation principle which basically says that every decision we make today should not only include our generation, but should consider the impact to the seventh generation.  Here’s a quick video explaining the 7th generation principle:

As human population continues to grow, so does our demand for finite natural resources, which is why it is critical for individuals and businesses  to adopt the seventh generation principle and for each of us to take more of a systems approach with our thinking.  We are interconnected with nature, and what we do to it, ultimately we do to ourselves because we are a part of nature and not separate.  

We cannot fill the oceans with plastic, and not expect for plastic to enter our own bellies.  Similarly, we cannot over-exploit our natural resources and expect future generations to have the ability to meet their own needs.  I hope this helps clarify sustainability and some of its guiding principles, and feel free to comment below with any questions you might have.  As always, thanks for taking the time to read my blog!