Sustainable Development

Sustainable development (SD) is a pattern of economic development in which resource use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come The term 'sustainable development' was used by the Brundtland Commission (1987 ) as per it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. According to above definition two key concepts: the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

Sustainable Development

Sustainability educator Michael Thomas Needham referred to 'Sustainable Development' "as the ability to meet the needs of the present while contributing to the future generations needs. Additional focus on the present generations' responsibility to improve the future generations' life by restoring the previous ecosystem damage and resisting to contribute to further ecosystem damage. "sustainability" was employed to describe an " economy in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems."

Scheme of sustainable development

Sustainability necessitates an interrelationship of the social, economic and environmental needs of a developing world The concept of sustainable development has in the past most often been broken out into three constituent parts: Environmental sustainability, Economic sustainability Socio political sustainability.

development: confluence of three constituent parts

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is the process of making sure current processes of interaction with the environment are pursued with the idea of keeping the environment as pristine as naturally . Environmental sustainability demands that society designs activities to meet human needs while indefinitely preserving the life support systems of the planet.

Environmental Sustainability

An "unsustainable situation" occurs when natural resources are used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. Sustainable development is intertwined with the concept of carrying capacity. This entails using water sustainably, only utilizing renewable energy, and sustainable material supplies (e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate that maintains the biomass and biodiversity).

Environmental Sustainability
Consumption of renewable resources More than nature's ability to replenish State of environment Sustainability

Environmental degradation

Not sustainable

Equal to nature's ability to replenish

Environmental equilibrium

Steady state economy& sustainable

Less than nature's ability to replenish

Environmental renewal

Environmentally sustainable

Economic Sustainability

Economic progress is evaluated in terms of welfare(GNP) More efficient production and consumption of goods and services. The stability of prices and employment are among other important objectives. To utilize resource to best advantage (efficient and responsible) Difference between need and greed No economic system is sustainable unless it accommodates the ecosystem it depends Unlike traditional societies, modern economies have only recently acknowledged the need to manage scarce natural resources in a prudent manner because human welfare ultimately depends on ecological services Ignoring safe ecological limits will increase the risk of undermining long-run prospects for development.

Social Sustainability

Social development refers to improvements in both individual well-being and the overall social welfare Social Sustainability includes human rights, labor rights and corporate governance It emphasizes on individuals behavior, attitude and actions Ideal sustainable life style is not to end consumption but understanding the minimalistic requirement of it Difference between wants and needs Challenge to current infrastructure and common expectations Thus, social goals includes protective strategies that reduce vulnerability, improve equity and ensure that basic needs are met.

Sustainable development triangle key elements and interconnections (corners, sides, center)

Environmental Education

In order to achieve the acceptable level of global environmental sustainability The citizens must be empowered with essential knowledge and information. Then only they can exert pressure on their elected representatives to develop and implement policies for securing environmental sustainability. These can be achieved through environmental education .

Environmental Education

Environmental education has two essential components: Alerting the public to the need to achieve global sustainable development and the likely consequences of failing to do so.
Difference between sustainable development and un sustainable development . Depending on Science and Technology alone will deliver environmental sustainability?

Focusing the educational curriculum for global sustainable development by incorporating the know-how , impacts and skills and also the moral imperatives.

Environmental Education

Progress towards sustainable development is dependent upon a fundamental change in societies' attitude to nature and the environment. Individual would be willing to adopt less consumptive lifestyles commensurate with the Earth's ecological capacity. Science and technology, however advanced, cannot help in this matter. Hence, what is needed to bring about this change of attitude is education in moral and ethical philosophy. In the young minds, it is essential to reinforce the environment-respecting moral values.

Carrying Capacity

The carrying capacity is the maximum population size of a species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment. Supported indefinitely by an ecosystem without destroying that ecosystem Depends on available resources and per capita consumption Not "caring" capacity

Carrying Capacity

The carrying capacity of an environment may vary for different species and may change over time due to a variety of factors, including: Food availability Water supply Environmental conditions and living space. Function of the number of people, The amount of resources each person consumes The ability of the earth to process all the wastes produced. Population size decreases above carrying capacity

Carrying Capacity

The earth is our island. We have developed technology to grow, process, and store food We have also developed technologies for handling wastes that we create. However, there is still a carrying capacity that the earth can support. Sustainability is about finding the balance point among population, consumption, and waste assimilation

Carrying Capacity

For example, consider an island onto which is dropped a colony of rabbits. As long as there is an adequate supply of food and water, the rabbits will not only survive but they will reproduce and the colony will get larger. The rabbit population can continue to grow as long as food and water are adequate. However, if at some point, there are more rabbits than is food to feed them, then the rabbit population will start to decline. It depends upon factors such as how much each rabbit eats, How fast the food grows, How well the natural systems of the island can handle the waste produced by the rabbits.

3R REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE

3R REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE

Why do you need to use 3Rs ? * Saving space * Saving natural resources * Save energy * Reduce pollution Practice teaches: Conservation(Buy less),Reuse and Recycle whatever you can.

Sustainable Business

The concept and support for sustainable development is growing. Many businesses have integrated a strategy of sustainability (taking into account its 3 main aspects - economic, environment, social). It makes good business sense for companies to be environmentally friendly as improved efficiency in manufacturing in turn leads to a more efficient use of natural resources. Operating efficiently translates to competitive advantage for business and supports the economic pillar of sustainability as well.

Responsible Business

Agenda 21 states that responsible businesses should play a major role in improving the efficiency of resource use. This can result in minimising waste and protecting human health and environmental quality. For a business to be environmentally sustainable, the company must start by becoming environmentally aware from the inside. The whole ethics and culture of the organisation must reflect those of sustainable development. This includes what the company does, how it treats its workers, how it deals with other organisations, how the managers act and what messages these actions send out.

Seven point plan for businesses

Agenda 21 lays out a seven point plan for businesses to start changing values and perceptions. It states that they should: develop policies that support operations and products that have lower environmental impacts ensure responsible and ethical management of products and processes from the point of view of health, safety and the environment make environmentally sound technologies available to affiliates in developing countries without prohibitive charges encourage overseas affiliates to modify procedures in order to reflect local ecological conditions and share information with Governments create partnerships to help people in smaller companies learn business skills establish national councils for sustainable development, both in the formal business community and in the informal sector, which includes small scale businesses increase research and development of environmentally sound technologies and environmental management systems.