When YOU think of sustainability, you may think of recycling or waste management, or maybe even “the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely” (Thwink.org, 2014). However, as you will read in our textbook, Working Toward Sustainability, “there are at least 70 documented definitions of sustainable development or its sister term, sustainability” (2012). Definitions range from the simple: “living within limits” (sustainablemeasures.com), to the more focused: "improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems."
The term sustainability is fluid; its meaning can change based on context and who is doing the talking. So you can see why the term itself may be misunderstood or discussed abstractly at times. It is important that you have a general understanding of what sustainability is and what it means so that you can engage in discussions related to sustainability, no matter what the context. If you plan to build a career around sustainability, you need to be able to address it both in a broader scope and in varying contexts.
For the purposes of the ESP Program, we will use sustainability in the context of the Brundtland definition, which implies that sustainable development is “development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition was born out of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development acknowledgment of the need to address poverty, environmental crises, and resource shortages. The balance of meeting the needs of our current and ever-growing population while also ensuring we don’t leave the earth in squalor for the next generation is difficult to define and implement.
When defining sustainability, we referred to a document from the United Nations called, Our Common Future [1] (1987). The initial commission of 1983 (the World Commission on Environment and Development) was later named the Bruntland Commission, after Chairperson Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway. The commission and report were the first major international undertakings to look in depth at the systemic implications of human activity on the planet with respect to our relations with 1) contemporary global communities, 2) future generations of human society, and 3) the natural community, or environment, supporting life and biodiversity on Earth. In particular, the commission became cognizant that we as 'individuals' are tightly linked to all three communities.
While there are many challenges associated with sustainable development, some broad areas tend to take the main stage; they can often be categorized as population, poverty, energy use, food, economy, environment and climate change. Each category can be further broken down into more specific focus areas. For example, the UN released the “17 Goals to Transform Our World [2]”. Go to their website and learn more about each goal by clicking on the associated tile shown.
Now watch the following video produced by the U.N. about the 17 SDG's
You’ve all heard the term “triple bottom line” (TBL), but what does it mean? It's a way of measuring success beyond profits alone.
“The TBL is an accounting framework that incorporates three dimensions of performance: social, environmental and financial. This differs from traditional reporting frameworks as it includes ecological (or environmental) and social measures that can be difficult to assign appropriate means of measurement. The TBL dimensions are also commonly called the three Ps: people, planet and profits.”
Are you starting to get the drift of the depth and breadth of the interconnectedness theme that keeps appearing in our readings and discussions?
The idea that businesses should measure more than just profit didn’t come to fruition until the mid 1990s. Since then, there's been a concerted effort to define the parameters involved in the TBL and how to measure those parameters. Because measuring sustainability efforts can be fluid and hard to define, only a loose general framework can be used to talk broadly about the idea. In our reading, The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It, and How Does It Work? (see below) Slaper and Hall discuss the components of the TBL and how it is measured.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is another way to talk about the triple bottom line. Many companies have CSR plans readily available to the general public. In a way, CSR is another avenue to advance their brand and secure more revenue. Kibert et al. argue that “Companies engaged in the CSR framework accrue significant benefits such as a better brand identity, lower levels of regulatory scrutiny, reduced liability, a better reputation among prospective employees, and a far greater probability of gaining a “license to operate” in communities where they proposed to establish operations.” (2012, 302) What the authors are trying to say is that it pays organizations to establish CSR practices. Examples of widely recognized companies that proudly display their CSR efforts include:
Adidas - 4 Pillars of Sustainability [9] from.
Here in the United States, the environmental movement and awareness of environmental ethics are largely associated with the popularity and awareness that resulted from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. However, decades earlier, Aldo Leopold laid the groundwork for environmental ethics with his “Land Ethic” philosophy in which he suggested that there is an ecological (interdependent) nature of human’s relationship with the land, saying we’re an “interconnected web of inorganic elements and living beings,” that deserve “to be treated with love and respect, for it [all] has not only instrumental, but also intrinsic value.” (p. 96)
Leopold was one of the first people to speak out for the land itself, promoting it as less of a utilitarian resource to be used as an economic vehicle only, and more of an integral player in our well-being; more a part of us versus something to be conquered. In doing so, he attempted to move our land use away from anthropocentric focused endeavors to more ecocentric considerations. He believed that environmental decisions should be made with consideration of what is best for nature, and not what is “most convenient, useful or economically” valuable to people.
Please watch the following video that more thoroughly explains anthropocentrism and ecocentrism and provides an example of when the two ideals collide.
“Golden rules generally call on people to consult their own needs and wants and extend to others the same treatment that they would want to receive.” (Kibert 2012, p 68)
While most of the time, when we think of this “ethic of reciprocity” (Kibert 2012), we think of the “do unto others” mentality – that whatever we desire, others must also desire. However, this way of thinking can be examined from another direction when thinking that perhaps it should be “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire” (p 68). In a global context, this idea can be extended even further. Because of cultural nuances, how can we assume that we know what someone of another location, religion, ethnic background, etc., desires?
So, right now you may be asking, what does the Golden Rule have to do with sustainability? As our textbook states, the Golden Rule “gives us strong reason to assume that, like us, our local and global neighbors want and deserve to have their basic needs met – needs for physical security, health, nutritious food, decent housing, education, a meaningful livelihood, and a life-supporting, beautiful and biologically diverse planet” (p 70). Operating under that premise, an ethic of sustainability can be derived and formulated.
Additionally, the Golden Rule lays the foundation for the recognition of environmental injustice. Environmental injustice was born from the idea that minority populations and communities are often targeted for harmful industries, infrastructures, or disposal sites. Kibert et al. assert:
“Environmental injustice occurs whenever some individual or group bears disproportionate environmental risks, like those of hazardous waste dumps. Or has unequal access to environmental goods, like clean air, or has less opportunity to participate in environmental decision-making. In every nation of the world, poor people and minorities face greater environmental risks, have less access to environmental goods, and have less ability to control the environmental insults imposed on them.”
One of the most recent examples of environmental injustice (or environmental racism) is the Flint, Michigan case in which residents were provided with contaminated water, despite the known issues. Watch the video (7:49 minutes) below to learn more.
Links
[1] http://www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.htm
[2] http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
[3] https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
[4] https://www.un.org/en/
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XTBYMfZyrM
[6] http://www.benjerry.com/values/issues-we-care-about
[7] http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility
[8] http://www.toms.com/about-toms#corporateResponsibility
[9] http://apparelresources.com/business-news/sustainability/adidas-focuses-four-pillars-sustainability-people-product-planet-partnership/
[10] http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article2.html
[11] http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html#sthash.5fLhln9v.dpuf
[12] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
[13] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeVnXHV6mywfrbRH3UhZXtw?feature=emb_ch_name_ex
[14] https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pensu/detail.action?docID=693225
[15] https://www.flickr.com/photos/picsoflife/4954617732
[16] https://www.flickr.com/photos/picsoflife/
[17] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAz17eZxF5tD7vNOEVgegKg?feature=emb_ch_name_ex
[18] https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
[19] http://energy.gov/lm/services/environmental-justice/environmental-justice-history
[20] https://energy.gov/lm/services/environmental-justice