Live, learn and love sustainability

Dr. Boidurjo Rick Mukhopadhyay

International Award-Winning Development and Management Economist. He can be reached at boidurjo@gmail.com

Prof Bibhas K Mukhopadhyay

Professor of Management, and author of the book 'India's Economy: Under a Tinsel still Tough'.

He can be reached at m.bibhas@gmail.com

The word 'sustain' from the Latin sustinere (sus- from below and tenere - to hold), to keep in existence or maintain, implies long-term support or permanence. The concept of sustainability was originally coined in forestry, where it means never harvesting more than what the forest yields in new growth. The word Nachhaltigkeit (the German term for sustainability) was first used with this meaning in 1713. The concern with preserving natural resources for the future is perennial, of course: undoubtedly our Palaeolithic ancestors worried about their prey becoming extinct, and early farmers must have been apprehensive about maintaining soil fertility. Traditional beliefs enjoined thinking in terms of stewardship and concern for future generations, as expressed in the oft-quoted words of a Nigerian tribal chief who saw the community as consisting of 'many dead, few living and countless others unborn'. It can be noted that the above hints at two opposing views of the relation between humankind and nature: one which stresses adaptation and harmony, and another which sees nature as something to be conquered. The second view may have been rather dominant in Western civilization at least in recent centuries, its counterpoint has never been entirely absent.

On the other hand, sustainability as a value is shared by many individuals and organizations who demonstrate this value in their policies, everyday activities and behaviours. Individuals have played a major role in developing our current environmental and social circumstances. The people of today along with future generations must create solutions and adapt. Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.

The most commonly used and overtly simplified definition comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The concept further planted seeds of ideas related to greener living, sustainability resources, sustainable manufacturing, sustainable marketplace: greener products and services.

The Brundtland report (1987) highlighted the interconnectedness of economic, social and ecological processes and was the foundation of the three-?dimensional concept that was popularized at the 1992 earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This concept is based on the three connected dimensions of environment, society and economy. Several researches since then have explored and investigated various domains of the nexus of the three. Firstly, economic, social and ecological processes are interconnected since the actions of both public and private stakeholders cannot be considered as isolated, one-dimensional aspects; instead, one must consider the interrelationship between the three dimensions of environment, economy and society. It is now commonly understood that sustainable development means more than just environmental protection. To satisfy our material and immaterial needs, we need economic well-being and a society based on solidarity.

Secondly, the effects of today's actions on the future must be taken into account (the intergenerational aspect in the definition) so that future generations can also satisfy their needs. Policies and practices, individual or institutions, understand that sustainable development requires a long-term structural change in our economic and social system, with the aim of reducing environmental and resource consumption to a sustainable level while maintaining economic performance and social cohesion.

Moving on to another definition, The UCLA Sustainability Committee, defined the concept as: "the physical development and institutional operating practices that meet the needs of present users without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, particularly with regard to use and waste of natural resources. Sustainable practices support ecological, human, and economic health and vitality. Sustainability presumes that resources are finite, and should be used conservatively and wisely with a view to long-term priorities and consequences of the ways in which resources are used."

A study for McGill University by Orr and Nilsson defines "a sustainable future is one where human intentions are recalibrated with the way the world works as a physical system". They emphasized that moving toward sustainability requires a process of engaging a community in shared experiences to transform how our community encounters the world. In the McGill's Sustainability Policy 2010, they reemphasized sustainability to mean "a future orientation: working together toward a shared vision for a better future in a manner that integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions".

Yet another one, The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 committed the United States to sustainability, declaring it a national policy "to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations."

Fast forward to 2010, the Academic Advisory Committee for the Office of Sustainability at the University of Alberta put together a working definition of sustainability for our institution. Sustainability is the process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded to thrive in perpetuity.

Well that's quite a few definitions above to ponder over for some time – to sum up by identifying key ideas from the above definitions, 1) Sustainability is concerned with assuming that nature and the environment are not an inexhaustible resource and so, it is necessary to protect them and use them rationally, 2) Sustainability promotes social development, seeking cohesion between communities and cultures to achieve satisfactory levels in quality of life, health and education. 3) Thirdly, sustainability focuses on equal economic growth that generates wealth for all without harming the environment. 4) Nowadays, many of the challenges that humans face such as climate change or water scarcity can only be tackled from a global perspective and by promoting sustainable development.

For particularly emerging and developing countries, as they sign newer charters and treaties on sustainable development, climate change and 'greener' economic development plans – they need to define more explicitly how Environmental Sustainability Works for them before signing up for 'one size fit all' agreements. For example, the varying definitions of environmental sustainability generally lead to more questions about what role humans should play. So, there are more deeper questions to reflect on - how should we, as an evolutionary species, changed the way we live, love, learn, and conduct business on this planet to ensure its sustainable?

Many also wonder if it's possible to utilize business as the catalysing force behind this change because financial success can be tied to ecological and societal success, and vice versa. Individuals have a role to play, but so do institutions that contribute to the cause on a larger scale. The ways in which we can all live more sustainably can take many forms, (A) Reorganizing living conditions in the form of eco-villages, eco-municipalities, and sustainable cities, (B) Reappraising economic sectors (permaculture, green building, sustainable agriculture) or work practices, such as sustainable architecture, (C) Developing new technologies (green technologies, renewable energy, etc.), and (D) perhaps the hardest of all - making adjustments in individual lifestyles that would conserve natural resources.