“Sustainability is a set of environmental, economic and social conditions in which all of society has the capacity and opportunity to maintain and improve its quality of life indefinitely without degrading the quantity, quality or the availability of natural, economic and social resources.”

–American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Sustainability

“Sustainable water resource systems are those designed and managed to fully contribute to the objectives of society, now and in the future, while maintaining their ecological, environmental, and hydrological integrity.”

–American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

“Sustainability is the possibility that human and other forms of life will flourish on the Earth forever.”

–John Ehrenfeld

“Sustainable development, which implies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

–United Nations General Assembly 96th plenary meeting on 11 December 1987 (Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development)

“The design of human and industrial systems to ensure that humankind's use of natural resources and cycles do not lead to diminished quality of life due either to losses in future economic opportunities or to adverse impacts on social conditions, human health, and the environment.”

–Mihelcic, JR; Crittenden, JC.; Small, MJ, Shonnard, DR; Hokanson, DR; Zhang, Q, Chen, H; Sorby, SA; James, VU; Sutherland, JW; Schnoor, JL. Sustainability science and engineering: Emergence of a new metadiscipline, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37:5314-5324, 2003.

“Providing satisfying lives for all within the limits of nature. …”

–Chambers, N; Simmon, C; Wackernagel, M. Sharing Nature's Interest: Ecological Footprints as an Indicator of Sustainability. Earthscan Publications, Sterling, VA, 2001.

“…The definition offered by the World Commission on Environment and Development: ‘Meeting the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’”
“In its original context, this definition was stated solely from the human point of view. In order to embrace the idea of a global ecology with intrinsic value, the meaning must be expanded to allow all parts of nature to meet their own needs now and in the future.”

–The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability by William McDonough & Partners

“What is sustained in a sustainable community is not economic growth, development, market share, or competitive advantage, but the web of life on which our long–term survival depends. In other words, a sustainable community is designed in such a way that its ways of life, businesses, economy, physical structures, and technologies do not interfere with nature's inherent ability to sustain life.”

–Ecoliteracy: The Challenge for Education in the Next Century by Fritjof Capra

“A sustainable system is one that is either in equilibrium, operating at a steady state, or a system which changes slowly, at a rate considered to be acceptable.”
“The adoption of a human ecosystem patterned after natural processes.”
“The development, processing, transportation, and consumption of resources must flow continuously as a closed loop to the extent possible, rather than as a once–through system.”

–Sustainable Development — What Does it Mean to Our Profession? What Will it Mean to You? by D. V. Roberts, (1998). National Center for Environmental Decision Making Research

“The Hannover Principles aim to provide a platform upon which designers can consider how to adapt their work toward sustainable ends. Designers include all those who change the environment with the inspiration of human creativity. Design implies the conception and realization of human needs and desires.”

–The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability by William McDonough & Partners

“Designing for sustainability requires awareness of the full short and long–term consequences of any transformation of the environment. Sustainable design is the conception and realization of environmentally sensitive and responsible expression as a part of the evolving matrix of nature.”

–The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability by William McDonough & Partners

“We would like to suggest a new design assignment. Instead of fine–tuning the existing destructive framework, why don't people and industries set out to create the following:

• Buildings that, like trees, produce more energy than they consume and purify their own waste water
• Factories that produce effluents that are drinking water
• Products that, when their useful life is over, do not become useless waste but can be tossed onto the ground to decompose and become food for plants and animals and nutrients for soil; or, alternatively, that can return to industrial cycles to supply high–quality raw materials for new products
• Billions, even trillions, of dollars' worth of materials accrued for human and natural purposes each year
• Transportation that improves the quality of life while delivering goods and services
• A world of abundance, not one of limits, pollution, and waste.”

–Cradle to cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart and William McDonough

“Essentially, sustainability is a way of viewing the Universe ecologically (integrated, networked systems, complex relationships, and wholeness) and not linearly (separate, distinct parts). [1] The true essence of sustainability is doing good. Sustainability, in order to be effective, must recognize that all beings are constantly changing and evolving & thus this framework must take into account those considerations. This goes far beyond the isolating tension created in the simplistic model of sustainability as the intersection of the economy, the environment, and society.”

[1] Embry, Irucka. Sustainability: A Paradigm Shift in Engineering. March 10, 2005.

–Helene Hilger and and Irucka Embry. Towards a New Vision of Social Sustainability. EWRI Currents Volume 12, Number 4, Fall 2010, pages 10–11.

“What is sustainability?

Sustainability is a way of thinking, living, designing, and producing that strives to be in harmony with the known and unknown universes. Human beings must consider the full intended and unintended short– and long–term consequences of their actions upon all species of the Earth. We must respect the diversity of human and nonhuman life in our actions. For example, we should use native materials and plant species whenever possible. Essentially sustainability is a way of viewing the world ecologically (integrated systems and wholeness) and not linearly (separate parts).

In sustainability, the design begins with these questions:

• Do we really need to design this project or product? Is this the best use of our creative talents and energies?


• Will this design and/or product enhance human creativity, innovation, imagination, and overall existence?


• What is the local and/or bioregional environment?


• How will this project and/or product effect (positively or negatively) this locality (socially, economically, and environmentally)?


• In the design process, are we implementing design criteria suitable for this locality? What native plants and materials are available?


• Are we using non-toxic materials? If not, are there non–toxic alternatives to the materials we are considering?


• How can the materials we use cycle back through the natural biodegradation process or cycle back through a future industrial process?


• How can we ensure that all of our actions do the most good for all species of Life in this area and globally?


• How do we optimize the design process while retaining the ecological integrity of the local ecosystem?


• Are we paying the local workers a livable wage? [1]

These questions provide a foundation for the whole design process. In most current engineering solutions, the environmental considerations are determined at the end of the project; however, with sustainability, the project or product design begins with those and other concerns. Sustainability also requires a new view of the world.

[1] A livable wage is a wage based on the local economy. Essentially, a livable wage is a wage that will fully support a family of four so that they can cover all of their monthly expenditures and live above the federal poverty line.”

–Embry, Irucka. Sustainability: A Paradigm Shift in Engineering. March 10, 2005.

Key Sustainability Questions

• Why sustainability? Why is this shift being promoted? i.e. What made the old way problematic?


• Are we still using the same conceptual framework as the old model in our current deliberations of sustainability?


• What are our philosophical and scientific assumptions & underpinnings? Should we focus more on quantitative ideas or on qualitative ideas or a mixture of both?


• How do we integrate ethics into our sustainability agenda? Which ethics shall we use — biospheric ethics, bioethics, eco–ethics (ecological ethics), environmental ethics, anthropogenic (human–based) ethics, engineering–based ethics, scientific ethics, etc.? Should we use the precautionary principle?


• How do we obtain cultural awareness? What is inclusivity? What is diversity?


• Should we continue to promote sustainability in a “cradle–to–grave” approach or should we follow a “cradle–to–cradle” approach?


• With regards to the costs, should we look at ALL of the internalized and externalized costs, including the costs to the local and/or global ecosystems? Should we incorporate full or whole–cost accounting into the LCA [Life Cycle Assessment/Analysis] discussion? Should we look at only “cradle–to–grave” costs or should we also examine “cradle–to–cradle” costs as well?


• Should the temporal scale be extended to — 100 years? 500 years? 1000 years? 10,000 years? 100,000 years? 1 million years?


• How do we define “community vitality” and “environmental health”? How do we define other key terms? Does environmental health include human health and well–being? Or does community vitality include human health and well–being?


• If we are truly interested in “a fundamental reframing of problems, methods, and alternative solutions,” then shouldn't we reach out to people other than designers, scientists, and researchers? Great ideas can come from both “technical” and “non–technical” people alike.


• How do we involve all stakeholders in our decisions? How are they represented in the decision–making process? How do we make the decision-making process more open and transparent? Should we? Can we?

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