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What is ?

Source: ACPA - College Student Educators International at the National Center for Higher Education Website

“The concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of to meet their needs (from , see the ). The term was originally applied to natural resource situations in a long-term perspective. Today, it applies to many disciplines, including economic development, environment, food production, energy, and social organization. Basically, sustainability/ refers to doing something with the long term in mind. Today's decisions are made with a consideration of sustaining our activities into the long-term future.”

* The report Our Common Future (1987) put forward by the World Commission on Environment and Development, popularized the notion of sustainable development. The Commission was at that time chaired by the Norwegian Prime Minister .

-- The DANTES PROJECT website http://www.dantes.info/Projectinformation/Glossary/Glossary.html

“Social and environmental practices that protect and enhance the human and natural resources needed by future generations to enjoy a quality of life equal to or greater than our own.”

-- Agency Website

“The term, in its environmental usage, refers to the potential longevity of vital human ecological support systems, such as the planet's climatic system, systems of agriculture, industry, forestry, and fisheries, and human communities in general and the various systems on which they depend in balance with the impacts of our unsustainable or .”

-- Wikipedia

“In the present context, sustainability represents an idealized societal state where people live long, dignified, comfortable, and productive lives, satisfying their needs in environmentally sound and socially just ways so as to not compromise the ability of other human beings from doing the same now and into the distant future. It is, in effect, an attempt to merge development and nature conservation efforts in a mutually beneficial way for the common good of the planet‟s present and future generations alike. . . . In the case of sustainability, the ideal consists of the simultaneous establishment of the two spatially and temporally essential and universal conditions — „environmental integrity‟ and „social justice‟ — that must be maintained over the long haul.”

--- What Is Sustainability & How Do We Get There? By Brian Kermath

“Sustainable development marries two important themes: that environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic development must be ecologically viable now and in the long run. . . . This concept of sustainability encompasses ideas, aspirations, and values that continue to inspire public and private organizations to become better stewards of the environment and that promote positive economic growth and social objectives. The principles of sustainability can stimulate technological innovation, advance competitiveness, and improve our quality of life.”

-- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

For more in-depth explanations of “sustainability,” see the following:

What is Sustainability Anyway? (Published in World Watch Magazine, September/October 2003, Volume 16, No. 5)

Sustainable Future (The Encyclopedia of Earth article/definition)

Sustainable Development Tutorial (Introduction to Sustainable Development)

The (The Charter declares 16 principles and values of a sustainable world, summarized as: Care and Respect for the Community of Life, Ecological Integrity, Social and Economic Justice, and a Culture of Peace, Nonviolence and Democracy. The Earth Charter principles provide a comprehensive set of policies and ethics that society must adopt, if humanity is to become sustainable.)

Sustainability in Education (Illustration) The ”” Green Politics The