Sustainability

Sustainability means that a process or state can be maintained at a certain level for as long as is wanted.

One definition of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Commission defined sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Sustainability relates to the connection of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment. Some overarching principles of sustainability include minimalism, efficiency, resilience and self-sufficiency. Sustainability is one of the four Core Concepts behind the 2007 Universal Forum of Cultures.

Related pages

 Environmentalism
Second law of thermodynamics
 Simple living

Notes and References

Footnotes

References

Bibliography
 
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 Brundtland, G.H. (ed.), (1987),  Our common future: The World Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
 
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 International Institute for Sustainable Development (1996) Global Tomorrow Coalition Sustainable Development Tool Kit: A Sample Policy Framework, Chapter 4 .
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Other websites 
 Sustainability | Definition of Sustainability at Dictionary.com
 Encyclopedia of Earth: Sustainability
 (ISC) The Institute for Sustainable Communication—Dedicated to raising awareness and capacity for the sustainable use of print and other communication media.
 Grant Thornton International Business Report Energy & Environment focus 
 SustainLane US City Rankings A flyover tour and comparative sustainability ranking of the 50 largest US cities.
 SustainLane Government Urban sustainability "best practices" database (public) and peer network (private; government practitioners).
 Appropedia, an active wiki on sustainability, appropriate technology and international development.
 SustainUS The U.S. Youth Network for Sustainable Development
 Green Progress—Green building and sustainable development news.
 WWW—Virtual Library—sustainable development—links.
 iNSnet—Portal site for sustainable development.
 Sustainable Living Foundation
 Sustainability news coverage—from American Public Media.
 "The Next Green Revolution" (Wired Magazine)
 Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy—ejournal.nbii.org : a peer-reviewed, open access journal that provides a platform for the dissemination of new practices and for dialogue emerging out of the field of sustainability.

Everyday life
Sustainable development
Green politics