They reflect the long-term status of a system. They are generally outcome oriented. This fall, the Council will convene to set benchmarks or targets for each indicator. A target is the threshold used to define sustainability from unsustainability. These targets will be used to identify objectives that are unsustainable.
Unsustainable objectives are long-term problems for the region.
In a Sustainable Community individual rights are respected and community responsibilities are recognized. In a Sustainable Community all human and natural needs are respected and conflict is resolved through consensus building. The Community is a collection of diverse human and other biological interests. In a Sustainable Community, achieving social, environmental, economic, and political health has inter-generational costs and benefits which must be weighed. In a healthy society, benefits outweigh costs.