The concept of sustainability means using, developing and protecting resources at a rate and in a manner that enables people to meet their current needs and also provides that future generations can meet their own needs.
Sustainability requires simultaneously meeting environmental, economic and community needs.
Implementing sustainable practices means improving our quality of life without depleting the resources future generations. DEQ has a number of projects and programs that support sustainability. These include both internal efforts to reduce our agency's impacts as well as external efforts to encourage and promote effective efforts by businesses and communities. A few examples are listed below. Ecological Business Program Resources Governor Kitzhaber's Sustainability Page DEQ Online is the official web site for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.