For this discussion, you will dive into the concept of Sustainable Development. In your initial post, you will be creating your own definition of sustainable development. Think about what it means to be sustainable and what makes up a sustainable environment. Please read about sustainable development on at least two different websites and include the references with your definition. Your definition should be at least a ½ page in length, no longer than one full page.
The challenge is to have both economic development and environmental protection. Can this be accomplished? Sustainable development incorporates both of these goals. Sustainable development applies to many sectors including urban planning, agriculture, forestry, and consumer behavior. The problem is to clearly define sustainable development; the concept may be clear, but the details are fuzzy. Some definitions to help in your creation and guide your research follow below:
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own need." Bruntland Commission, 1987
"The concept of sustainable development does imply limits? Not absolute limits but limitations imposed by the present state of technology and social organization on environmental resources and by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities. But, technology and social organization can be both managed and improved to make way for a new era of economic growth." United Nations, 1987.
"Increasingly, definitions of sustainable development stress that development must be participatory and must involve local peoples in decisions that affect their lives." World Resources Institute, USA, 1992
Sustainable development can apply to many scales of analysis; for example, we can employ sustainable development principles in local areas (site plan review, for example, increasing setbacks on water features), regions (by analyzing watersheds and air sheds), political unit (environmental policies), and the global scale (international agreements and treaties).
You can include green buildings and alternative energy in your definition.
