#103 Jan/Feb 1999

Definitions of Sustainable Development

The phrase “sustainable development” means different things to different people. Here are a collection of some of them:  “positive socioeconomic change that does not undermine the ecological and social systems […]

The phrase “sustainable development” means different things to different people. Here are a collection of some of them:


 “positive socioeconomic change that does not undermine the ecological and social systems upon which communities and societies are dependent.”


” development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

– World Commission on Environment and Development


 “the deliberate effort to ensure that community development not only enhances the local economy, but also the local environment and quality of life.”

– PLACE3S Planning Method, Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development


 ” long term health and vitality – cultural, economic, environmental, and social.”

– Sustainable Seattle Indicators, 1995


“living on interest, not drawing down capital”

– Paul Wilson, NorthWest Report


“development that maintains or enhances economic opportunity and community well-being while protecting and restoring the natural environment upon which people and economies depend.”

– An Act from the legislature of the State of Minnesota


” providing for a secure and satisfying material future for everyone, in a society that is equitable, caring, and attentive to basic human needs.”

– William Rees, Defining Sustainable Development


“the ability of a society, ecosystem, or any such ongoing system to continue functioning into the indefinite future without being forced into decline through exhaustion.”

– Robert Gilman, president of Context Institute


” the management of our resources in such a way that we can fulfill our economic, social, cultural, and aesthetic needs without permanent impairment to the resource base and the life support systems on which we all depend.”

– Environmental Council of Alberta, Conservation Strategies in Canada


 “essentially requir[ing] human societies to take into account the long-range consequences of their actions.”

– World Resources Institute, The Environmental Almanac

OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

  • A Meeting of Movements

    January 1, 1999

    In New York City the mayor tries to cast destruction of community gardens as a gain for housing advocates. Along the west coast, on-going battles pitch preservation of old-growth forests […]

  • Green Communities, Green Jobs

    January 1, 1999

    Community Based Development Organizations (CBDOs) often get drawn into an environmental agenda by the need to organize against an environmental hazard. In Roxbury, Massachusetts, for example, the Dudley Street Neighborhood […]

  • Sustaining Community Power

    January 1, 1999

    Growing up in Cleveland, Greg Watson says he “intuitively knew” early on that environmental issues were important, and at Tufts University in the late 60s he became involved in the […]