WELCOME TO THE

Hosted by:Mark Stewart, Senior Project Manager, Office of Sustainability

Jen Shaffer, Assistant Professor, Anthropology

Sustainability:Easy Concept, Hard Conversation

Mark StewartSenior Project ManagerOffice of Sustainability

Easy Concept…

What does sustainability mean to you?

The most commonly referenced definition of Sustainability / Sustainable Development:

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

-Brundtland Commission, 1987

“Sustainability is equity over time. As a value, it refers to giving equal weight in your decisions to the future as well as the present. You might think of it as extending the Golden Rule through time, so that you do unto future generations as you would have them do unto you.”

-Robert Gilman, Director, Context Institute

“A transition to sustainability involves moving from linear to cyclical processes and technologies. The only processes we can rely on indefinitely are cyclical; all linear processes must eventually come to an end.”

-Dr. Karl Henrik-Robert, MD, founder of The Natural Step, Sweden

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”

-Aldo Leopold

Sustainability is about harmony. It is a process that exists at the delicate balance between

environmental health, social justice, and economic development.

SavingsNature

InterestEcosystem Services

WithdrawsEcological Footprint

For the Ecologically Literate:

Eco-nomicsFor the Economically Literate:

1

1.5

$33T.1997 USD

$50T.1997 USD

Debt

SavingsNature

InterestEcosystem Services

For the Ecologically Literate: For the Economically Literate:

1 $33T.1997 USD

5 $165T.1997 USD

WithdrawsEcological Footprint

If everyone consumed as much If everyone consumed as much as the average Americanas the average American

Huge Debt!Huge Debt!

SavingsNature

InterestEcosystem Services

WithdrawsEcological Footprint

Eco-nomicsFor the Ecologically Literate: For the Economically Literate:

1 $33T.1997 USD

1 $33T.1997 USD

Sustainability?

Sustainability is inevitable (we can’t live beyond our means forever),but we have much control over how and when we get there!

(And sooner is definitely better than later!)

~1987

The Greatest Challenge of the 21st Century:Live within the biological productivity of Earth.

i.e. Decrease gross consumption ~ 33% from 2010 levels

Greatly decrease per capita consumption

Increase per capita consumption?

Share resources equitably

Hard Conversation…

How do we achieve sustainability? What are some barriers?

What are some solutions?

Signs of Progress!

US per capita emissions at lowest level in 50 years!

~ Half from economic slowdown

~ Half from cleaner energy sources!

Signs of Progress!

Bike commuting increased 47% in US (and 171% in DC) between 2000 and 2011!

Signs of Progress!

Approximately 50 million US households grow some of their own food!

Signs of Progress!

We are on the verge of a Sharing Revolution!

“If you look at the science about what is happening on Earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data.

But if you meet the people who are working to restore this Earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.”

-Paul Hawken