ME 449
Jan 24, 2006
Sandy Fergus
HW 1
1) http://www.esc.mtu.edu/
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability implies that the critical activities of a higher education institution are (at a
minimum) ecologically sound, socially just and economically viable, and that they will
continue to be so for future generations. A truly sustainable college or university would
emphasize these concepts in its curriculum and research, preparing students to contribute
as working citizens to an environmentally sound and socially just society. The institution
would function as a sustainable community, embodying responsible consumption of food
and energy, treating its diverse members with respect, and supporting these values in the
surrounding community. —University Leaders for a Sustainable Future
Commentary
With respect to the environment, people would treat the environment with respect,
conserving energy for future generations, thereby making the environment viable for
future generations.
2) http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP34.htm
Environmental Sustainability
Stuart B. Hill
Definition of Sustainability
The foregoing observations both raise, and provide possible answers to, a number of
questions. Why, for example, do we not yet have a logical and universally acceptable
definition of sustainability, and why have most institutions emphasized economic over
environmental sustainability (WCED 1987)? Planet Earth is our environment and our
home, and "absolute" requirements (for water, air, nutrients, freedom from biocides, etc.)
must be met if it is to remain a place in which present and future generations can survive.
Economics, on the other h and, should be used as a tool to help us to live in ways that are
consistent with our higher values, and as a consequence its characteristics are "relative."
When used appropriately, economics is a tool for evaluating the costs and benefits
associated with alternative courses of action. To achieve sustainability we must learn to
conduct our affairs within the limits of environmental absolutes, and not continue to
delude ourselves that we can only do this if we can afford it (Hill 1990a, 1991).
The widespread failure of our societies to institutionalize environmental ethics is not
surprising; unlimited exponential growth, rather than restriction, has characterized human
behavior in the industrialized world, particularly since the middle of the last century. It
has been estimated that at that time 94 percent of the energy used in the world came from
the muscles of people and domestic animals; now over 94 percent comes from fossil fuels
(Othmer 1970). In fact, industrialized societies have functioned very much like drug
addicts: willing to do almost anything to ensure ongoing access to the desired resources,
including going to war to secure this access , and blind to the consequences of the us s of
these resources and of our addictive dependence upon them (Slater 1980; Schaef 1987). It
follows from this that a genuine definition of sustainability must necessarily spell out
restrictions on our behavior and provide guidelines for appropriate goals.
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ME 449
Jan 24, 2006
Sandy Fergus
HW 1
Environmental sustainability implies the following:
1. Meeting the basic needs of all peoples, and giving this priority over meeting the greeds
of a few.
2. Keeping population densities, if possible, below the carrying capacity of the region
3. Adjusting consumption patterns and the design and management of systems to permit
the renewal of renewable resources
4 . Conserving, recycling. and establishing priorities for the use of nonrenewable
resources
5. Keeping environmental impact below the level required to allow the systems affected
to recover and continue to evolve.
An environmentally sustainable agriculture is one that is compatible with and supportive
of the above criteria.
At some point in the future, agronomists will wonder how present day scientists could
have continued to knowingly advocate the expansion of specialized production systems
that emphasize practices such as chemically managed row-crop monocultures, which
result in soil erosion and de gradation, and water exhaustion and contamination; or
knowingly to stand idly by in the face of deforestation and desertification, loss of
biodiversity, displacement of farmers and loss of rural communities, and increased
dependence on nonrenewable resources, synthetic chemicals and antibiotics, subsidies,
and markets that meet distant luxury desires versus local basic needs (Brown et al. 1984).
My explanation of why this madness continues may be as shocking for the readers as
witnessing the present level of degradation is for me. Throughout history we have
invariably blamed others for our tragedies-- the gods, other nations, certain groups within
society, lack of resources and power, multinationals, and political incompetence--but we
have rarely examined the contribution of our own behavior, accepted our responsibilities ,
and set out to change our behavior . Thus my analysis of the situation is primarily
psychosocial, rather than political, and that is exactly what makes such a proposition so
difficult to accept, because for me this requires that I first recognize and act On my
responsibilities and change myself before pointing fingers at others.
Commentary
There are absolute requirements that must be met in order for future generations to be
able to survive. Conservation, recycling, and reuse should be practiced for nonrenewable
recourses. We must meet the needs of many as opposed to the needs of the few. Have a
sustainable population for the region, in order to not tax the regions resources. We need
to allow the environment to recover and not totally destroy it.
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ME 449
Jan 24, 2006
Sandy Fergus
HW 1
The author goes on to state that we will have to look back into the past to see how stupid
we were. In retrospect it is what we should be doing now. Protect the soil, water, and
stop deforestation. Use renewable resources, and just meet basic needs instead of
wasting our resources.
This is something we, everyone, needs to be doing in order to sustain the environment.
We cannot put the responsibility on someone else’s shoulders; we must make the changes
ourselves.
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability
Sustainability is a systemic concept, relating to the continuity of economic, social,
institutional and environmental aspects of human society. It is intended to be a means of
configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its
economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present,
while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the
ability to maintain these ideals indefinitely. Sustainability affects every level of
organization, from the local neighborhood to the entire planet.
Commentary
The environment must be preserved.
Comparing the three definitions.
All of the definitions point out more than just environmental sustainability. Human
activity is the cause of the plant not being sustainable.
The first definition compares sustainability to that of higher education, of a college,
however for the earth to be truly sustainable all those on earth not just college graduates
must be schooled and participate in environmental sustainability.
The second definition gives an actual plan of things that must be maintained in order to
have environmental sustainability. The author also makes it apparent that we will not
know the extent of our devastation until it is probably too late too correct, therefore it is
the future generations that will suffer because of our excessive and wasteful use of our
natural resources.
The third definition relates sustainability to that of the human society. The people alive
to day should meet their basic needs in order to maintain environmental sustainablility
indefinitely.
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