“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Native American Proverb

"Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. But teach a man how to fish, and he'll be dead of

mercury poisoning inside of three years."Charles Haas

The Three Structures

Economic Sustainability

Addressing material security and well being through ensuring and maintaining sufficient living standards for a population.

(Robinson and Tinker 1997)

Social Sustainability

Attending to social issues such as political freedom, equity, rights, education, and healthcare through effective and stable democratic governance.

(Fiorino 2010)

Environmental Sustainability

Resource Efficiency: How natural resources, water, and energy are used

Human Health and Well-Being: The need for clean air and water, adequate sanitation

Ecosystem Vitality: Protecting habitats and maintaining biodiversity

Environmental Sustainability Objectives

Two Approaches:Limiting resource consumption

Environmental management

Managing Human Consumption

Renewable resources should not be consumed in excess of the rate they can be regenerated (sustainable yield)

Renewable substitutes need to be developed to replace non-renewable resources

Generation of waste should not exceed the capacity of the environment to withstand it safely

(Daly 1990)

Environmental Management

Addresses issues like:Climate change

Air pollution

Safeguarding freshwater

Protection of natural habitats and biodiversity

(Daly 1990)

Economic Sustainability Objectives

To provide economic growth without sacrificing environmental protection

Avoiding the “tragedy of the commons” (humans acting in their own self interest collectively depleting limited resources even though it is ultimately not in everyone’s best interest)

(Hardin 1968)

Social Sustainability Objectives

Ensuring equal access to good food, clean water, and appropriate housing at reasonable costs

Protecting human health through clean environments

Limiting pollution

Valuing and protecting diversity and cultural identity

Providing access to health care

Empowering members of the community to be involved in decision making

(DETR 1978)

Historical Development in the United States

1969 - The National Environmental Policy Act

1970 - Formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

1970 - Clean Air Act

1972 - Federal Water Pollution Control Act

International Historical Development

1972 - United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (The Stockholm Environmental Summit) → United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

1987 - World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) → The Brundtland Report

1992 - The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) → Adoption of Agenda 21

Sustainability Examples

Successful sustainability measures and programs take into account a city’s size, population, environmental needs and concerns, and local industries, among other factors.

Northampton County Virginia

One of the poorest counties in the stateDeveloped a proposal to protect coastal habitat and

support economic developmentNatural and cultural assets include marshes, beaches,

tidal creeks, woodlands, barrier islands, historic villages and farms, and over 260 species of birds, fish, and wildlife

Sustainability plan focuses on encouraging money making industries (heritage tourism, seafood and aquaculture industries, agriculture, etc) while protecting environmental habitats

(Lachman 1997)

Celebrates local bird habitats and annual fall migrations as well as brings in several hundred thousand dollars

(ESVA Festivals)

Founded in 1990

Started as a grassroots organization

Noted for the development of environmental sustainability indicators as well as metrics intended to gauge the economic and social quality-of-life of residents

Primary Goals of Sustainable Seattle

Social Justice: Equal access to resources and opportunity

Collaboration: Shared decision making, expanding each other’s capacity, and building on past positive action

Stewardship: Conserving and restoring our natural environments in a way that cares for all in our systems

(Sustainable Seattle)

Presidio National Park has been designated as a Center of Environmental Innovation

Example of environmental remediation of a former military base

Sustainability focuses: historic building rehabilitation, waste prevention, natural habitat preservation and restoration, and transportation concerns

(Environmental Remediation Program)

International Sustainability

Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy’s 2010 Environmental Performance Index

Uses 25 performance indicators to rank 163 countries on ecosystem vitality and environmental health

Top four countries achieving scores of 85-100: Iceland, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Sweden

The United States ranks at 61 with an EPI score of 63.5

(Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy 2010)

Metrics

Implications for Public Administration

Sustainability issues are to complex to be addressed by one level of government- local, state, and federal governments must be involved

Sustainaibility requires both horizontal and vertical intergovernmental relations (IGR)

(Zeemering and Romero)

Vertical IGR

Requires cooperation between local, state, and federal governments

Local, state, and federal initiatives may present overlap- focus on reducing redundancy and reconciling conflicting policies

Sustainability measures may be too expensive for local governments, may need financial support from state and federal governments

Horizontal IGR

Importance of the planning process

Social and political problems may exceed physical boundaries of communities

Identifying and involving external stakeholders

(Zeemering and Romero)

Future Viability

Sustainability efforts rest on human perception; if people perceive an unlimited amount of resources or that evolving technology will solve environmental problems they will be less inclined to recycle or limit their consumption. But if people feel that their actions will have a lasting negative impact and perceive that resources are indeed limited they will be more inclined to make responsible decisions

(Goffman 2005)

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