As we understand it, sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Sustainable Communities
A sustainable community seeks to maintain and improve the economic, environmental and social characteristics of an area so its members can continue to lead healthy, productive, enjoyable lives there.
In the course of planning the first Earth Fest, Dr. Okey Ukaga of the NE Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership with the University of Minnesota, introduced to us the idea of sustainability as a three-legged stool, with an interdependent relationship between community, economy and environment.
Three Areas of Sustainability:
Community
Arts–Education–Equality–Faith-Based Community–Food–Healthcare–Housing–Justice–Local Resilience–Local Traditions & History–Public Service–Recreation–Safety–Transportation
Community or social capital includes the vast resources and potential of each individual and our collective institutions. Think of our knowledge, our education and health care systems, and the many ways we govern and make decisions. Social capital also includes recreation, politics, religion, and cultural traditions.
Economy
Green Business, Projects or Products–Conscious of impact on natural systems–Conserve resources–Eliminate waste–Agriculture–Consumer-supported agriculture–Home gardening–Permaculture–Community Infrastructure–Development–Green building–Sustainable development–Green Jobs–Growth and support of small local business–Sustainable Investing
Economic capital encompasses everything we need to produce, deliver, and consume goods and services. This includes tools and technologies, turning resources into products, our money and financial systems, and transportation and communication infrastructures.
Environment
Education–Energy–Conservation–Renewable–Technology–Natural Resources–Protection–Reduce, reuse, and recycle–Renewable–Repair & restore–Sustainable use
Environmental capital consists of the Earth’s natural resources: soil, water, air, wood, water, plants and wildlife. It also includes the services that living systems provide, such as plant turning carbon dioxide into oxygen, wetlands absorbing flood water, and soil filtering our water.
