Hey y’all. Given that this is a blog about sustainability-promoting travel, I believe it would be appropriate to designate my first real post to defining sustainability and sustainable development (there is a difference, I promise!) But before I start, I want to say that there is no universally accepted definition of sustainable development. Although the definition I use later is frequently quoted, there are many other interpretations. There are also those out there that feel “sustainability” is a feel-good catchphrase, void of substance while others feel “sustainable development” is an oxymoron because development unavoidably diminishes and degrades the environment. I strongly encourage you to do research outside of this blog and form your own opinions.
With that in mind, let us begin.
There are numerous sustainability terms, and they are often interchanged or misused. I even sometimes find myself using the wrong version of a word. In fact, I had to go back to my first post and make some corrections. You may have noticed I changed the title from “Lauren D'Silva's Guide to Sustainable Travel: The Chicago Edition” to “Lauren D'Silva's Guide to Sustainability-Promoting Travel: The Chicago Edition” because as it turns out, my use of ‘sustainable’ was incorrect. Below is a list of common sustainability terms and their definitions. Please feel free to refer back to it, as it is easy to confuse their meanings.
Sustain (verb)- to maintain something through time; to keep it going; to extend its duration
Sustaining (adjective)- having the propensity or tendency to sustain or maintain something else
Sustainability (noun)- the ability or capability to sustain something
(adjective)- related to or having to do with sustainability
Sustainability-promoting (adjectival phrase)- something that will work actively to encourage or make it possible to sustain something
Sustainability-oriented/related/focused (adjectival phrase)- related to or having to do with sustainability
Sustainable (adjective)- able to be sustained; durable or able to be maintained
Sustainable development (noun)- development that does not undermined the environment, society, or the economy, locally or globally, now or in the future, and that delivers genuine progress socially, environmentally, and economically.
I want to further distinguish between sustainability and sustainable development. As previously mentioned, sustainability refers to the state at which something is able to be continued, or sustained, undiminished overtime. Essentially, it is the ultimate goal or destination. Sustainable development is the framework or process needed to achieve sustainability. United Nations Brundtland Commission report, “Our Common Future”, defines sustainable development as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (“Our Common Future”, 1987).
Although many people automatically think of the degradation of natural resources when the topic of sustainable development arises, the environment is just one facet of this complex concept. In fact, there are three “pillars” underneath the “tabletop” of sustainable development: economic development, societal development, and environmental protection, or what many businesses and organizations are referring to as the “triple bottom line”(Please note that when I refer to ‘society’, I am also including ‘culture’ in the same category).
A sustainable economy is one in which long-term jobs provided by locally owned businesses in high-growth industries are created and maintained within the carrying capacity of the environment and improve the quality of human life. In the second half of the 20th century, the world’s population doubled, food production tripled, energy used quadrupled, and overall economic activity quintupled (Board on Sustainable Development and National Research Council, 1999). Historically, there has been a trend that as communities prosper and businesses succeed, the health of the environment suffers. Currently, the environment is being treated as an economic externality. It is essential to find a way to decouple economic growth and environmental devastation. Generally, this can be achieved through enhanced economic management, production, design, new technology, etc.
A sustainable society is one that is virtuous and provides opportunities for every member of the community. A sustainable society provides access to basic human needs such as education, healthcare, work, play, etc. It also recognizes and values the diversity of its citizens. Lastly, a sustainable society thrives within the carrying capacity of the environment. The United States uses 26% of the world’s energy even though we only account for 5% of the world’s population (Donnelly, 2006). To add, even though some may argue that the consumption of people in developing countries is more likely to be sustainable, population numbers are increasing and more individuals are striving to live western lifestyles. It is imperative to educate communities about using and consuming only what is necessary on a global level.
A sustainable environment is one in which the rate of consumption of natural resources is based upon the ability of a resource to be replenished, natural habitats of native species are protected and restored, and the use of toxic chemicals and products are prohibited. The process to achieving this is twofold: 1. Management of the environment, i.e. protecting the atmosphere, oceans, freshwater, land, forests, cultivated land, and preventing extinctions and biological invasions. 2. Management of human consumption, i.e. supervise energy, water, and food, increase the use of renewable resources while decreasing the use of resources altogether, recycle, avoid the use of toxic substances and emission of greenhouse gasses, and reduce waste.
It is important to point out that sustainability in one area leads to sustainability in another. Also, a healthy environment and its resources are essential to a viable economy and flourishing society.
Now that we all have a basic understanding of what sustainability and sustainable development are and how sustainable development is broken down, the next step is to integrate the travel industry. That post will be coming next week. Yahtzee!
References
Board on Sustainable Development, National Research Council, (1999). Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability.National Academic Press.
Donnelly, J . (August 31, 2006). Alarm sounds on US population boom. The Boston Globe.
United Nations General Assembly (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. Transmitted to the General Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 - Development and International Co-operation: Environment. Retrieved on: 2009-06-13.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Something to Think About
How do you think these pictures (taken December 24, 1968 and December 7th, 1972, respectively) have affected the general population's perception of the environment? What actions did they ignite and why?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Boy, am I glad to have you here! First and foremost, I would like to say that this blog is intended to educate you about the importance of sustainability-promoting travel and what you can specifically do to travel a little more responsibly. Although I will primarily focus on sustainability-promoting travel in Chicago, I hope that you all can apply the broader concepts to any destination you may visit.
I hope to contribute to this blog every week. I will explain terms and answer common questions (such as, What does sustainability mean anyway? And how can one apply it to tourism?), recognize Chicago businesses and tourist hotspots that are adopting sustainability-oriented practices, suggest article recommendations, and share anything else I deem as blog-worthy.
Over the last few years, the media has been bombarding us with words such as “sustainable”, “eco-friendly”, and “green”, and now they are common household terms. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I’ve been living in a college town the last four years, but it seems that people have responded to this large scale campaign and have adopted a whole new attitude about protecting the earth. Many people I see everyday drink out of hard plastic water bottles, recycle, use reusable shopping bags, use public transportation/walk/ride bikes, shop at locally owned businesses, etc. Whether their motives are to save money, protect the earth, follow the “green” trend, feel good about themselves, or whatever else, I think it is great. These little steps can lead to grander acts.
More and more people are realizing that they are responsible for the consequences of their actions and that should be no different when they are on vacation. However, this can be a harder concept to grasp because travelers frequently are more carefree versions of themselves while vacationing. Furthermore, they are not around to see the long-term effects of their behavior. I hope this blog inspires you to travel in a way where you are not hurting the destination you are visiting but maybe even leaving it in a little better condition.
Goodbye for now.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Boy, am I glad to have you here! First and foremost, I would like to say that this blog is intended to educate you about the importance of sustainability-promoting travel and what you can specifically do to travel a little more responsibly. Although I will primarily focus on sustainability-promoting travel in Chicago, I hope that you all can apply the broader concepts to any destination you may visit.
I hope to contribute to this blog every week. I will explain terms and answer common questions (such as, What does sustainability mean anyway? And how can one apply it to tourism?), recognize Chicago businesses and tourist hotspots that are adopting sustainability-oriented practices, suggest article recommendations, and share anything else I deem as blog-worthy.
Over the last few years, the media has been bombarding us with words such as “sustainable”, “eco-friendly”, and “green”, and now they are common household terms. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I’ve been living in a college town the last four years, but it seems that people have responded to this large scale campaign and have adopted a whole new attitude about protecting the earth. Many people I see everyday drink out of hard plastic water bottles, recycle, use reusable shopping bags, use public transportation/walk/ride bikes, shop at locally owned businesses, etc. Whether their motives are to save money, protect the earth, follow the “green” trend, feel good about themselves, or whatever else, I think it is great. These little steps can lead to grander acts.
More and more people are realizing that they are responsible for the consequences of their actions and that should be no different when they are on vacation. However, this can be a harder concept to grasp because travelers frequently are more carefree versions of themselves while vacationing. Furthermore, they are not around to see the long-term effects of their behavior. I hope this blog inspires you to travel in a way where you are not hurting the destination you are visiting but maybe even leaving it in a little better condition.
Goodbye for now.
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