What is Sustainability

Sustainability means resolving the conflict between the two competing goals: the sustenance of human life and the integrity of nature. Sustainability in business involves allowing fair coexistence of 3 elements of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity - known as three bottom lines.

Sustainability in humans involves re-establishing the pathways to wellness - not living in a state of stress which is tied in with excessive lifestyles that result in developing chronic disease, but learning how to understand and co-exist with our natural systems.

In essence, sustainability is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.

The concept of sustainability is discussed at a time when environmental problems caused by the various human activities are requiring serious attention. Remedy lies with sustainable development, approaching the management of natural resources and the adverse effects of globalization in order to address a range of problems.

In 1992, the international community as adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro discussed Agenda 21, the world's plan of action for sustainable development. It was a landmark achievement, incorporating environmental, economic and social concerns into a single framework. It contains over 2,500 wide-ranging and achievablere commendations for action on issues such as, reducing wasteful use of natural resources, fighting poverty, protecting the atmosphere, oceans, animal and plant life.

So sustainability is achieved when we "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs".