Environmental Sustainability

5 Principles of Sustainability

- Societal needs - Preservation of biodiversity - Regenerative capacity - Reuse and recycle - Constraints of nonrenewable resources and waste generation

4 Main Types of Nonrenewable Resources

- oil and petroleum (fossil fuel - liquid) - natural gas (fossil fuel - gas) - coal (fossil fuel - solid) - uranium (not fossil fuel) *other depleted resources: aluminum, copper, silver, gold, diamonds

3 Key Sustainability Goals

1) Increase energy and water conservation and efficiency 2) Reduce or eliminate the use of harmful substances 3) Make efficient use of available materials/resources

What constitutes a healthy ecosystem?

A healthy ecosystem is one that is sustainable; that is, it has the ability to maintain its structure and function over time in the face of external stress

What is sustainable development?

An approach to devel that takes the finite resources of Earth into consideration - when all 3 pillars are addressed during devel

Action Steps for Sustainability Continued

Buy locally grown food - use natural products - walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation - reduce meat consumption - switch to canvas bags instead of plastic shopping bags - buy rechargeable batteries for frequently used devices

Renewable Commodities

Can be regulated and replaced to make sustainable - fruits/veggies - meat from animals - leather - timber - paper

Fair Trade

Certifies that products that were produced in an ethical manner and meet requirements about labor conditions and environmental sustainability

Preserve Biodiversity

Choose raw materials that maintain biodiversity of natural resources - use environmentally responsible and sustainable energy sources - invest in improving energy efficiency

The Economic Pillar (The Profit)

Create and maintain jobs - generate incentives to encourage sustainable practices - promote price/quantity changes that impact economic growth and environmental health - decrease costs thru modification of processes and services - promote cost structure to account for production extras

Reuse and Recycle

Design for reusability and recyclability - design (or redesign) processes to reduce emissions and waste to zero

The Social Pillar (The People)

Empower communities to take action to improve the environment - protect, sustain, and improve human health - engage stakeholders - enhance educational opportunities - protect, maintain, and restore access to basic resources - promote devel, planning, building, and modifying communities for sustainability

Regenerative Capacity

Ensure harvest rates of renewable resources are within regenerative capacity of the system that generates them - ensure depletion rates of nonrenewable resources are below that rate of development of substitute resources

Integration Factors of Sustainability

Environment, economy, and society

Biocentric

Focusing on individual species, the entire biosphere, or some level in between - Earth-focused

Anthropocentric

Focusing primarily on the needs and wants of people - human-focused

More guidelines for living more sustainably

Help maintain Earth's capacity for self-repair - repair ecological damage caused by humans - emphasize pollution prevention and waste reduction - leave the world in as good of condition as found or better - be passionate about sustaining all life and let this passion energize actions and decisions

Environmental Wisdom

Humans are part of, and dependent upon, nature - nature exists to sustain all species - any economic growth should encourage environmental sustainability

Planetary Management

Humans are separate from nature - nature should be managed to meet human needs and desires - economic growth is positive and growth is limitless - human ingenuity and tech will prevent humans from running out of resources

Stewardship

Humans have a responsibility for nature - nature should be managed to meet human needs and desires, but in an ethical manner - economic growth should consider environmental impact - resources shouldn't be wasted

How to live more sustainably

Learn about, respect, and mimic how nature sustains itself - don't degrade/deplete earth's natural capital - take no more from nature than what nature can replenish - use only what's needed - protect biodiversity - avoid climate-changing activities - protect life, water, air, and soil

Constraints of Nonrenewable Resources and Waste Generation

Limit the scale of human economic system to within the carrying capacity - lower waste emissions to w/in capacity of receiving ecosystem - prioritize low-impact transportation modes - approach decisions with full consideration of environmental impact of production

Environmental Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Nonrenewable Resources

Not easily replenished by the environment - no ability to be new again

Inexhaustible Resources

Perpetually renewable - solar power - wind power - tides - hydroelectricity

The Environmental Pillar (The Planet)

Protect, sustain, and restore natural habitats and ecosystems - devel processes to reduce hazards - maintain air quality/decrease air pollution - reduce contam water - reduce stressors to ecosystem - ensure proper use/disposal of resources

Societal Needs

Refrain from producing anything that would require future generations to monitor/maintain - design/produce products that contrib to a sustainable economy - support local employment and fair trade - make sustainability a selection criteria for new products/services

Renewable Resources

Replenished by the environment over relatively short time periods - faster than or equal to rate of consumption - the ability to renew again

Seminal Book

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson - 1st published in 1962 - launched the environmental movement

Sustainability

The ability to sustain; the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely

Sustain

To strengthen or support; to cause to continue or be prolonged for an extended period; to keep in existence

Action Steps for Sustainability

Unplug seldom used appliances/chargers - turn off lights/electronics when not in use - copy/print on both sides of paper - use recycled paper - check and fix any water leaks - turn off water when not actually using - use reusable plates/utensils instead of disposable ones - buy in bulk to reduce packaging