Sustainability: Buzzword or Watchword?

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Sustainability Buzzword or Watchword?

• Gwendolyn Hallsmith
• Global Community Initiatives

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Sustainability Defined

• The most commonly accepted definition of
• sustainable development is described as
• development which meets the needs of the
  present without compromising the ability of
  future generations to meet their own needs
• (1987 World Commission on Environment and
  Development, Bruntland Report).

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Three Pillars of Sustainable Development

• Social progress
• Equity, Social Cohesion, Social Mobility,
  Participation, Cultural Identity
• Economic Prosperity
• Efficiency, Stability
• Environmental protection
• Healthy environment for humans, Rational use of
  renewable natural resources, Conservation of
  non-renewable natural resources, Participation,
  Cultural identity

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Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans
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Chickaloon Village Traditional Council Alaska
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Carthmanshire Wales, UK
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Hong Kong Investment Initiative
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Washington, D.C.
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Calgary Regional PartnershipThree Part Plan

• Municipal Services
• Sustainable Environments
• Prosperity

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Municipal Services

• Regional Transportation Plan
• Regional Needs Analysis
• Regional Pathway System
• Regional Safety Services
• Infrastructure Servicing Plan

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Sustainable Environments

• Watershed Information Management
• Regional Waste Management / Waste Resource
  Tracking
• Brownfield Development
• Regional Groundwater

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Prosperity

• Regional Economic Development Strategy
• Asset Inventory
• GIS Project- linked to asset inventory and
  properties for sale
• International Marketing
• Sectoral Support
• Regional Film Studio

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development which meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs
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Natural Step System Condition 4 In order for a
society to be sustainable, resources must be used
fairly and efficiently in order to meet basic
human needs globally.
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Human Needs and Sustainability
Capacity
Action
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Four Categories of Human Needs
health and well-being
empowerment and responsibility
economic security
ecological integrity
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health and well-being
strong sense of community rich spiritual
life lifelong education system arts and
cultural activities recreational
opportunities safe neighborhoods caring
families and relationships health care for
everyone
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empowerment and responsibility
shared leadership equity
self-determination conflict resolution
access information
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economic security
meaningful work income security
equitable distribution of wealth
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environmental integrity
clean and safe air, soil, water, biosystems,
streets, and homes affordable housing
renewable energy efficient transportation
abundant local goods and services reliable
communication systems effective waste disposal
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The Whole Community System
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Integrated Goals
Improved social networks Community spirit Social
well-being Empowerment responsibility Equitable
resource distribution Economic security Human and
environmental health
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Enhancing Assets and Capacities
Starting with Strengths Everybody is a
Hero Satisfying Needs
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Enhancing Assets and Capacities
Problem-Solving Approach
Asset Based Planning
vs.
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TAKING ACTION FOR SUSTAINABILITY The EarthCAT
Guide to Community Development

• ? creating excitement and momentum
• ? skills for community organizing
• ? building a community vision
• ? setting goals and targets
• ? planning strategies and taking action
• ? developing indicators and reporting results

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Creating Excitement and Momentum

• Art
• Celebration
• Spirit
• Challenge
• Humor

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Skills for Community Organizing

• Interdisciplinary Understanding
• Team Building and Team Skills
• Conflict Management Training
• Restructured Workplaces
• Shared Decision-Making

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Building a Community Vision

• Stakeholders
• Focus Groups
• Surveys and Interviews
• Publication

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Setting Goals and Targets

• Understanding Current Trends
• Human Needs and Goals
• Inventory Community Assets
• Asset Based Goals
• Setting Targets
• Priority Setting

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Understanding Current Trends
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fixes that fail
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Priority Setting
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Action Planning
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Developing Indicators and Reporting Results

• Clear Goals and Targets
• Indicator Criteria
• Pressure-State-Response Framework
• Issues of Scale
• Data Sources and Methodology
• Reporting Strategies

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Say, whats a mountain goat doing way up here in
a cloud bank?
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• GOAL In 2030, all Burlington residents have
  access to livable-wage jobs, full employment and
  the necessary education and training to meet
  their families basic needs for food, shelter,
  clothing, health care, child care, and
  transportation.

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Economic Security
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• GOAL In 2030, water quality in Lake Champlain
  has improved significantly. The lake is
  accessible to all residents, whether for drinking
  water, swimming, fishing, or travel. Ongoing
  monitoring provides an annual report to the
  public on the environmental health of the lake.
  Burlington youth grow up with an understanding of
  their role as caretakers of the environment.

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Lake Champlain Water Quality
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The gross national product does not allow for the
health of our children, the quality of their
education, or the joy of their play. It does
not include the beauty of our poetry or the
strength of our marriages the intelligence of
our public debate or the integrity of our public
officials. It measures neither our wit nor our
courage neither our wisdom nor our learning
neither our compassion nor our devotion to our
country it measures everything, in short,
except that which makes life worthwhile. Robert
F. Kennedy, 1968
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The End