Beginnings of Sustainability

We had the first day of lectures yesterday... well, the first full day anyway. Karl-Henrik Robert (founder of The Natural Step) talked first about his work in the area of sustainability over the last 15 years, including how he lead an initiative among dozens of scientists from a variety of areas (his own expertise was a specific area of cancer) who came together to establish basic principles of sustainability -- that is, what general principles systems on earth might operate under which would allow them to be around for a long, long time.

Before getting into the sustainability principles, it's obviously necessary to establish that we are currently on an unsustainable path. I probably should have done this before even mentioning sustainability, but I know that those who are reading this do so with anopen mind... so I won't go back to edit, but rather will continue...

Let's start with same basic questions -- everyone can answer these! Generally, is the world's population increasing or decreasing? Increasing, right? In general, are businesses becoming more competitive or less competitive? More competitive, right? In general, are resources becoming more available or more scarce? More scarce. We don't have to agree on how fast these things are happening... just that in general, there are trends that on their own will not change.

If we're in agreement on that point, then we can go on to make the case that it makes sense for a business, and presumably an individual as well, to make investments in ways that reduce the risks that come along with an increasing demand (more people) for a decreasing amount of resources. Whether it's the basics (food, supplies for houses, clothes, etc.) or lake-front property... we know that as there are more people, there are relatively fewer of the desirable lake-front lots... thus the cost of those lots will go up.

We also know that other costs will also go up... for examples, insurance rates and transportation costs are increasing. The point is that a smart business, organization, and/or individual will begin moving toward a direction that reduces the risks associated with the walls brought on by an increasing demand and a decreasing resource base. Think of a (two-dimensional) funnel -- where one funnel wall is the decresing amount of resources, and the other is the increasing demand:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX decreaasing XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX resources XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sustainability -- point at which
current trends are altered

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX demand XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXX increasing XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It would have been much easier to use a picture rather than doing that with X's... but you get the idea.

So the question for us is as businesses and organizations -- how do we avoid bumping into the funnel walls knowing that are unwitting competitors are likely to do so?

Yes, yes... I'm going through this very, very quickly and will need to come back at a later time to clarify points. Remember I've just been introduced to this yesterday, and certainly have not yet tried to explain it to anyone! But I do want to introduce the sustainability principles today -- these principles will be in effect when we are truly sustainable... or, perhaps a more appropriate way to state this is -- as we work toward being sustainable, these are the principles to keep in mind. They are:

1) Eliminate our contributions to systematic increases in concentrations of substances from the earth's crust;

2) Eliminate our contributions to systematic increases in concentrations of substances produced by society;

3) Eliminate our contributions to systematic physical degradation of nature through over-harvesting, introduction and other forms of modification;

4) Eliminate our contribution to the systematic undermining of people's ability to meet their needs.

Principle #1 includes things like lead, mercury, and copper.

Principle #2 includes man-made substances such as CFC's, PCBs, freon, etc.

Principle #3 includes farming/fishing/forestry practices, city planning, etc.

Principle #4 essentially states that people are social people, and as social beings we have responsibilities to each other -- a social contract, if you will... and that people have the right to be able to meet their needs.

Give me a week and I'm sure that I'll explain it much more clearly... but that's what I've got for now!