What is Sustainable Development? Print

It’s commonly known that the term “sustainable development” came out of the general “conservation” movement in the 1970s.  Conservation looks at the basic issue of how to protect and conserve the world’s natural resources.  Sustainable development is the study of how to protect resources while taking care of human needs.  This can be anything from building houses to arranging transportation or selling furniture.

Sustainable development tries to balance two competing factors: the needs of today and the needs of tomorrow.  As such, it exists on a sliding scale.  Some activities are more sustainable than others, and purism is a luxury.  Planners try to find the most sustainable solutions for going ahead with getting human needs met today, not necessarily the greenest ones.  


There have been huge strides taken in sustainable development is almost every category of American life.  As planners realized that the industrial processes of the late twentieth century often focused exclusively on human comfort and immediate gratification, America realized we have massive opportunities to save energy and cut down on waste.  Now, everyone, from individual households to business and government agencies, is working to make sustainable development the practice of the day.
 

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