About Sustainability

There is a significant amount of information available internationally and nationally, as well as locally, regarding the concept of sustainability.  

Government, non-government organisations and communities are beginning to embrace the concept of sustainability and are putting in place plans and strategies to guide future development which is sustainable – ecologically, economically and socially.

Sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable city, ecologically sustainable development and sustainable communities are all terms widely used in current vocabulary.  They have a common definition and in many respects are interchangeable.

The most commonly accepted definition of sustainable development is found in the “Bruntland Report”, the 1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. It defines sustainable development as:
Development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Australia uses the term Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) which is defined in the 1992 National Strategy for ESD as:
Development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends.

Sustainability is achieved through attaining a balance between social, environmental and economic aspects, which are inter-dependent. In order for a development or an organisation to be considered sustainable, management and operations must be financially viable, environmental impacts must be minimised or eliminated, and social issues and community engagement must be enhanced. Consideration of all three of these aspects is termed “triple bottom line”.

Local government has a recognised integrative role in community sustainability and has traditionally addressed local sustainability through the Local Agenda 21 model. Local Agenda 21 encourages all local authorities to enter into dialogue with their communities on developing an action plan for sustainability that seeks to integrate social, ecological and economic sustainability.  This approach was re-endorsed in 2002 by local government representatives at the Johannesburg World Summit.