What is sustainable development?

     Sustainable development is a concept that is used to refer to a plethora of ideas, depending upon who is using the term. According to the Brundtland definition, sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of today’s generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Brundtland’s definition is in agreement with the first nation’s concept of 7^th Generation, which is an ethos referring to the mode in which the current generation should govern their resources in order to leave a natural world which is  in as good, if not better than the current condition. Although opinions vary on which elements should be included in the sustainable development model, I agree with those that believe it is built on a triad foundation: society, economy and ecology. If one area is lacking, the overall goal of sustainable development will fail.

      To sustain means to maintain the same level, be it quality of life, economic stability, or the health of the natural environment.To develop is either to grow or improve the social, economic and environmental landscape. This means to build a society based upon the values and cultural practices that individual communities believe in, to create and improve upon a strong economy based on the use of renewable resources and  which provides for the basic needs of the individual and maximizes personal utility, and to not only minimize harm and degradation to the natural environment, but to improve it via reclamation and remediation. Sustainable development is a very exciting phrase. To me, it is the concept of uniting the forward progress of society, economy and environment towards a future which promises a cleaner, healthier environment, a strong economy based on resources which are renewable, and a thriving society where human culture, ethics and the natural world are in synchronization. Imagine Victoria, my city, moving towards a more sustainable way of life. 

     Recently, I received a letter from the Capital Regional District which asked me to cast my vote on which sort of garbage/recycling/compost system I would like to have in my neighbourhood. Three different options were outlined: basically the same with small changes in pickup frequencies or locations. The exciting part was that recycling and composting of kitchen scraps were as integral to this new system as garbage collection. The size and amount of garbage allowed per household will be decreased, and people will have to pay more to produce more garbage. There are no extra costs associated with increased recycling and composting as far as I can tell. The “green bin” for composting is set to become as ubiquitous in Victoria as the “blue bins” which are seen neatly lining the streets on “recycling day”.

      On the surface, it seems like a small step. A raindrop in the bucket of creating a more sustainable future, but that raindrop is like a drop of catalyst into solution. It will react and perpetuate and eventually it will change the way that people think about “waste”, about what is right and wrong. Like a good social marketing campaign, it will create a new norm, a norm that says that less waste is better, that just because you might be done with something doesn’t mean it has ceased to be useful, and most of all a norm that subtly changes the buy, consume, throw away, buy more way of life that has become so common. Little changes like this inspire others to find ways to reduce waste further. I would be thrilled to see local businesses and manufacturers working together in a sort of industrial symbiosis where the waste from one business was the input for another, and so on like an industrial biofilm mimic. An exciting project that embodies this sort of recycling is the Hartland Landfill Gas-to-electricity plant. The plant, located at the Hartland landfill, uses the methane emitted from decomposing garbage to generate electricity. Using garbage from the surrounding community, it generates enough to power 1,600 homes (CRD http://www.crd.bc.ca/waste/hartland/lfgelectricity.htm). Imagine, rotting garbage being used to heat homes! It is a perfect example of the usefulness of waste, or as I like to think of it the “waste is gold” mentality: a phrase coined by my biology professor, Edward Ishiguro. What Ed was trying to get at is the fact that most of what we throw away is still useful, if only we could imagine a use for it. Thus, our ability to reduce waste is limited only by our ability to innovate (So, it is pretty much unlimited!).

     Another example of sustainable development in Victoria is Solar Colwood. Solar Colwood is a community associated organization working to promote solar power in its municipality. They are doing this by creating awareness, educating the public and funding homeowner grants for solar technology. They have a vision of a community with a smaller carbon footprint and they are moving forward with it, promoting “green” industry, becoming a leader in sustainability and inspiring other communities along the way. http://www.solarcolwood.ca/solar-colwood.php

     These are just a few of the many ways that Victorian’s are working towards the goal of sustainable development. My hope is that this “green revolution” will continue to build momentum, that community-based sustainability projects will continue to grow and shape the Victoria culture, that individuals will gain pride and a sense of identity and belonging within this greener community, and that local green industry will thrive as people choose to buy locally and with an environmental conscience. I wish for Victoria to become a model to the rest of Canada, a model for a new norm where sustainable development is simply a way of life.