Understanding the basics of sustainability

- A good place to start in any course on sustainability is to understand what we mean by that word. The Cambridge Dictionary defines sustainability as "the ability to continue at a particular level for a period of time." But we're going to get a little more specific by looking to a seminal document in sustainability called the Brundtland Report. Published in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development, and more commonly called Our Common Future, this document defines sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. While not perfect, these two definitions provide an adequate starting point for our discussions in this course. Digging deeper, the phrase "triple bottom line," coined by John Elkington in 1994, helps us begin to understand not only what we should measure but how we should measure it. In economic terms, the bottom line is the last line in a financial report. This could be the last line in a quarterly report for a large corporation or the last line in your monthly banking statement. It shows the net profit or loss after each deposit or withdrawal over a certain period of time. While almost everyone is familiar with the concept of a bottom line for economic matters, up until recently, very few people considered an environmental bottom line or a social bottom line. The triple bottom line is also referred to as TBL, and if you're looking for a memorable catchphrase, you can use what's called the three Ps. What was originally people, planet, and profit is now more frequently called people, planet, prosperity. Graphically, the triple bottom line can be visualized in several ways. The three pillars of sustainability, for instance, is a common way to show the three Ps, revealing how all three categories are necessary to support the goals of sustainability. Another way to show how these three aspects work together is through the Venn diagram seen here. More detail is added to suggest certain outcomes when two aspects overlap with each other. Yet a more descriptive way of visualizing the triple bottom line is through placing them in concentric circles. This accurately portrays the nature of the relationship between them, revealing how the economy exists within society, which in turn exists within the magnificent ecosystems of planet Earth. The implication here is that while nature can operate without a human economy, a human economy cannot operate without the ecosystem services that nature provides. Designers committed to sustainability never lose focus on this triple bottom line of environmental, social, and economic performance. Another key concept to keep in mind is that not every entry in a checkbook is a deposit. There are also withdrawals or negative impacts. This means that no sustainable design is ever a perfect solution. Instead, designers can find a sweet spot where gains in one of the three categories result in benefits to the other two. This also reminds us that sustainability is an opportunity for continual improvement over time. We'll talk a lot more about this throughout the course. Finally, it's worth noting that some critics of the triple bottom line don't think it goes far enough. They've called for a quadruple bottom line, which includes culture as its own autonomous category. It's not to say that the triple bottom line neglects to consider culture, only that it's included as one element within the society category. Advocates for the quadruple bottom line insist that without making matters of culture explicit, it can too easily be neglected, or worse, forgotten. Because the TBL has become such a common descriptor, we'll stick with it throughout this course. But I encourage you always to include cultural impacts in your own equation as you become a sustainable designer. As you design, always ask what kind of benefits or costs accrue to cultural relationships.