“ We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ”

1. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Native American Proverb

2. "Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. But teach a man how to fish, and he'll be dead of mercury poisoning inside of three years." Charles Haas

3. The Three Structures

4. Economic Sustainability Addressing material security and well being through ensuring and maintaining sufficient living standards for a population. (Robinson and Tinker 1997)

5. Social Sustainability Attending to social issues such as political freedom, equity, rights, education, and healthcare through effective and stable democratic governance. (Fiorino 2010)

6. Environmental Sustainability Resource Efficiency: How natural resources, water, and energy are used Human Health and Well-Being: The need for clean air and water, adequate sanitation Ecosystem Vitality: Protecting habitats and maintaining biodiversity

7. Environmental Sustainability Objectives Two Approaches: Limiting resource consumption Environmental management

8. Managing Human Consumption Renewable resources should not be consumed in excess of the rate they can be regenerated (sustainable yield) Renewable substitutes need to be developed to replace non-renewable resources Generation of waste should not exceed the capacity of the environment to withstand it safely (Daly 1990)

9. Environmental Management Addresses issues like: Climate change Air pollution Safeguarding freshwater Protection of natural habitats and biodiversity (Daly 1990)

10. Economic Sustainability Objectives To provide economic growth without sacrificing environmental protection Avoiding the “tragedy of the commons”(humans acting in their own self interest collectively depleting limited resources even though it is ultimately not in everyone’s best interest) (Hardin 1968)

11. Social Sustainability Objectives Ensuring equal access to good food, clean water, and appropriate housing at reasonable costs Protecting human health through clean environments Limiting pollution Valuing and protecting diversity and cultural identity Providing access to health care Empowering members of the community to be involved in decision making (DETR 1978)

12. Historical Development in the United States 1969 - The National Environmental Policy Act 1970 - Formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1970 - Clean Air Act 1972 - Federal Water Pollution Control Act

13. International Historical Development 1972 - United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (The Stockholm Environmental Summit) → United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 1987 - World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) → The Brundtland Report 1992 - The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) → Adoption of Agenda 21

14. Sustainability Examples Successful sustainability measures and programs take into account a city’s size, population, environmental needs and concerns, and local industries, among other factors.

15. Northampton County Virginia One of the poorest counties in the state Developed a proposal to protect coastal habitat and support economic development Natural and cultural assets include marshes, beaches, tidal creeks, woodlands, barrier islands, historic villages and farms, and over 260 species of birds, fish, and wildlife Sustainability plan focuses on encouraging money making industries (heritage tourism, seafood and aquaculture industries, agriculture, etc) while protecting environmental habitats (Lachman 1997)

16. Celebrates local bird habitats and annual fall migrations as well as brings in several hundred thousand dollars (ESVA Festivals)

17. Founded in 1990 Started as a grassroots organization Noted for the development of environmental sustainability indicators as well as metrics intended to gauge the economic and social quality-of-life of residents

18. Primary Goals of Sustainable Seattle Social Justice: Equal access to resources and opportunity Collaboration: Shared decision making, expanding each other’s capacity, and building on past positive action Stewardship: Conserving and restoring our natural environments in a way that cares for all in our systems (Sustainable Seattle)

19. Presidio National Park has been designated as a Center of Environmental Innovation Example of environmental remediation of a former military base Sustainability focuses: historic building rehabilitation, waste prevention, natural habitat preservation and restoration, and transportation concerns (Environmental Remediation Program)

20. International Sustainability Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy’s 2010 Environmental Performance Index Uses 25 performance indicators to rank 163 countries on ecosystem vitality and environmental health Top four countries achieving scores of 85-100: Iceland, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Sweden The United States ranks at 61 with an EPI score of 63.5 (Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy 2010)

21. Metrics

22. Implications for Public Administration Sustainability issues are to complex to be addressed by one level of government- local, state, and federal governments must be involved Sustainaibility requires both horizontal and vertical intergovernmental relations (IGR) (Zeemering and Romero)

23. Vertical IGR Requires cooperation between local, state, and federal governments Local, state, and federal initiatives may present overlap- focus on reducing redundancy and reconciling conflicting policies Sustainability measures may be too expensive for local governments, may need financial support from state and federal governments

24. Horizontal IGR Importance of the planning process Social and political problems may exceed physical boundaries of communities Identifying and involving external stakeholders (Zeemering and Romero)

25. Future Viability Sustainability efforts rest on human perception; if people perceive an unlimited amount of resources or that evolving technology will solve environmental problems they will be less inclined to recycle or limit their consumption. But if people feel that their actions will have a lasting negative impact and perceive that resources are indeed limited they will be more inclined to make responsible decisions (Goffman 2005)