"Experts often describe sustainability as having three dimensions (or pillars): environmental, economic, and social."
This type of sustainability focuses on designing products and systems that promote equity and improve the quality of life for individuals and communities.
Definition of Sustainability: Understanding the concept of sustainability and its role in creating a healthier and balanced society.
Triple Bottom Line: An approach to sustainability that focuses on balancing social, economic, and environmental concerns.
Social Equity: The fair distribution of resources and opportunities throughout society, regardless of race, gender, income, or other factors.
Human Rights: Principles that protect individuals from harm or discrimination based on their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or other identities.
Environmental Justice: The fair treatment of all people, regardless of race or income, with regard to environmental policies and practices.
Corporate Social Responsibility: The responsibility companies have to minimize their negative impacts on society and the environment.
Circular Economy: An approach to sustainable development that aims to minimize waste and rely on renewable resources.
Social Impact Assessment: A research and evaluation method used to determine the social impacts of a specific project or policy.
Community Engagement: Involving local communities in decision-making processes and empowering them to take ownership of sustainable development initiatives.
Ethical Consumerism: Making conscious consumer choices that support sustainable and socially responsible practices.
Advocacy and Activism: The important role individuals play in advocating for and implementing social sustainability initiatives.
Sustainable Design Strategies: The various approaches and methods designers can use to create socially sustainable products, buildings, and infrastructure.
Social Justice: Social justice aims to eliminate social inequalities and injustices that affect human well-being, including poverty, discrimination, oppression, and violence. In design, social justice involves creating fair and equitable systems that ensure access to resources, opportunities, and services for all members of society, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, age, income, or other factors.
Community Development: Community development involves enhancing the quality of life of people in a particular place, such as a neighborhood, village, or city. In design, community development involves creating supportive and empowering environments that foster social cohesion, participation, trust, and solidarity among diverse groups of people.
Health and Safety: Health and safety refer to the physical and mental well-being of individuals and communities, including protection against risks and hazards that could harm human health or the environment. In design, health and safety involve incorporating features that promote healthy lifestyles, reduce exposure to toxins and pollutants, and enhance disaster resilience and emergency response.
Access and Inclusion: Access and inclusion refer to ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities and outcomes in social, economic, and political life. In design, access and inclusion involve creating products, services, and environments that accommodate diverse needs, preferences, and abilities, and that enable participation, communication, and mobility.
Education and Knowledge: Education and knowledge refer to the acquisition and transmission of skills, information, and cultural values that enhance human capabilities and well-being. In design, education and knowledge involve creating educational materials, tools, and technologies that support lifelong learning, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation.
Cultural Diversity: Cultural diversity refers to the variety of values, beliefs, and traditions that shape human identity and expression. In design, cultural diversity involves respecting and valuing different cultural perspectives, aesthetics, and practices, and creating products, services, and environments that reflect and celebrate this diversity.
Ethical and Legal Standards: Ethical and legal standards refer to principles and rules that guide human behavior and ensure accountability and justice. In design, ethical and legal standards involve following established codes of conduct, respecting intellectual property rights, ensuring privacy and confidentiality, and preventing harm and exploitation.
Economic Development: Economic development refers to the growth and improvement of economic systems that promote prosperity, innovation, and sustainability for all members of society. In design, economic development involves creating products, services, and systems that generate value, create jobs, enhance productivity, and reduce environmental impacts.
"Sustainability often focuses on countering major environmental problems, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, and air and water pollution."
"The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels."
"Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal, while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."
"The economic dimension of sustainability is controversial. Scholars have discussed this under the concept of 'weak and strong sustainability'…so trade-offs are necessary."
"Indicators consider environmental, social and economic domains. The metrics are evolving. Currently, they include certification systems, types of corporate accounting, and types of index."
"There are many barriers to sustainability...Some barriers arise from nature and its complexity. Other barriers are extrinsic to the concept of sustainability, such as dominant institutional frameworks in countries."
"These include maintaining ecosystem services, reducing food waste, and promoting dietary shifts towards plant-based foods... promoting new green technologies, and adopting renewable energy sources while phasing out subsidies to fossil fuels."
"The United Nations agreed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. These set a global agenda for sustainable development, with a deadline of 2030."
"One option to overcome barriers to sustainable development is to decouple economic growth from environmental conservation. This means using fewer resources per unit of output even while growing the economy."
"Existing global organizations such as the UN and WTO are inefficient in enforcing current global regulations."
"Business groups have tried to integrate ecological concerns with economic activity. Religious leaders have stressed the need for caring for nature and environmental stability. Individuals can also live in a more sustainable way."
"One criticism is that the concept is vague and only a buzzword."
"Some experts have pointed out that 'no country is delivering what its citizens need without transgressing the biophysical planetary boundaries'." Note: The given paragraph does not contain direct quotes that answer Questions 15-20. Therefore, those questions cannot be answered with quotes from the paragraph.