What does Sustainability
Mean to You?

The concept of "sustainability" is used and defined in many ways. Here are a few of our favorites:

sus-tain-able
1: capable of being sustained
2 a: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged b: of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods


"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

- World Commission on Environment and Development

"Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of the Earth's supporting eco-systems."

- Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living, IUCN/UNEP/WWF

"We have a responsibility to sustain - if not enhance - our natural environment and our nation's economy for future generations."

- Steve Johnson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

"Sustainability can be described as each of us doing our part to build the kind of world—economically, environmentally and socially—that we want to live in, and one that we want our children and grandchildren to inherit. It means becoming aware of all interconnections—visible and invisible—in which our day-to-day choices affect the intricate balance of social, economic and ecological systems."

- Sustainability Leadership Institute

"Sustainability is our long-term cultural, economic, and environmental health and vitality."

- Sustainable Seattle