What does it mean to be Sustainable?

Many organizations are starting to realize they need to do more than just go “green”. When someone talks about going green they are usually concerned with only the environment, and this determines the path they take while conducting their business. As Werbach (2009) pointed out after the effects of hurricane Katrina in the introduction of our text Strategy for Sustainability, we need to do more than fight for the environment. True sustainability needs to include not only environment but also;

·       Social

o   Anything which affects all levels of society

·       Culture

o   Embracing culture diversity

·       Economic

o   How will everyone (and corporations) obtain what they need, not just financially but food, water, and security

As werbach goes on to point out, Katrina would have probably not been as devastating if government, organizations, and individuals had addressed all of the above points. For example, wetlands had been drastically reduced over the past several decades which resulted in less water retention. A situation which could have been prevented if organization helped to address this as opposed to leaving it up to government and environmentalists.

In Saint John New Brunswick there is a plan to build a new sports complex in an area which has marshlands and the area tends to flood very easily. Part of the proposal needs to include an on-site reservoir which will have the capacity to retain all the rain water run off for a couple of days. This reservoir will slowly empty into the cities rainwater runoff. Their plan is to build a green space, a park with a lake. If all organizations did something like this, flooding could be reduced, which would help with environmental, social, culture and economic issues.

References:

Werbach, Adam. (2009). Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto. Boston: Harvard Business Press. ISBN: 978-1-4221-7770-9