What Is Sustainability?

"Sustainability is an awareness of the connectivity of the world and the implications of our actions. It is finding solutions through innovative approaches, expanding future options by practicing environmental stewardship, building governance institutions that continually learn, and instilling values that promote justice."
-Charles L. Redman, Director, School of Sustainability

"A sustainable society considers the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, and social systems; reconciles the planet's environmental needs with development needs over the long term; and avoids irreversible commitments that constrain future generations."
- Global Institute of Sustainability

“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
- Brundtland Report 1987

“Sustainability is a way to grow and prosper while reducing the stress on the planet.”
- Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University

“Living in harmony with our social and natural environment, based on a sense of justice and equity.”
- Sander van der Leeuw, School of Human Evolution and Social Change

“Sustainability is the [emerging] doctrine that economic growth and development must take place, and be maintained over time, within the limits set by ecology in the broadest sense - by the interrelations of human beings and their works, the biosphere and the physical and chemical laws that govern it.It follows that environmental protection and economic development are complementary rather than antagonistic processes.”
- William D. Rukelshaus, “Toward a Sustainable World” Scientific American, September 1989

The emergence of "sustainability science" builds toward an understanding of the human-environment condition with the dual objectives of meeting the needs of society while sustaining the life support systems of the planet.”
- A framework for Vulnerability Analysis in Sustainability Science Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, July 8, 2003, Vol.100:3

"If you get right down to it, sustainability is really the study of the interconnectedness of all things."
- Barbara Lither, US Environmental Protection Agency