Sustainability - Corin S.

The definition of sustainability for people “calls for policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, but in nature it is an environments ability to deal with and adjust to change. Sustainability can be used in many different ways such as a sustainable work place, environment, recourses, etc.

On a large scale the Earth’s sustainability is in danger because of the decreasing fossil fuels and the pollution these fossil fuels cause due to the emissions they produce when burned. The decrease in fossil fuels will eventually cause feuds between countries over them and therefore cause disruption in the sustainability of the countries and governments. The pollution these fossil fuels produce when burned will cause disruption within the natural environments throughout the world. This pollution may cause the ozone to collapse, mutations in plants and animals, and if not taken care of may create unlivable conditions on Earth.

One of the major problems with sustainability is that doing the right thing takes extra effort. People, businesses, and governments will follow laws put in place that call for people to do the right thing, but many will not do it by choice just because it takes extra effort or is an inconvience. For example recycling, using energy efficient tools and machines, and car pulling. These are three considerable simple things to do, but because they are an inconvenience or require more effort not many people do them regularly. Luckily the EPA is creating new ways to cut down or prevent pollution without making it an inconvenience to businesses and people. Programs to reduce pollutants, public-private partnerships, reporting by industry, and voluntary programs, were all implemented to help businesses to not only meet but to exceed environmental requirements.

http://www.awarenessintoaction.com/whitepapers/implementing-sustainability-strategies.html

http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm - sustainability