The Future We Choose: Strategies for Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a relatively new concept. Essentially, it is an all-embracing term that refers to developing the social, economic, and environmental aspects of communities within the UK in a manner that is sustainable in the long term.

Within the UK, it is believed that many communities are unsustainable. This is no good, as poverty is both morally indefensible and prevents people from realizing their full potential.

To tackle this, the government, business organizations, and communities must all work with each other to make our communities sustainable. This is called the Sustainable Development Triangle.

Sustainable development can be achieved through the prudent use of natural, economic, and human resources. It is not just down to the national government to initiate policies; we can all do our bit. In the household, we can monitor our own energy usage more closely. For example, TVs left on standby use 50% the energy of TVs switched on; cutting down on our own use of paper and water will also help.

Then, of course, there is the issue of public over private transport. Cars are naturally bad in terms of sustainable development as currently they use non-renewable forms of energy, emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and add to congestion. Naturally, this damages the quality of the air and, of course, contributes to global warming.

What can we do about this? Well, use public transport for starters! An obvious answer, but perhaps not everybody will be willing to give up their car. If not, then it would be beneficial to reduce the number of times you use your car. For example, for short journeys, might it not be possible to cycle or walk?

As mentioned, we should seek to reduce our own waste. Recycling is well established, and it is a good idea to recycle waste as much as possible. For local people, bottle banks have been established.

At the community level, partnerships need to be established with other organizations to aid sustainable development. For example, a community project will need input and assistance from a variety of stakeholders as well as funding. Community people, as well as business people, will need to work with each other to achieve objectives. No stakeholder group should be ignored by the project.

Of course, businesses are an important cornerstone of sustainable development. It is likely that a lot of funding for community projects will come from business organizations, and also in terms of providing expertise. Not to mention that business will also be important in providing jobs for local communities as well as products and services, an important wealth generator.

A lot of businesses are now realizing the importance of sustainable development, not just in aiding community development, but also as a means of improving their own financial performance. Businesses that ignore this do so at their peril.

For example, the likes of Nike and Reebok found that their profits dipped with bad publicity reporting poor working conditions and child labor in some of their basis of operations. Their company image was damaged.

In contrast, organizations such as the BodyShop have incorporated sustainable development into their entire organizational profitability. They are seen as a socially responsible company, and as such, the good publicity surrounding them no doubt aids product sales. Social responsibility is now becoming more widespread as businesses are realizing that not only is this a better approach for communities, but it can also be more financially viable in the long run.

The final corner of the Sustainable Development triangle is that of government. And of course, their initiatives from the top level downwards are obviously very important in aiding sustainable development.

With taxpayers' money, they can fund research into renewable forms of energy and environmental preservation methods. Not to mention the obvious role government plays in aiding economic growth and social development. Working in conjunction with businesses and communities, sustainable communities can be achieved.