While I would love to see more of a focus on sustainability at a high level (e.g., government, large companies, etc.), I have a feeling that it's not something I should hold my breath for.
I think the sustainable transformation that needs to happen is going to do so at the individual and community level.
One of the challenges in developing a sustainable approach is taking it out of the abstract and into the tangible. It's nice to have a high-minded philosophy of sustainability, but what does that mean when the rubber meets the road, and how do you implement it?
With that in mind, the Sustainable Measures site asks the question, "how do you measure community sustainability?" Its answer is with sustainability indicators.
What is a sustainability indicator, you might ask. From the Sustainable Measures site...
An indicator is something that helps you understand where you are, which way you are going and how far you are from where you want to be. A good indicator alerts you to a problem before it gets too bad and helps you recognize what needs to be done to fix the problem. Indicators of a sustainable community point to areas where the links between the economy, environment and society are weak. They allow you to see where the problem areas are and help show the way to fix those problems.
The site includes a sustainable community indicator checklist with 14 points to help you evaluate potential indicators.
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I appreciate this post. Those of us coming at sustainability from the indicators side need to do a better job getting out from behind our data and linking with others who are pushing for a sustainable future.
Posted by: Ben Warner | August 11, 2007 at 05:58 AM