Sustainabilitiy

=Sustainability=

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." - Brundtland Report, 1987

=**Three Pillars of Sustainability**=


 * 1) **Environmental**
 * 2) **Social**
 * 3) **Economic**
 * 4) (Culture) *argued to be the 4th pillar

A healthy ecosystem is needed to guarantee the vital resources for human survival: clean air, clean water, and healthy food. Ecosystems need to be properly managed, and negative human impact needs to be minimized and controlled. There are many forms of negative human impact, including:
 * Environmental**
 * air pollution
 * water pollution
 * over-consumption
 * land use
 * energy use > emissions (greenhouse gases) > atmospheric damage (climate change)
 * waste (toxic, materials)

Successful **environmental management** insures that environments maintain the capacity to endure human life. Environmental management is the practice of reducing consumption and negative impact while increasing positive growth and conservation.

Maintaining a sustainable environment is a social challenge, and requires the combined effort of governments and individuals. In order to achieve environmental sustainability, societies must create strategies to combat the oppression of human impact. Governmental laws, urban planning, local and individual lifestyles, and ethical consumerism are examples of social movements of environmental management. Without healthy societies we cannot have healthy ecosystems.
 * Social**