SUSTAINAble development
what is it and why does it matter
what is it
by literal oxford definition: sus·tain·a·ble de·vel·op·ment
noun: sustainable development
economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources.
"international policies should support sustainable development"
let’s elaborate further
It’s combining sustainability (which is what we learned in our sustainability 101 post) with development in the areas of economic viability, environmental protection and social equity. Also, known as the 3 pillars of sustainability. These pillars are the fundamentals standings of sustainable development.
You can say they are guidelines for us as a society to “be our best versions of ourselves” with taking into account our present and future - without depleting the excessive use of natural resources and needs of future generations. Easily put, the care of, we, humans as whole society, our economies and our planet.
The term was first defined and developed in the Brundtland Report in 1987, also known as “Our Common Future”. Which is a lengthy 300 page report outlining the problems we face in our world and society stemming from the industrial era creating vast poverty, over consumption and production.
“The remarkable achievements of the celebrated Industrial Revolution are now beginning seriously to be questioned principally because the environment was not considered at the time. It was felt that the sky was so vast and clear nothing could ever change its colour, our rivers so big and their water so plentiful that no amount of human activity could ever change their quality, and there were trees and natural forests so plentiful that we will never finish them. After all, they grow again. Today we should know better…” ”
you’re in real estate, why does this matter
This all matters because the buildings in which we live, work, play, relax, learn, teach, entertain, etc. make up mostly of how we operate as a society. We need a building/s in order to do most of the activities we do in our lives.
Combining sustainable development with real estate is the prime and great example of combining all the 3 pillars of sustainability into 1. Caring about where the building is building, what natural resources are you using to build and operating with, what
so what exactly is sustainable real estate development
More details in our next article on sustainable real estate development, also known as Sustainable Buildings.
To dive deeper on sustainable development, YOU MATTER and the UNITED NATIONS go further into the definition, research and examples of sustainable development.
our related articles
SUSTAINABILITY | BUILDING CERTIFICATIONS 101 | HEALTHY BUILDINGS