Sustainability Glossary

(from Community Voices forSustainability: A Workshop Guide, p. 30,Izaak Walton League of America, Feb. 1998)

bioregion: an area defined by its unique ecologicalcharacteristics

capacity building processes: opportunities togain information and experience that improve citizens’ ability to dosomething

civic democracy: the practice of democracy at the municipal level wherean active and engaged citizenry is the primary source of political power

community sustainability: the goal of a system of development cultivated inplaces where people pursue environmental stewardship, economic security, civicdemocracy and social justice as complementary goals

consensus: an agreement among people

conservation: the controlled use and protection of natural resources

ecological literacy: knowledge about the local and global environmentalimpacts of economic and social systems and understanding of the methods toaddress these impacts

ecological renewal rate: the amount of time required to regenerate a renewablenatural resource or restore and stabilize biological, chemical or physicalconditions altered by use or pollution

education about sustainability: the interdisciplinary use of civics, science,political science, geography and other traditional disciplines to advanceenvironmental protection, economic security, civic democracy and social justiceas complementary goals. Education about sustainability is a lifelong processthat emphasizes systems thinking, partnerships, multicultural perspectives andcitizen empowerment.

human carrying capacity: the maximum number of people, living at a specificlevel of natural resource consumption, that an area of land can supportindefinitely

environmental justice: the act of making decisions that have just andequitable environmental consequences

green technology: methods of production and construction that waste nonatural resources

social justice: the act of makingdecisions that have just and equitablesocial consequences

sustainable development: development that meets the needs of presentgenerations without compromising the ability of future generations to meettheir own needs

sustainability: a state defined by desired social and economicconditions, governed by population size and the limits of ecological systems,achieved by meeting equitably the needs of current and future generationswithout a net loss in environmental integrity

stewardship: responsibility for the management of environmental, economic and socialfactors

systemic: pertaining to theelements that constitute a system, such as the system’s underlyingmindset, goals and rules

systems theory: the idea that physical or non-material standing stocksobey scientific laws of conservation and accumulation as they are influenced byinflows and outflows regulated by negative feedback loops

systems thinking: the application of systems theory