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 Sustainability in Pickering

Sustainable Pickering is a new way of doing business and a new way of balancing economic, social and environmental objectives to achieve a distinctive community that is a desired place to live, work and raise a family. As we move forward on this journey, we are working to identify priority elements of sustainability for Pickering, in order to realistically achieve a sustainable City, while taking into consideration the diverse needs of existing and future residents.

The City is currently embarking on several projects in the area of community sustainability, including the Partners for Climate Protection program and Sustainable Neighbourhood Plan.  Sustainable Pickering combines the actions of initiatives like these with education and consultation.

 

Recent History of Sustainability:

Sustainability is a term coined in the 1980s during the height of environmental consciousness. In 1983, Norwegian Prime-Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, now Director General of the World Health Organization, was commissioned by the United Nations to undertake a study into sustainable development. The study, entitled "Our Common Future" (also known as "The Brundtland Report"), was published in 1987.  It is in this report that the most agreed upon definition of sustainability can be found:

"Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present generation without 
 compromising  the ability of future generations to meet their needs."

Since then, many definitions of sustainability have evolved, tailored to each group's values and culture:

"Sustainable Development is positive change which does not undermine the 
 environmental  or social systems on which we depend. It requires a coordinated 
 approach to planning and  policy making that involves public participation. Its 
 success depends on widespread understanding of the critical relationship between 
 people and their environment and the will to make necessary changes."
                                                                                - City of Hamilton

"Sustainability is related to the quality of life in a community - whether the economic, 
 social  and environmental systems that make up the community are providing a 
 healthy, productive, meaningful life for all community residents, present and future."
                                                                                - Sustainable Measures

"Sustainability is the long-term, cultural, economic and environmental health and 
 vitality with emphasis on long-term, together with the importance of linking our 
 social, financial, and environmental well-being."
                                                                                - Sustainable Seattle

 

Sustainability is About Balance

In the past, we tended to view the needs of a community as disconnected segments: the environment, the economy and the society. An environmentalist wants to improve air quality. A business person wants to increase profits. The health professional wants to improve people's health. Addressing issues in isolation, however, will not result in a community that is truly sustainable. Instead, sustainability is about balancing economic, environmental and social objectives.

These sustainability objectives are often referred to as three legs of a stool: unstable when all three aren't addressed and emphasizing one over the other makes the stool unsteady.

Balancing economic, environmental and social objectives is also collectively referred to as "triple bottom line" accounting. This approach to community decision making accounts for all resources - economic, environmental and social - recognizing the full costs of decisions in a way that supports financial, environmental, and community well-being over the long term.

While economic demands are a driving force and are often a significant and immediate need, they must be balanced with the critical and long term significance of social and environmental concerns. For example, a business that ignores air quality regulations may improve profits in the short term, but poor air quality can affect worker health, which can in turn cause health insurance costs to go up, hurting profits in the long run.

Sustainability recognizes the interconnectedness of economic, environmental and social objectives. Balancing all three objectives will ensure a greater quality of life now without compromising future generations.