Toward a Definition of Sustainable Development
From the human-centered perspective, sustainable can be defined as the indefinite survival of the human species through the maintenance of basic life-support systems (air, water, land, biota), along with the infrastructure and institutions needed to protect the components of these systems. However, the broadest definition goes well beyond the merely biological to include the creation and indefinite maintenance of societies which are nourishing to self-actualizing persons and communities.
In the context of "Sustainable Development", human consciousness must focuss sharply and critically on the kind of economic "development" which now dominates the world. It must insist upon the inclusion of values, under the rubric of "development", which consider as supremely important the evolution, growth and fulfillment of all aspects of life..
We can identify three primary criteria for sustainable development as an ethical ideal: 1) a holistic view of development; 2) equity based on the autonomy and self-reliance of diverse entitiesÑnot, as in the current capitalist paradigm, a structure of dependence based on aid and technology transfer with a view to 'catching up' and 3) an emphasis on participation which respects the importance of local conditions and the value of diversity.
Implicit in these criteria are two important principles of governance: participatory democracy and a biocentric (life-centered, interconnected) view of things.
In sum, sustainable development may be defined as "the kind of human activity that nourishes and perpetuates the whole community of life on Earth."
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1999
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