The following articles appeared in the Longford Leader from October 2007 as part of "How We Live Our Lives" series.

-Sustainability and Local Agenda 21-

By Ray Hogan

In recent years we have heard a great deal about " Sustainability " but what does it really mean?

Sustainability is said to be a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely, however in recent times the use of the word sustainability has moved more in reference to how long human ecological systems can be expected to be usefully productive. The implied preference would be for systems to be productive indefinitely, or be ' sustainable" . For instance, " sustainable agriculture " would require agricultural systems expected to last indefinitely, " sustainable development " would be development of economic systems that last indefinitely, and so on. The term sustainability relates to longevity of natural ecosystems and reserves, but the greatest emphasis has been on human systems and problems, such as climate change, or the depletion of our fossil fuel reserves.

In practical terms, it is perhaps more meaningful, to speak of practices being " more sustainable " or " less sustainable ". Thus energy saving by Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) can be considered more sustainable than incandescent light bulbs, and so forth.

Definitions of sustainability abound, and the popularity of the term has led to competing definitions, and much confusion. One of the most oft-cited definitions of sustainability is that sustainable development as development that " meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ." Sustainability relates to the continuity of economic , social , institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment and can be further defined as: " Humanity's investment in a system of living, projected to be viable on an ongoing basis that provides quality of life for all individuals of sentient species and conserves natural ecosystems ."

Local Agenda 21

This project is being run a part of a Local Agenda 21 programme which is about bringing home to our communities the representations of the global action plan agreed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, one of it's chapters was dedicated to the enabling role of local authorities to promote the importance of local community participation in transforming the dominant unsustainable patterns of development. This in an era in which globalisation is unfolding side by side with an urgent need for us all to empower our local communities.
In Ireland , as in much of the rest of the world, politicians have been slow to wake up to the challenges posed by the 'Earth Summits'. Only towards the close of the millennium did we beginning to detect an undercurrent of change, driven mainly by legislation from bodies such as the European Union and in more recent times by a series of scientific evidences, coupled to an active citizenry who increasingly demand goods and services produced with equity and an environmental impact in mind .

The following is a checklist of some important elements of an Agenda 21 programme and over the next few weeks I intend to examine certain aspects of how we are living our lives against this list;

Resources are used efficiently and waste is minimised;
Pollution is limited to levels which natural systems can cope with, while ensuring that damage is eliminated;
The diversity of nature is valued and protected;
Where possible, local needs are met locally;
Everyone has access to food, water, shelter and fuel at reasonable cost;
Everyone has the opportunity to undertake satisfying work in a diverse economy;
People's good health is protected by creating safe, clean, pleasant environments and health services which emphasise prevention of illness;
Access to facilities services, goods, and other people is not achieved at the expense of the environment or limited to those with private motor cars;
People live without fear of violence from crime or persecution because of their personal beliefs, race, gender or sexuality;
Every citizen has the skills, knowledge and information needed to enable them to play a full and active part in society;
All sections of the community are empowered to enable them to play a full part in society;
All sections of the community are empowered to participate in decision-making;
Opportunities for culture, leisure and recreation are readily available to all;
Places, spaces, and objects combine meaning and beauty with utility.

Ray Hogan is a founder member of both Longford Environmental Alliance and Rathcline Sustainable Projects Group ( www.rspg.ie ) and a registered Building Energy Rating Assessor

LEA

Longford Environmental Alliance

-Sustainability and Local Agenda 21-

Local Agenda 21

Other Articles in this Series