Position on the Concept of Sustainability Term Paper

sustainability and reviews the implications and impact of various sustainability modes, all of which appear to be positive. To begin this review requires coming to an understanding of what sustainability is. As the Interface (2008) website describes it, "Sustainability can be many different things -- a motto, an ideal, a way to do business, a way to live your life or a call to action." Because this seems an appropriate way to view the many aspects of sustainability, this paper adopts this viewpoint as well.

Raven (2002) discusses how we got to this point facing the difficult challenges of human sustainability. Over the course of 400 generations, or about 10,000 years, the human population has grown from several million to over 6 billion. Humans continue to depend on a series of ancient, genetically and socially determined habits and attitudes which seem dysfunctionally inappropriate for modern society. As a consequence then, we must adopt new ways of thinking that will serve our descendants well in a world that will be crowded beyond imagining.

Raven quotes troubling statistics: over the past half century, we have lost a fifth of the world's topsoil, a fifth of its agricultural land, and a third of its forests. We continue to suffer irreversible loss of biodiversity, with the rate of species extinction climbing every year. Raven poses the question of what we must contribute to be able to improve the world in the face of such stark challenges (2002).

The Interface website also offers a definition of sustainability that has gained at least general acceptance. It can be traced to 1987 United Nations Conference, and describes sustainability in the context of development: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Report of the Brundtland Commission, "Our Common Future," 1987, section 1). The Sustainability Store offers a host of recent definitions.Sustainability means:

Renewing resources at a rate equal to or greater than the rate at which they are consumed.

Creating an economic system that provides for quality of life while renewing the environment and its resources.

Living a life of dignity in harmony with nature (Aebi-Magee, 2010).

No matter which definition one selects there are commonalities among them, including an outward, future-facing focus. Perhaps that observation is the key to understanding sustainability, embracing a perspective that takes us outside ourselves in both time and space.

One of the more interesting perspectives on sustainability examines the global energy crisis within the context of human energy. Nicholls (2006) comments that in the face of the twenty-first century's prolonged and excessive stress, rapidly increasing rate of change, and 24/7 pressure, he believes that human energy is facing the very real risk of total burnout. He argues that we are burning human energy at a rate far in excess of our ability to generate new energy. He further points out that the signs are unmistakable in every workplace and community: stress-generated illness, road rage, crime and violence, depression, suicide, divorce and so on. Nicholls argues that the solution is involvement in activities about which one is passionate. He concludes that, by all means, let us develop greater global sustainability, but suggests that we make a pronounced effort to promote our passionate interests in order to sustain human energy.

PepsiCo provides a more traditional context in which to explore human sustainability. PepsiCo asserts on its website that, as an industry leader, they have a responsibility to help develop solutions to key global challenges, such as obesity. They focus on initiatives involving products they make, encouraging people to make informed choices and live healthier, and on key policies and partnerships to help address global nutrition challenges (PepsiCo, 2011).

This paper also reviewed sustainability.....