Sustainability Defined

The capacity of a system to perpetuate itself with minimal impact upon the environment.

This is the definition I’ve coined after researching various interpretations of the term. The concept of sustainability is prevalent in Native American and other indigenous cultures. Sustainable living takes into account how our actions affect future generations. This attitude fosters a responsible relationship with cause and effect.

The Center for Ecoliteracy, cofounded by Fritjof Capra, asserts that:

We do not need to invent sustainable human communities. We can learn from societies that have lived sustainably for centuries. We can also model communities after nature’s ecosystems, which are sustainable communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms.