Sustainability is about being flexible not about being right. Sustainability * Term encapsulates important tension * It suggests “staying the same.” * But we don’t want to sustain “the status quo.” * We want to pursue a new way of thinking about sustainability that includes change and dynamism. Assumptions Relevant Elements Addresses human needs We are not living sustainably Implies Change for better Greater Good (who decides?) Systems are dynamic and characterized by uncertainty Technological Optimism/Unknown Consequences Temporal / Spatial Extent Social Justice Institutions that learn/reflexive Value judgments Creativity Expanding options/opportunities We need to overcome human vs. nature dichotomy. Sustainability is about being flexible not about being right.