1. Defining Sustainability
A summary of the Sustainable Toronto Working Paper on defining sustainability, sustainable development and sustainable communities
Daniella Molnar, MES I, York University
Alexis Morgan, MSc II, University of Toronto
Wednesday, December 12th, 2001.

2. Presentation Purpose of paper May 9th revisited Methodology
Conclusions
Recommendations
Discussion

3. Purpose of the paper
To provide an overview of the terms: - Sustainability - Sustainable Development - Sustainable Community
Based on the literature, provide ST with a recommendation of a definition that all partners would feel comfortable adopting

4. The reason behind the paper
Sustainable Toronto uses the term “sustainable” in its name as well as its vision /mission statements.
Worthwhile to try to develop a common understanding of the meaning of these sustainability terms and their historical usages.
For ST to arrive at a commonly accepted definition for our project

5. May 9th, 2001…
“Sustainability is a new paradigm of decision making for all sectors of society based on a better appreciation of the complex interconnections between economic, social and environmental issues, and the impact of today’s decisions on future generations. Sustainability favours decision making processes that are participatory, transparent, equitable, and accountable.” (Macdonald, 2001)

6. Methodology Began with some noted works
Searched the internet, UTCAT, abstract databases and recommended works using the terms as search phrases
Relatively unstructured
Compiled definitions, summarized and then synthesized information to provide the conclusions and recommendations

7. Conclusions
1) Governments tend to stick to the definition of sustainable development that was created by the Brundtland Commission (Our Common Future).
2) Businesses initially tended towards definitions that included such terms as eco-efficiency, innovation, and new markets with a focus on economics over social and environmental considerations.
3) Few businesses have engaged in the discussion over the definition for sustainable communities.
4) Government, business, and civil society, in general, use sustainable development and sustainability interchangeably, whereas academia is more sensitive to this distinction.

8. Conclusions (continued)
5) Government and especially civil society are more interested in action (measuring SD and using indicators) than engaging in a debate over the definitions.
6) Academia and civil society both have a fairly large diversity in terms of the three definitions; business tends to be the most focused.
7) The greatest amount of work (in terms of providing definitions) has been done on the term “sustainable development” rather than “sustainability” or “sustainable communities”

9. Conclusions (continued)
Sustainability terminology:
lacks singularly accepted definitions
is an “essentially contested concept”
has acted as a call to action and a new paradigm of thinking in light of the environmental, social and economic concerns of the late 20th and early 21st century
has allowed environmentalists to engage developers

10. Conclusions (continued)
In general however, sustainability involves:
The notion of long term thinking
Recognition that the health of the planet as a provider of life systems for humanity and human systems must be balanced if both are to continue
Acknowledgement of the complexity and interconnectedness of all systems
Action at all levels of government to be successfully implemented

11. Recommendations
Sustainability: “Sustainability is an approach to decision making that considers the interconnections and impacts of economic, social and environmental factors on today’s and future generations’ quality of life. It is a dynamic and evolving notion, and as a process, it strives to be participatory, transparent, equitable, informed, and accountable.”
We feel that the notions of sustainable development and sustainability are interchangeable and therefore the two definitions below (SD & SC) derive from the first (S).

12. Recommendations
In conclusion, we feel that the Sustainable Toronto Project should apply this definition of sustainability to bring together community members in collaborative projects to improve decision making (governance), enhance skills and capacity, and increase both citizens’ and government officials’ understanding of and commitment to sustainability.

13. Discussion
Over to David Bell…