EC 500-1 Environmental Fundamentals and Principals

Bookkeeping MattersUnit 8 Discussion Boards

Unit 9 Discussion Boards (Two of them)

Final Project

Make sure you check the Grading Rubric for your Final Project

Definition of Sustained DevelopmentAccording to Marian Webster’s the word

“sustain” means: to give support of relief to; to supply with sustenance: to nourish; keep up, prolong

The applicable definition of “develop” means:to make active or promote the growth ofto make available or usableto make suitable for commercial or residential

purposesAre the two compatible?

Definition of Sustained DevelopmentSustainable development is maintaining a delicate

balance between the human need to improve lifestyles and feeling of well-being on one hand, and preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend.

From: http://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/definitions.htmlSustainable development is development that

ensures the well-being of the human person by integrating social development, economic development, and environmental conservation and protection.

World Commission on Environment and Development It is "development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Sustainable development implies economic growth together with the protection of environmental quality, each reinforcing the other. The essence of this form of development is a stable relationship between human activities and the natural world, which does not diminish the prospects for future generations to enjoy a quality of life at least as good as our own. Many observers believe that participatory democracy, undominated by vested interests, is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.

The guiding rules are that people must share with each other and care for the Earth. Humanity must take no more from nature than nature can replenish. This in turn means adopting lifestyles and development paths that respect and work within nature's limits. It can be done without rejecting the many benefits that modern technology has brought, provided that technology also works within those limits

WCEDIn the Commission's words: "...

sustainable development is ... a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with the future as well as present needs".

Some people also believe that the concept of sustainable development should include preserving the environment for other species as well as for people.

History of Sustainable DevelopmentFour key themes that emerged for the

collective concerns and aspirations of the world’s peoples:PeaceFreedomDevelopmentEnvironment

Is the pursuit of one great value linked to the others?

When you link the last two you get to the concept of “sustained development”

WCEDInitiated by the General Assembly of the United

Nations in 1972Issued the report, Our Common Future in 1987

The environment does not exist as a sphere separate from human actions, ambitions, and needs, and attempts to defend it in isolation from human concerns have given the very word “environment” a connotation of naivety in some political circles. The word “development” has also been narrowed by some into a very limited focus, along the lines of “what poor nations should do to become richer,” and thus again is automatically dismissed by many in the international arena as being a concern of specialists, of those involved in questions of “development assistance.” But the “environment” is where we live; and “development” is what we all do in attempting to improve our lot within that abode. The two are inseparable.

Nice concept but how do we get there?

Issues with the ambiguity of WCED’s definition of Sustainable DevelopmentThe concept is featured on 8,720,000 web

pagesEnmeshed in the aspirations of countless

programsFoundations of organizations around the

globeBecause it is creatively ambiguous, both the

environment and development can embrace the definition

How do you measure it?Do goals measure sustainable

development ? Is sustainable development defined by what

you seek to achieve?Who sets the goals?Are goals attainable? Are goals sustainable?How are goals defined?

World hunger? Greenhouse gases? Changing lifestyles? Economics? Human connection to nature?

How do you measure it?Do you measure it with Indicators?

GNP?Ecological footprint?Who are the stakeholders doing the measurements?What is to be sustained?

Climate Clean Air Land productivity Ocean productivity Fresh water Biodiversity Ecosystem Aesthetics Culture Wildlife

What is to be developed?HealthFood for human needsWater resourcesCultureEqualityEducationHousingSecurityEmployment

Economic performanceStabilized populationNutritionSocial skills and

attitudesTechnologyTransportationProfitabilityDignityDiversity

For How Long?How long do you measure?

25 yearsUntil 2015From now until foreverNow and in the futureThrough 2050

The case of the Wal-Mart in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans

The Project ManagerImagine you are the City of New Orelans

Project Manager and the City has just be awarded $30 Million Dollar “HOPE VI” Grant from HUD to Renovate 1550 low income housing units with 98% African American residents

The building were built in the mid-1940’s to house soldiers returning from WWII, they are in bad need of repair but structurally solid

Facts of the ProjectThe project is in very prime central city real

estate in the New Orleans Lower Garden District

The Area of the Potential Effects of the Project, there are eight National Register Districts, three listed National Landmarks, and four National Register-listed sites.

Options for Sustainable DevelopmentYou can spend all the grant money and

renovate the existing buildings

Or

You can tear down the existing building and build new ones but you need another source of financing

What are your considerations?Minority families that the Project will effect?Historic district it is within?Traffic impacts?Noise impacts?Vibrations of the pile drivers on historic

structures nearby?Urban environment

the pedestrian-scale neighborhoodshops and groceries and drugstores and

resturants

What the City of New Orleans actually did

Built a $327 million dollar redevelopment project

Demolish 116 National Register Listed historic buildings

Completely relocate 800 minority, low income residence

What the City didRe-zone the entire 64 acre tract, converting

the low income housing development to a mixed income development

Added a massive commercial component (a super Wal-Mart) to fund the entire thing, all within the confines of a National Register Listed Historic District

Sustainable Development?Was this a sustainable development?

Depends on who you talk to.Were the goals met?

Depends on the goalsWas the development a good thing?Was the urban environment helped or hurt?

Depends on who is evaluating the either the development or the environment