Sustainability means meeting the needs of the global society indefinitely. Sustainability for Whistler and other communities means maintaining opportunities for future generation and diminishing our economic, social and environmental capital – harvesting the apples but not the tree.
There are four system conditions for the Natural Step Framework based on scientific laws of thermodynamics and principles of natural cycles that must be met in order for society to be sustainable.
In a sustainable society nature is not subject to systematically increasing:
1. Concentrations of substances extracted from the earth’s crust.
2. Concentrations of substances produced by society.
3. Degradation by physical means.
4. Human needs are met worldwide.
Source: "Whistler. It’s Our Nature" Web site at info@whistleritsournature.ca
