Contrary to popular belief, sustainable development is not just another term for “going green” or becoming environmentally conscious. Sustainability is, in fact, much more intricate and complicated than one might expect.

Sustainability, at its simplest meaning, is defined as the capacity to endure, or the ability to sustain. In the context of our society, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of the well-being of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources. In other words, sustainable development strives to preserve an ecological balance by avoiding the depletion of the natural resources on our planet.

“Sustainability is a way to even the playing field; it is a balancing act in which humans are the veritable multi-taskers.”

The key word that one should take away from these definitions is balance. No matter how you look at sustainability, sustainable living, or sustainable development, a balance is continually trying to be achieved on a variety of levels. Sustainability is a way to even the playing field; it is a balancing act in which humans are the veritable multi-taskers.

The primary balance sustainability attempts to maintain is the one between humans and nature. The ecosystems and biological systems that humans perceive today are self-sustaining; these systems would not be around today if they were not self-sufficient. For millions of years, invisible chemical cycles redistributed water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon through the world’s living and non-living systems, and in turn, sustained life as we know it. Today, however, it is widely accepted that as the human population increases, the once self-sustaining natural ecosystems decline; the result is an imbalance in the natural, essential cycles that both humans and the natural world depend upon so greatly. Therefore, sustainability strives to develop a collective effort to return our planet to its sustainable limits so that both human and natural cycles can coexist, and neither will be depleted as a result of the other.

Another balance that must be maintained through sustainability is that between the past, present, and future. Sustainable development is often described as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. While sustainable development is often goal-driven, it also focuses on the journey. It asks, “How can humans achieve what we need to accomplish right now and also implement systems for the future, so that later generations are not left with nothing?”

More and more data suggests that humans are not living within the carrying capacity of the planet, meaning our consumption is far greater than nature’s productivity. The way that humans compensate for this deficit is by using extra sources, which include the goods and services of world trade. These compensation efforts also encompass the use of past sources (fossil fuels, underground metals and minerals) and borrowing from the future (overexploitation of forests, fisheries, etc). Sustainable efforts strive to maintain the balance between meeting the present goals, while avoiding the use of past energies and the depletion of future ecosystems.

The 2005 World Summit also added the balance of demand to the definition of sustainability. The Summit asserts that sustainability is the reconciliation of environmental, social, and economic demands – the three are not mutually exclusive, but mutually enforcing. This definition suggests that a sustainable global society shares a respect for nature, universal rights, economic justice, culture, and politics. Demand management must be enforced, therefore, for all good and services so that consumption is reduced, renewable resources are put to use, and practices are implemented that minimize resource intensity, while maximizing resource productivity.

The last balance that sustainable development endeavors to maintain is that between the individual and the globe, the private and public sectors. All of the sustainable efforts that are carried out have an effect – from a household that has a garden and recycles to the corporations that use solar energy. From the implementation of sustainable architecture and agriculture to the use of green technology and renewable energy, all the world’s actors – from great cities down to single individuals — play a part.

The public sector must satisfy their basic economic, social, and security needs now and in the future without undermining the natural resource base and environmental quality on which life depends. The private sector, on the other hand, must increase long-term shareholder and social value, while decreasing the industry’s use of materials and reducing the negative impacts on the environment. Both sectors need to support a growing economy while reducing the social and economic costs of growth. For our society, this idea means integrating environmental, economic, and social values into all decision making.

Sustainability at its very core is about achieving a healthy harmony between humans and nature. Sustainable development does not work to tip the scales towards environmental consciousness, but encourages the importance of “going green” in addition to the needs of society and economy in all aspects of life; it is less about trade-offs, and more about synergy and cooperation. For individuals, compromise makes “going green” seem less daunting; that is to say that your lifestyle or business does not have to do a complete 180 to be sustainable. Small changes can make the world of difference. The triple bottom line is the pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social equity.