What is sustainable development and Examples!

Sustainable development

The word sustainability is used a lot in Mexico or Spain, but sometimes they lose their purpose. And when we get into the concepts of sustainable and sustainable development, it can be a bit more confusing.

In reality, sustainable development is focused on conserving the planet’s natural resources, the environment and preventing climate change, but… Should only environmental aspects be preserved?

Biodiversity and environmental conservation is important, but also circular economy, social justice, renewable energy…etc.

When we are taking care of the Earth… Shouldn’t we also be thinking about society, culture or the economy? This is where sustainability comes in. But first, let’s start with the initial concept…

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable development is the process of preserving, conserving and protecting only the planet’s natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations, based on economic development.

THE SPECIFIC CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL NEEDS OF HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, SUCH AS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

So. What does sustainable development imply? It focuses on preserving natural resources.

• Resource conservation: Using natural resources responsibly to avoid their depletion and minimize environmental impact.
• Pollution reduction: Minimizing the emission of pollutants and the generation of environmentally harmful waste.
• Environmental preservation: Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity, ensuring the long-term health of the planet.
• Healthy environment: Creating a healthy environment for all. This means ensuring that everyone has access to clean air, clean water and nutritious food.

As a note, we can see the following infographic from HERE (New window opens) that tells the origin since the Stockholm Declaration in 1972.

Environmental sustainability seeks to protect the environment and natural assets, but what about society, the economy, etc.? …. Do we have a balanced development?

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable development is the process by which the social, economic, cultural diversity, and environmental needs of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (See United Nations Definition).

Sustainable growth is mainly focused on three dimensions: Environment, Economy and Society.

⚠ Main characteristics of sustainable development:

• Zero growth or Decrecimieto. Contrary to economic growth.
• Local efforts. Involves countries, regions and communities proposing and generating efforts to find solutions to generate their own development.
• Based on the qualitative values of human needs. Not only the economy is taken into account, there are many other factors. For example, people’s happiness index.
• Development relative to communities. There is no standard, each community will have its own planning and objectives.
• It seeks a human – nature balance. Nature and humans have to coexist.

What is the difference between sustainable and sustainable development?

Sustainable development and sustainable development have different connotations, although in many countries the terms are used equally. The best explanation…

Y… Differences between sustainable and sustainable?

• Sustainable development: Process to preserve, conserve and protect the planet’s natural resources as the main objective. It does NOT take into account the cultural, political and social needs of human beings.
• Sustainable development: Processes to try to satisfy the social, economic and environmental needs of society (Balance). IF human cultural, political and social activities are taken into account.

From here on, sustainable development and sustainable are concepts that come from economics and encompass a “vision” of how things should be done:

So. Would it be better to speak only of Sustainable Development? YES, because we are no longer leaving any aspect to move towards a better future.

As sustainability aims to satisfy everyone with a coherent responsibility and a balance between economic growth, the resources provided by nature and the modern welfare society.

In 2015, the UN, created the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which encompasses world leaders adopted global goals to protect the planet and eradicate poverty:

🟧 Note: You can check out more information on the SDGs from HERE.

Sustainability principles

Although the concept of sustainability is very broad and sometimes misrepresented. From a consistent perspective, it is based on sustainable ideas, some of the most widely recognized principles include:

• Preservation of biodiversity: The diversity of species and ecosystems that exist on the planet must be protected.
• Pollution reduction: Humans must reduce the amount of waste and pollutants they generate.
• Efficient use of resources: Use raw materials responsibly and efficiently.
• Promotion of the circular economy: We must design and produce goods and services so that they can be reused, recycled or composted at the end of their useful life .
• Fair trade: Promote fair and equitable trade between countries and regions.
• Investment in sustainable infrastructure: Governments and companies must invest in infrastructure that is sustainable in the long term.

They seek to provide a roadmap for creating societies that coexist harmoniously with the environment, while ensuring the economic and social well-being of all people.

Types of sustainability

We can identify that sustainable or sustainable development is based on developing strategies on three factors: society, economy and environment.

The three sustainability factors are developed according to sectors:

But there are a few more points we need to know….

What is the importance of sustainability?

Companies should integrate sustainability at all stages, from production to product sales. This not only improves their image, but also benefits the environment and drives more responsible innovation.

Here we need to understand the process, and for this, we wanted to provide an infographic to clarify the concepts.

The balance in the material supply chain provides us with various benefits and advantages, and a favorable and consistent industrial environment in the face of possible competition, in addition to being able to maintain natural and artificial resources without overexploiting them.

Sustainability is crucial for several reasons:

• Resource Conservation: Ensures that natural resources are available for future generations.
• Environmental Health: Reduces pollution and protects biodiversity, benefiting all living things and reducing environmental impact.
• Social Equity: Promotes a fairer distribution of resources and opportunities in human activities.
• Long-term Economy: Promotes the efficient use of resources, generating more resilient economies.
• Quality of Life: Improves living conditions through a cleaner and healthier environment.
• Climate Change Resilience: Helps mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to these changes.
• Ethical Responsibility: Implies a commitment to future generations and the planet.

For years, many countries have taken this issue seriously: from sustainable development in Mexico, to Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, etc., and we could go on and on. The concern is worldwide and we must all move forward with coherence.

Examples of sustainable development

Some examples of sustainable projects worldwide (more to follow):

• Africa’sGreat Green Wall: Planting trees along 8,000 km in Africa to combat desertification.
• Amazon Reforestation Project: Reforestation initiatives in the Amazon to protect biodiversity and support communities.
• OzoneLayer Recovery: Global efforts to eliminate CFCs and other harmful substances to recover the ozone layer.
• Mangrove Restoration Projects: Projects in various regions to restore and protect mangroves, which are vital to marine and coastal ecosystems.
• Water Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture: Innovative projects in water conservation and sustainable agricultural practices.

Note: Flagship institutions on sustainable development with various projects are the Inter-American Development Bank(IDB) or the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development of Latin America(ECLAC).

Some examples of sustainable projects in large projects worldwide (More to follow):

• Scale360° Playbook Initiative: Underwritten by the World Economic Forum is a platform that supports the circular economy brings together technologists, researchers, entrepreneurs and governments to develop more sustainable solutions.
• Solar for Rural Schools Project in Kenya: Provides solar panels to rural schools, giving them electricity to light classrooms and use electronic equipment.
• Solar Water Pumping sustainable development initiative in India: uses solar panels to increase agricultural productivity by 20% by pumping water to crop fields.
• Échale! a tu Casa Sostenible program: Focuses on families building their own affordable and sustainable homes, thus promoting employment and community development.
• ILUNION Project: The aim is to support a business model that demonstrates that economic and social profitability is possible by investing in technology and sustainable innovation.
• The Fairphone initiative: Smartphone focused on sustainability, with modular design, use of ethical and recycled materials, and fair production, reducing electronic waste.

🟧 Note: Flagship institutions on environmentally friendly development with several projects are the International Institute for Sustainable Development(IISD) or the SDGS UN.

What is the concept of degrowth?

We believe that to understand less the meaning of degrowth, the following video answers perfectly…

How to achieve the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) model

We must establish a roadmap and for this purpose the WBCSD published an interesting report called“Vision 2050“. A guiding document that established some guidelines to find a starting point where companies will interact with governments and organizations that together will elucidate how a better future can be achieved.

It seeks to answer several questions: What would a more sustainable world look like, how could we achieve it, what role can business play to reach this goal quickly, how to act, who is or will be in charge, why is it interesting, or how to achieve it…?

As we can identify, it is not only about bringing values to people, improving ethics or influencing cultural aspects. We need to build a future with better capacities for the Earth, reduce environmental pollution or reduce poverty, for example.

Other factors and sectors such as human development, aspects of the social economy and its instruments, agricultural production and sustainable agriculture, forests, urban mobility… etc., are also influential. So we should ask ourselves… What will we have to take into account globally if we want a better future?

What are the characteristics of sustainable cities?

• Urban development and mobility systems. Public spaces and green areas are respected; commuting does not take long (tolerable congestion), and cars and people coexist harmoniously. Public transportation is efficient, and private transportation slows its growth.
• Integrated solid waste, water and sanitation management. Solid waste is collected, separated, properly stored, and recycled to generate value for a significant percentage of it. Wastewater is treated and recycled to natural water sources, which mitigates environmental degradation. Water sources (coasts, lakes, rivers) are respected and have adequate levels of sanitation for humans. Urban rivers are actively integrated into city life.

• Preservation of environmental assets. Coasts, lakes, and mountains are protected and integrated into the city’s urban development, so they can be used for citizen life and city development.
• Energy efficiency mechanisms. These metropolises implement new technologies or procedures to reduce electricity consumption. In addition, they focus on the use of renewable energy.
• Residence plan to face the impacts of climate change. Vulnerable areas where people settle to live are reduced rather than increased, as there is an alternative housing plan and it can be implemented.
• Organized fiscal accounts and adequate connectivity. There are clear and transparent accounts, internet penetration is increasing, connection speed is adequate and there is a move towards digitalization of public services.
• Positive public safety indexes. Inhabitants feel that they can live peacefully together because the incidence of crime and organized crime is decreasing and tends to stabilize at low levels.
• Citizen participation. The community makes use of communication resources, such as mobile applications, to discuss how to solve problems in order to improve the city. Civil society and the rest of the local actors are organized in order to have a say in the daily action of the city’s life.

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They represent a model of urban development that seeks the well-being of people, the protection of the planet and long-term economic prosperity. By embracing these characteristics, cities can move towards a more just, green and prosperous future.

World’s most sustainable and least sustainable cities

Although thestory of sustainable development in urban spaces, on natural resources and cities is a changing one, and history bears this out.

A new Acadis report analyzes the sustainability of cities around the world from the perspective of balance and needs according to environmental, economic and social development. The ranking of the most sustainable and least sustainable cities:

Examples of sustainable and sustainable development

• In the UN from its section of “sustainable development projects” we can see in its web, every week they contribute with interesting initiatives at world-wide level.

A large part of sustainable design is related to energy saving, through the use of techniques such as life cycle analysis applied to products and production processes, with the aim of maintaining the balance between the initial capital invested and the value of fixed assets in the long term.

• We start with a little gem!…. A project on how to recycle plastic with your own machine. You can now build a homemade recycling device for plastics the easy way. HERE to see more and although the images look pretend, they can all be done simply.

• We can also access the platform from GO Explorer HERE. They offer endless business opportunities that bring value to companies, society and the environment. Some examples…

An interesting sustainable architectural project is the Recooperation. It consists of a future strategy for the Orba neighborhood, in the metropolitan periphery of Valencia – Spain.

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Some important aspects are the restoration of the continuity of ecosystems, the use of the know-how of the neighbors, the creation of new shared spaces or the introduction of a community system of exchange of spaces, goods and services.

More examples of interesting projects can be:

• Costa RicaRenewable Energy Project (Costa Rica Renewable Energy Project): Costa Rica is a world leader in sustainability, producing more than 95% of its electricity from renewable sources, including hydro, geothermal, wind and solar.
• Singapore Green Building Initiative: A project to promote the construction and development of sustainable buildings using technologies that reduce energy and water consumption.
• TenggerDesert Solar Park: Also known as the “Great Solar Wall of China”, this is one of the largest solar parks in the world, located in the Tengger Desert, China.
• Singapore Vertical Farming Project: Given limited agricultural land, Singapore has adopted vertical farming to produce food sustainably in urban spaces.
• Texas Wind Energy Program: Texas is a U.S. leader in wind energy, with numerous wind farms providing a large share of the state’s energy.
• Rwanda Sustainable Development Project: This project covers various aspects, from promoting renewable energy to improving waste management and biodiversity conservation.
• CopenhagenSustainable Transport Project: Copenhagen is known for its bicycle infrastructure and efforts to promote sustainable transport, reducing dependence on motor vehicles.
• German Green Roof Initiative: In many German cities, green roofs are promoted to improve energy efficiency, rainwater management and biodiversity in urban areas.
• Masdar SustainableCity (Masdar City): Experimental city in Abu Dhabi focusing on sustainability and renewable technologies.

🟧 Note: Of interest the article healthy architecture with an excellent guide.

The social development documentary

We want to leave a documentary called “Stop, Rolling the Change” that is simply worth watching. The human mistakes before life and the negative impact of “Capitalism” in a society that appears to be less and less human.

It focuses on the misconceptions of social development, such as the lack of solidarity, the issue of volunteering, understanding a problem and turning a blind eye, deforestation, pollution and climate change, poverty, inequality, the ability to be responsible, the bad or no management of all the natural resources of the planet that will be a big problem for generations to come…etc.

Free training in sustainable and sustainable development

We provide some resources for training:

1.- Courses

Within the large Internet network we can find different online courses on sustainability related to the subject.

Some are free and others are paid, aimed at training and understanding the usefulness of different tools to learn environmentally friendly, economically profitable or socially responsible ideas that are based on experiences and projects of special relevance.

We provide a selection of the most interesting and economically viable to learn:

• Course Introduction to Sustainability in MOOC format. Open course in free format (with certificate is 46 Euros) by the University of Illinois. In English, subtitled in Spanish and Portuguese from Coursera HERE.
• Free course of objectives of the evolution of sustainability. It is a Udemy course that is free in which establishes a bit of history and a toolbox to generate environmental, economically profitable and socially responsible ideas. It can be viewed HERE.

On a side note, there is a United Nations initiative that aims to offer learning solutions relevant to sustainable development issues to individuals and organizations. Every month they add courses and, although there are many in English, it is an excellent place to learn:

• From InfoMEA Learning: training on climate, environmental governance, biodiversity, ecology, ect.
• From United Nations SDG Learn. It is one more training on the subject of this article but courses in English and by regions; Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, etc.

2.- Books

Although later we will address a series of guides in PDF, we want to leave a book that was edited by Juan Luis Domenech Quesada.

• The book on the Ecological Footprint . We will find practical and concrete tools where the local and global scale is addressed proving that organizations and companies could really benefit through eco-efficiency or investing in new capital and more coherent markets. Free PDF download from Access from HERE.
• The second, published this 2021. The Escazú Agreement on environmental democracy and its relationship with the 2030 Agenda. On ecodevelopment and environmental democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean download in PDF from HERE for free.

For a better understanding of the concept, we wanted to provide a series of PDF documents in the form of manuals.

3.- Sustainable development guides in PDF:

Sources of information:

• Education for Sustainable Development
• From Google Sustainability there are different tools that may be of interest here (In English)
• Sustainable-Sustainable Development: Interpretation and Analysis

Links of interest:

• Living Architecture (From Poor to Rich)
• Images on the environment (From poor to rich)
• The most sustainable project in the face of show architecture (How it is able to beat show architecture)
• Manuals biosustainable architecture (22 Guides to learn)
• Bioclimatic and sustainable design in urban environments.
• 30 Guides for coherent urban design
• Reclaiming public space (Urbanize with intelligence)
• What is a TOD city and its sustainable urban development?

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