Friday, 26 March 2010

The 3 key pillars of sustainable design/development.


The 3 pillars or triple bottom line are:
1. Social – People
2. Environment – Planet
3. Economic – Profit
People
As a global citizen, we must never turn a blind eye to social disruptions that threaten the well-being of people and our environment. We have an ethical responsibility to do something about human inequality, social injustice, and poverty. This pillar supports initiatives like peace, social justice, reducing poverty, and other grassroots movements that promote social equity.
Planet
We take our natural resources for granted and sometimes we forget that those resources are not unlimited. More importantly, our planet must be protected from corporate exploitation and neglect. This pillar supports initiatives like: renewable energy, reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions, sustainable agriculture and fishing, organic farming, tree planting and reducing deforestation, recycling, and better waste management.
Profit
The people in the western world are heavy consumers. In fact, we consume far more than our fair share. Meanwhile, the people in developing countries are exploding in population and some are aspiring to have high-consumption lifestyles too. We need a sustainable economic model that ensures fair distribution and efficient allocation of our resources. This pillar ensures that our economic growth maintains a healthy balance with our ecosystem.

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