Community Economy
Sustainabillity

IS YOUR COMMUNITY SUSTAINABLE? ... by Brian of EarthConomy ... in Community, Green Living, Sustainability, What You Can Do. ·

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

IS YOUR COMMUNITY SUSTAINABLE?

After spending time with friends and family for the holidays, it is now time to look forward to the New Year. Each January 1st we look at ourselves to see how we can change for the better and go on to set New Year’s resolutions. While some resolutions are tough to stick with, and consequently end up falling by the wayside within a few weeks or months, one resolution we as the human community should consider making is to make our communities more sustainable and resilient.

Thinking back on recent family gatherings and holiday celebrations can serve as a great source of motivation for making our communities more resilient. But, it can be very difficult to imagine exactly what we can do, or where we should start with this kind of major resolution. The thought of turning an entire community around from a current state of oil dependence to a smaller, sustainable format can be daunting. But this should not deter us. We can make small changes in our individual lives, and with enough determination and perseverance, reshaping a community to be sustainable over time can seem much more within reach.

We have an obligation to future generations to provide robust communities for continued holiday celebration. Each year, people set amazing goals, from running marathons to never missing a day of work. Some are more achievable, such as simply getting more organized or eating better. Each day is a small step in an ongoing process, but achieving difficult goals is always rewarding and worth the effort along the way. And in today’s world, we stand at a vital crossroad. We know we must make difficult changes, and if we do not, we face very severe consequences that our children and grandchildren will bear the full damaging effects of our decisions today. So with the new year ahead, we should ask ourselves if our communities are sustainable, and if not, why not.

To get some simple ideas in our minds, where we could make a small personal change, let’s take a look at what the the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has to say about what makes a community sustainable:

What is a Sustainable Community?

A sustainable community is one that is economically, environmentally, and socially healthy and resilient. It meets challenges through integrated solutions rather than through fragmented approaches that meet one of those goals at the expense of the others. And it takes a long-term perspective—one that’s focused on both the present and future, well beyond the next budget or election cycle.

As a result, a sustainable community manages its human, natural, and financial resources to meet current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are equitably available for future generations. It seeks:

• A better quality of life for the whole community without compromising the wellbeing of other communities.
• Healthy ecosystems.
• Effective governance supported by meaningful and broad-based citizen participation.
• Economic security.

• Active, organized, and informed citizenship.
• Inspiring, effective, and responsive leadership.
• Responsible, caring, and healthy community institutions, services, and businesses.

• Protection and enhancement of local and regional ecosystems and biological diversity.
• Conservation of water, land, energy, and nonrenewable resources.
• Utilization of prevention strategies and appropriate technology to minimize pollution.
• Use of renewable resources no faster than their rate of renewal.
• Infrastructure that improves access to services and markets without damaging the environment.

• Satisfaction of basic human needs for clean air and water and locally sourced nutritious, uncontaminated food.
• Affordable provision of quality health prevention, care, and treatment services for all community members.
• Safe and healthy housing accessible to all.
• Equitable access to quality education services, formal and informal.
• The basic human rights of all community members are respected and defended against injustices including exploitation and psychological and physical harm.
• Protection, enhancement, and appreciation of community manifestations of cultural diversity, treasures, customs, and traditions.

• Community members equitably benefit from of a strong and healthy community-centered economy.
• Diverse and financially viable economic base.
• Reinvestment of resources in the local economy.
• Maximization of local ownership of businesses.
• Meaningful employment opportunities for all citizens.
• Responsive and accessible job training and education programs that enable the workforce adjust to future needs.
• Businesses that enhance community sustainability.

So with this information in hand, we can reflect on our lives and how we live them. Taking one small part of the above description and making a subtle change in our lives, we will be that one step closer to a sustainable community. By doing this, we can start the new year with a more meaningful and less superficial resolution. One that can benefit not only ourselves as individuals, but ourselves as families and communities. We do not need to overhaul our lifestyle overnight, but small steps in the right direction make the ultimate goal of sustainable living quite within reach.

In the coming days, some sample resolutions will be posted that can help you make yours. At the very least, they can help steer us in the right direction.

Happy New Year!