WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is a word which is frequently used, but what does it mean when it comes to cities? One of the goals identified by the City of Lakeland is to be a "Sustainable City" and Shelby County has a program on "sustainability".

I recently read a definition of Sustainability that I feel communicates the meaning well. (It is from a document by the City of Alexander, Virginia):

"A Sustainability Community is an environmentally, economically, and socially healthy place people can live, work, and play for decades to come.

ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY: Ensures that all parts of the natural and built environments work together as a single ecological system.

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY: Ensures a healthy economy that supports and sustains people and the environment in which they live over the long term.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: Ensures that a community meets residents' basic needs and has the resiliency to prevent and/or address problems in the future."