"Our Principles of Sustainability"

by Thomas J. Reynolds, Director

The Robert A. Macoskey Center  for Sustainable Systems Education and Research

The following statements reflect the attitude, values, and approach  we attempt to use in our work at the Macoskey Center.

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Shared basic sustainability values

• The continued existence of the natural world is inherently good and also self-serving.

• All living things should be treated with respect and care (including future generations).

• Sustainability is a necessity:  i.e. optimizing within sustainable use rates amidst shrinking resources.

• Qualitative improvement is preferred to quantitative growth.

• Freedom is to some extent a function of slack between carrying capacity and the actual load.

• Cultural (identity and vitality) stability is valued.

• Addressing causes is preferred to addressing symptoms (shallow vs. deep sustainability).

 

Practicing humility in the development and operation of the facility

• Embrace the human role as part of the ecosystem, not apart from it.

• An adaptive management approach is preferred to command and control.

• Recognize that all humans are global citizens, and promote social equity.

• Promote and support communication and participation of all stakeholders.

• Respect indigenous wisdom - detailed local knowledge of ecosystem characteristics and socio-cultural constraints and opportunities.

• Admit that uncertainty exists and use the precautionary principle.

• Recognize limits in the system (carrying capacity, non renewables, space, time, capital, etc?).

 

The facility will reflect natural systems function and structure

• It will be fundamentally contextual (specific to the place).

• It will use renewable resources (human time-scale) and operate from current solar income.

• It will build (not degrade) natural capital.

• The project will be designed to be capable of accommodating flux/change to ensure longevity.

• Diversity and interdependence will be encouraged to ensure resilience and adaptation capacity.

• The project will have multiple feedback systems with mutually reinforcing relationships.

• The facility will practice a waste = food ethic and strive to be a zero ?waste? operation.

• Material, energy, and human resources will be used efficiently and effectively.

Determining system successes

• Qualitative improvement is preferred to quantitative growth.

• Productivity (process) will be stressed instead of production (yield).

• Dollars will be counted; but so will embodied energy, life cycle costs, and ecological impacts.

• Human and animal happiness, health, and wellness will be tracked.

• Client satisfaction and educational goals/objectives will be regularly assessed.

• Localized ecosystem health/integrity will be assessed via indicators such as soil loss and biodiversity.

 

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