Sustainable Development More than one hundred definitions of sustainable development exist, but the most widely used

one is from the World Commission on Environment and Development, presented in 1987 !t states that sustainable development is "Development that meets the needs of the present without #ompromisin$ the ability of future $enerations to meet their own needs % &ustainable development promotes the idea that so#ial, environmental, and e#onomi# pro$ress are all attainable within the limits of our earth's natural resour#es &ustainable development approa#hes everythin$ in the world as bein$ #onne#ted throu$h spa#e, time and (uality of life !n terms of the world bein$ #onne#ted by spa#e, #onsider the followin$) *esti#ides sprayed in Chile have the potential to harm fish sto#+s off the #oast of ,apan -he air pollution we emit in .os /n$eles affe#t the (uality of air in /sia 0n the flip side, #lean air pra#ti#es on one #ontinent will positively impa#t air (uality a#ross the o#ean -he earth's #onne#tion to time is demonstrated in how we, today, are either benefittin$ or sufferin$ from the #hoi#es of our $randparents and other an#estors -heir de#isions about how to farm their land, for example, #ontinue to impa#t the a$ri#ultural pra#ti#es of today .oo+in$ to the future, the e#onomi# #hoi#es we ma+e and poli#ies we endorse today will be the ones affe#tin$ our #hildren and $rand#hildren as adults &ustainable development #onstantly see+s to a#hieve so#ial and e#onomi# pro$ress in ways that will not exhaust the earth's finite natural resour#es -he needs of the world today are real and immediate, yet it's ne#essary to develop ways to meet these needs that do not disre$ard the future -he #apa#ity of our e#osystem is not limitless, meanin$ that future $enerations may not be able to meet their needs the way we are able to now &ome of the more #ommon examples of sustainable development pra#ti#es are) &olar and wind ener$y Ener$y from these resour#es is limitless, meanin$ we have the ability to eliminate dependen#e on non1renewable power sour#es by harnessin$ power from renewable resour#es

&ustainable #onstru#tion 2omes, offi#es and other stru#tures that in#orporate re#y#led and renewable resour#es will be more ener$y effi#ient and stand the test of time

Crop rotation Many farmers and $ardeners are usin$ this method as a #hemi#al free way to redu#e diseases in the soil and in#rease $rowth potential of their #rops

Water fixtures Water #onservation is #riti#al to sustainable development, and more and more produ#ts are available that use less water in the home, su#h as showers, toilets, dishwashers and laundry systems

-he world's resour#es are finite, and $rowth that is unmana$ed and unsustained will lead to in#reased poverty and de#line of the environment We owe it to future $enerations to explore lifestyles and paths of development that effe#tively balan#e pro$ress with awareness of its environmental impa#t !n order to preserve the future, we must appre#iate the inter#onne#tedness between humans and nature at all levels &ustainable development pra#ti#es #an help us do this, and throu$h edu#ation and buildin$ awareness, preservin$ the future is within everyone's rea#h -------------------------------------