MODULE 3

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IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE
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What do we need to do?

• If there is little consensus on definitions of
  sustainability and sustainable development, there
  is even less about the path that should be taken
  to get there.
• In a transition to a sustainable society, efforts
  will be required at both the individual and
  collective levels.
• Different interpretations of living sustainably
• one extreme - renouncing all possessions and
  living in communes
• or are we now committed to a high-technology
  future?)

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• some of the very products of our technology
  plutonium, for instance, require of us that we
  maintain a very high degree of cultural
  continuity, economic and political stability, and
  technological capacity and sophistication, far
  into the future. To ensure our safety and the
  safety of all forms of life, we must always be
  able to store, clean up, and contain poisons like
  plutonium and persistent organic toxins.
  Eventually we must be able to eliminate them
  safelyIn the case of certain creations, like
  nuclear materials and some artificially
  constructed or genetically modified organisms,
  our secure custodianship must be maintained for
  thousands of years. (AtKisson, 2001)

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The great tasks of our time?

• to change energy systems
• to phase out the use of certain chemicals and
  metals that nature cannot assimilate
• to manage the life-supportive ecosystems in a
  sustainable way fresh water flows, forest,
  fields and fishing waters
• to heal the battered and broken cultures around
  the world
• (Robèrt, 2001)

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Objectives and principles of ecologically
sustainable development

• Integration of economic and environmental goals
  in policies and activities
• Intergenerational equity (that is, equity between
  one generation and the next)
• Conservation of biodiversity and ecological
  integrity
• Recognising the global dimension
• Dealing cautiously with risk and irreversibility
  (anticipatory and precautionary policy approach).
  Anticipatory approach - to be cautious of
  actions that may have serious/irreversible
  environmental damage. Precautionary approach -
  Where there are threats of serious or
  irreversible environmental damage, lack of full
  scientific certainty should not be used as a
  reason for postponing measures to prevent
  environmental degradation.

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Objectives and principles of ecologically
sustainable development
(continued)

• Ensuring that environmental assets are properly
  valued
• Constant natural capital and sustainable income
• Social equity (intragenerational equity)
• Limits on natural resource use
• Qualitative development. Economic development
  that also develops the quality of life
  cultural, social, ethical
• Efficiency in use of resources
• A resilient economy that has an increased
  capacity for environmental protection
• International competitiveness in an
  environmentallysound manner external trade
  balance in favour ofsustainable development
• Community participation

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Objectives and principles of ecologically
sustainable development
(continued)

• International competitiveness in an
  environmentally sound manner external trade
  balance in favour of sustainable development
• Community participation
• Harding, 1998, derived from the National Strategy
  for Ecologically Sustainable Development and the
  four largest environmental groups in Australia

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The Natural Step System Conditions

• 50 scientists, including ecologists, chemists,
  physicists and medical doctors wrote a consensus
  statement about the conditions that are essential
  to life as a basis for sound decision-making.
• Agreed on four system conditions for
  sustainability
• In a sustainable society nature is not subject to
  systematically increasing
• concentrations of substances extracted from the
  earths crust
• concentrations of substances produced by society
• degradation by physical means
• and in that society
• human needs are met worldwide

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The Natural Step System Conditions
(continued)

• eliminate our contribution to systematic
  increases in concentrations of substances from
  the Earths crust
• eliminate our contribution to systematic
  increases in concentrations of substances
  produced by society
• eliminate our contribution to systematic physical
  degradation of nature through over-harvesting,
  depletion, foreign introductions and other forms
  of modification
• contribute as much as we can to the goal of
  meeting human needs in our society and worldwide,
  going over and above all the substitution and
  dematerialization measures taken in meeting the
  first three objectives

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The Hannover Principles

• Developed by green architect William McDonough
  but apply equally to non-architectural work
• Insist on rights of humanity and nature to
  co-exist in a healthy, supportive, diverse and
  sustainable condition
• Recognize interdependence the elements of human
  design interact with and depend upon the natural
  world, with broad and diverse implications at
  every scale. Expand design considerations to
  recognize even distant effects
• Respect relationships between spirit and matter
  consider all aspects of human settlement
  including community, dwelling, industry and trade
  in terms of existing and evolving connections
  between spiritual and material consciousness

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The Hannover Principles
(continued)

• Accept responsibility for the consequences of
  design decisions upon human well-being, the
  viability of natural systems and their right to
  co-exist
• Create safe objects of long-term value do not
  burden future generations with requirements for
  maintenance or vigilant administration of
  potential danger due to the careless creation of
  products, processes or standards
• Eliminate the concept of waste evaluate and
  optimise the full life-cycle of products and
  processes to approach the state of natural
  systems in which there is no waste
• Rely on natural energy flows human designs
  should, like the living world, derive their
  creative forces from perpetual solar income.
  Incorporate this energy efficiently and safely
  for responsible use

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The Hannover Principles
(continued)

• Understand the limitations of design no human
  creation lasts forever and design does not solve
  all problems. Those who create and plan should
  practice humility in the face of nature. Treat
  nature as a model and mentor, not as an
  inconvenience to be evaded or controlled
• Seek constant improvement by the sharing of
  knowledge encourage direct and open
  communication between colleagues, patrons,
  manufacturers and users to link long term
  sustainable considerations with ethical
  responsibility, and re-establish the integral
  relationship between natural processes and human
  activity

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Guiding Steps

• Develop an environment which supports human
  dignity through gender and racial equality and
  promotes intergenerational respect
• Develop honesty and integrity in daily life
• Encourage the fair distribution of wealth
• Work to strengthen local communities and
  safeguard the health and safety of all
• Commit to maintaining and enhancing the integrity
  and biodiversity of the natural environment
• Use natural resources, such as water and land
  wisely and aim to reduce consumption
• Refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

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Guiding Steps
(continued)

• Where possible buy green products, locally
  produced with reduced packaging.
• Understand the synergies between advances in
  technology and behavioural change to achieve
  sustainability.
• Encourage ethical business practices
• Develop business strategies which promote good
  corporate governance.
• Encourage financial success through openness and
  transparency.
• (Source the National Centre for Sustainability
  at Swinburne University of Technology)

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• In terms of a business, sustainability can be
  evaluated by a wide range of factors. Examples
  include energy efficiency community relations
  eco design materials efficiency product
  recyclability and employee relations. All relate
  back to the bottom line and to intangible asset
  management such as brand and reputation.
• (Mays, 2003, p. 10)

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Benefits of sustainable practice

• improved environmental performance
• reduced occupational health and safety risk
• financial savings
• market advantages
• development of new product lines
• enhanced reputation
• better community relationships
• more efficient processes
• reduced liability and insurance premiums
• improved working environment for staff

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Barriers to sustainability

• Vested interests in maintaining the status quo
• Pressure upon people to consume more
• Emphasis upon entertainment
• Mental models - including subconscious and
  unspoken assumptions that
• the Earth is infinite
• that there is an away where you can throw
  things
• materials from the Earths crust can be removed
  and re-emitted almost anywhere without a problem
  (e.g. metals, burnt fossil fuels, arsenic,
  asbestos etc)
• the individual is powerless to effect change
  within large and complex systems
• (Sharp, 2002)

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Barriers to sustainability
(continued)

• people are conditioned to conform to group
  perceptions and to doubt and withhold their
  individual perceptions if they are in conflict
  with the shared reality of those around themhas
  enormous significance when considering how people
  are currently responding to the demise of the
  planetary systems that support human life. The
  degree of inaction around this profoundly life
  threatening situation can perhaps best be
  explained by viewing our state as a massive
  absurd consensus that is the product of our
  social conditioning which has enforced our
  subservience to, and blind confidence in, shared
  societal constructs of reality.
• (Sharp, 2002)

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Framework for Integration

• You need to identify exactly what a successful
  sustainability literate graduate will be able to
  do as a result of your course.

• Graduates are likely to have developed
• Professional specialist elements (eg accountancy,
  business, plumbing)
• Professional but transferable elements (eg
  book-keeping, management)
• Personal elements (eg interpersonal skills,
  critical evaluation, reflective learning).

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What is sustainability literacy?

• The best possible characteristics for a person
  who is sustainability literate, would be
  demonstrated through
• Recognising the need to become more sustainable
  in their behaviour
• A person who recognises the need for sustainable
  approaches will be able to articulate the need to
  support this behaviour, draw examples from their
  own lives and will be able to transfer this
  knowledge to various situations and environments.
  
• Having sufficient skills and knowledge to be able
  to decide and act in a sustainable way
• A person with these skills will be equipped with
  a number of tools and strategies that enable them
  to make informed decisions that are likely to
  contribute to a more sustainable society.
• Encouraging and rewarding sustainable behaviour
  in others Recognition of sustainable behaviour
  and rewarding and reinforcing this approach

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Sphere of Influence
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The Matrix
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Business

• Other influences could include
• Money
• Financiers
• Creditors
• Customers
• Insurance
• Electricity
• GST
• Taxes
• Computers
• IT Resources
• Paper
• Buildings
• Others?

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Trades

• Other influences could include
• Money
• Suppliers
• Creditors
• Customers
• Insurance
• Electricity
• GST
• Taxes
• Natural resources
• Computers
• Training
• Paper
• Professional associations
• Buildings
• Landscapes
• Community
• Manufacturers
• Others?

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Engineering

• Other influences could include
• Research
• Suppliers
• Creditors
• Customers
• Insurance
• Energy consumption
• GST
• Natural resources
• Computers
• Paper/ water
• Professional associations
• Buildings
• Bridges
• Community
• Contractors
• Others?

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Service Industry

• Other influences could include
• Food
• Suppliers
• Creditors
• Food safety
• Insurance
• Energy consumption
• GST
• Natural resources
• Computers
• Paper/ water
• Professional associations
• Disposables
• Biodiversity
• Community
• Contractors
• Others?

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Natural Resources

• Other influences could include
• Plants
• Suppliers
• Creditors
• Urban design
• Insurance
• Water use
• GST
• Natural resources
• Computers
• Paper
• Professional associations
• Land
• Biodiversity
• Community
• Contractors
• Wildlife
• Oceans
• Others?

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Science

• Other influences could include
• Plants
• Suppliers
• Radioactive material
• Dangerous goods
• Insurance
• Water use
• GST
• Natural resources
• Computers
• Paper
• Professional associations
• Land
• Biodiversity
• Community
• Contractors
• Wildlife
• Oceans
• Others?

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Social Sciences

• Other influences could include
• Staff
• Suppliers
• Tax benefits
• Government
• Insurance
• Caring
• GST
• Donations
• Computers
• Paper
• Professional associations
• Philanthropy
• Grants
• Community
• Contractors
• Disabled
• Children
• Others?

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Arts

• Other influences could include
• Money
• Suppliers
• Tax benefits
• Government
• Insurance
• Creativity
• GST
• Sponsors
• Computers
• Paper
• Professional associations
• IT Software
• Grants
• Community
• Contractors
• Canvases
• Art groups
• Others?

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Research

• Other influences could include
• Staff
• Suppliers
• Tax benefits
• Government
• Insurance
• Caring
• Ethics
• GST
• Donations
• Computers
• Paper
• Professional associations
• Philanthropy
• Grants
• Community
• Contractors
• Disabled
• Children

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Matrix of the learning environment
What should the learner be good at to be able to
manage relationships in their sphere of influence
which

encourages and maintains resources, ethics and
values?
Areas
which need to
Suggested Competency

Examples of issues to explore with students

supported to ensure a
beneficial flow

Natural Capital



The resources and services


provided by the natural
world




Social capital


Relationship building,
health, social groupings
(families, universities,

TAFEs)




Financial capital
The money and value
placed on objects and how
they can be more
accurately represented and

measured.
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A manufacturing example
Areas which need to be supported to ensure a
benefit
Suggested Competency
Examples of issues to explore with students
Examine the benefits of lean manufacturing
Identify opportunities to design for reduced
environmental impacts
Natural Capital The resources and services
provided by the natural world
Social capital Relationship building, health,
social groupings
Discuss the value of stakeholder consultation in
the engineering/ manufacturing sector
Role playing examining the importance of
community-based decision making
Describe concepts of eco-design, eco-efficiency
and lean manufacturing.
Examine case studies on lean manufacturing
practises
Financial capital The money and value placed on
objects
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Getting there ...

• Countless possible ways to operate more
  sustainably
• There is no silver bullet everyone has to
  figure out their own path
• Can be either a series of incremental steps, with
  a goal of continuous improvement, or can be a
  quantum leap, where entire processes and
  products are completely re-evaluated and may
  change radically
• Do we have time for incremental improvements?
• eg current global agreements for carbon emissions
  for modest reductions are hard to reach,
  impossible to enforce, and virtually without
  effect and even if they were successful, they
  would have a negligible impact on the critical
  trend

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Additional Resources

• http//www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au/www/default.asp?c
  asid2799 Ecorecycle Victoria site with
  information on reducing waste in the office
• http//www.epa.nsw.gov.au/cleaner_production/selfh
  elptool.pdf - Profits from Cleaner Production A
  Self-Help Tool for Small to Medium-Sized
  Businesses (NSW Dept State Regional Development
  and the former NSW EPA)
• http//www.greenhouse.gov.au/community_household.h
  tml - an AGO site with information on greenhouse
  gas issues, eg energy efficiency and tips for
  reducing emissions
• http//www.energy.unsw.edu.au/unswitch/experts.htm
  l - dispels some of the myths about turning off
  your computer monitor
• Russell (2003) lists numerous additional
  websites

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