Showing papers on "Social sustainability published in 2002"

Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability

Abstract: The article is intended as a contribution to the ongoing conceptual development of corporate sustainability. At the business level sustainability is often equated with eco-efficiency. However, such a reduction misses several important criteria that firms have to satisfy if they want to become truly sustainable. This article discusses how the concept of sustainable development has evolved over the past three decades and particularly how it can be applied to the business level. It then goes on to describe the three types of capital relevant within the concept of corporate sustainability: economic, natural and social capital. From this basis we shall then develop the six criteria managers aiming for corporate sustainability will have to satisfy: eco-efficiency, socio-efficiency, eco-effectiveness, socio-effectiveness, sufficiency and ecological equity. The article ends with a brief outlook towards future research. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

The principles of sustainability

Abstract: Introduction * Part I: Past * Progress and its Discontents * From Muir to Meadows * Sustainability Emerging * From Rio to Kyoto and Later Disappointments * Part Two: Present * What Does Sustainable Development Mean? * Taking Sustainability into Economics * Putting a Price on the Planet * The Ethics of Sustainability * Part Three: Future * The End of Sustainability? * Index

Organizational Change for Corporate Sustainability: A Guide for Leaders and Change Agents of the Future

Abstract: Contents: Setting the agenda for corporate sustainability -- The drivers of change -- Corporate pre-compliance and compliance -- Achieving sustainable efficiencies -- Sustainability : the strategic advantage -- The sustaining corporation -- The incremental path -- The transformational path -- Leading towards sustainability.

Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability in higher education

Abstract: This paper reviews definitions and frameworks for sustainability in higher education by examining a set of major national and international declarations and institutional policies related to environmental sustainability in universities. It identifies emerging themes and priorities, and discusses how these declarations and policies are affecting various institutions in how they frame the central task of becoming sustainable and how they perceive their own commitment to sustainability.

Measuring Urban Compactness in UK Towns and Cities

Abstract: Although promotion of the compact city is now enshrined in land-use planning policy in many countries, including the United Kingdom, there is little evidence to support the many claims in its favour. In seeking to provide empirical data to advance the debate, one of the key problems researchers face is the task of measuring urban compactness. Research on the compact city is hampered both by a lack of consensus on its meaning and by the absence of recognised indicators for measuring it. This paper describes the development of a large set of urban compactness indicators used in an investigation of social sustainability outcomes in twenty-five English towns and cities. The paper begins by identifying and defining the different aspects of urban compactness, then outlines the indicators (including sources and methods) used for measuring each of these aspects. Finally, the values of these indicators for a range of English towns and cities are presented and reviewed. The aim of the paper is to contribute methodo...

Education for sustainability as a frame of mind

Abstract: This article will review some problems with taking the notion of sustainable development, as a policy, as the touchstone of environmental education and will explore some central strands to understanding sustainability as a frame of mind. It will be argued that at the heart of this interpretation of sustainability lies the notion of a right relationship with nature which both conditions our attitudes towards the environment and our sense of our own identity. The contribution of certain influential eco‐centric accounts to the idea of sustainability is critically evaluated and a sense of sustainability is developed which is neither anthropocentric nor eco‐centric. It is argued that the essence of sustainability, so conceived, is intrinsic to authentic human consciousness and some of the metaphysical issues which it raises for education and modern Western society are indicated.

Authenticity, Equity and Sustainability in Tourism

Abstract: Sustainability became a leading concept in tourism development practice and research, but should be submitted to a critical examination in the context of wider theoretical and practical concerns. Three issues are considered in this paper: the possible misuse of the concept of sustainability in advertisement and as a means of legitimising takeover of control over natural sites or cultural practices of local people by state agencies or private enterprises; the interface between the discourses of authenticity and sustainability; and the problems of equity provoked by restrictions of access to valuable sites, in the name of sustainability.

Psychology of sustainable development

Abstract: List of Contributors. Preface. What is Sustainable Development: and How Do We Get There? 1. Sustainable Development as a Challenge for Psychology P. Schmuck, P.W. Schultz. 2. The Next Revolution: Sustainability D. McKenzie-Mohr. 3. Social Dilemmas and Sustainability: Promoting Peoples' Motivation to 'Cooperate With the Future' R. Osbaldiston, K.M. Sheldon. Individual Differences in Sustainable Behavior. 4. Inclusion With Nature: The Psychology of Human-Nature Relations P.W. Schultz. 5. (En)gendering Sustainable Development D. Du Nann Winter. 6. Sustainable Development and Emotions E. Kals, J. Maes. 7. Why do People Act in Sustainable Ways? Results of an Empirical Survey of Lifestyle Pioneers L. Degenhardt. Culture and Sustainability. 8. Self, Culture, and Sustainable Development V.V. Gouveia. 9. Partnerships for Sustainability: Psychology for Ecology P.H. Cock. 10. Sustainable Wildlife Utilization in Africa: A Contest Between Scientific Understanding and Human Nature J.T. du Toit. 11. Environmental Sustainability by Sociocognitive Deceleration of Population Growth A. Bandura. Exemplary Projects in Sustainable Development. 12. Motivating Collective Action: Converting to Sustainable Energy Sources in a German Community S. Eigner, P. Schmuck. 13. Which Kind of Sustainability for a Social Environmental Psychology? B. Jimenez-Dominguez. 14. Using Organized Consumer Action to Foster Sustainability M. Friedman. Conclusion. 15. SummarizingSustainability Issues and Research Approaches S. Oskamp. Subject Index.

Institutional sustainability indicators: an analysis of the institutions in Agenda 21 and a draft set of indicators for monitoring their effectivity

Abstract: Objectives of sustainable development are defined for the economic, social and environmental dimension, but for effective compliance as well as for sustainability characteristics such as justice or participation they must be complemented by core institutional objectives. The CSD's set of sustainability indicators was the first one to explicitly take into account the institutional dimension of sustainability, and other organizations such as the World Bank and the OECD have followed. Like most pioneers, the indicators suggested offer significant room for improvement. In order to measure the effectiveness of the relevant institutions, Agenda 21 has been analysed regarding its institutional content (organizations, mechanisms, orientations). From this basis, the purposes of the institutions have been determined in a stepwise approach and indicators developed that permit us to measure the progress achieved against the purposes of the respective institution. The methodology developed can be applied to other international agreements, providing the basis for an integrated reporting system. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.

Environment, Growth and Development: The Concepts and Strategies of Sustainability

Abstract: Part 1 What on Earth is Wrong: Development and Environment - From Global Discussion to Global Frustration Diagnosis - A Planet at Risk Evaluation - How Bad is it? Part 2 Accounting for Sustainable Development: Environment and Economic Process A System for Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting Pricing the Priceless - the Limits of Monetary Valuation Case Studies. Part 3 Environment and Development - A Matter of Sustainability?: Sustainability Criteria Definitions of Sustainable Growth and Development Sustainability and Optimality. Part 4 Planning and Policies (1) - Sustainable Growth and Structural Change: Policy Framework Eco-variables in Macroeconomics Cost Internationalization and Structural Change. Part 5 Planning and Policies (2) - Sustainable Development: Integrated Planning and Policies Grassroots Strategies - Ecodevelopment Implementation - Towards a National Action Plan for Sustainable Development. Part 6 Outlook - from National to Global Compacts: Towards Global Sustainability Earth Summit - An Agenda for the 21st Century From National to Global Compacts.

The Economics of Sustainability: A Review of Journal Articles

Abstract: Concern about sustainability helped to launch a new agenda for development and environmental economics and challenged many of the fundamental goals and assumptions of the conventional, neoclassical economics of growth and development. We review 25 years’ of refereed journal articles on the economics of sustainability, with emphasis on analyses that involve concern for intergenerational equity in the long-term decisionmaking of a society; recognition of the role of finite environmental resources in long-term decisionmaking; and recognizable, if perhaps unconventional, use of economic concepts, such as instantaneous utility, cost, or intertemporal welfare. Taken as a whole, the articles reviewed here indicate that several areas must be addressed in future investigation: improving the clarity of sustainability criteria, maintaining distinctions between economic efficiency and equity, more thoroughly investigating many common assumptions in the literature about prospects for resource substitution and resource-enhancing technical change, and encouraging the empirical investigation of sustainability issues.

Globalization, corporate social responsibility and human rights

Abstract: In extending this journal to include issues of corporate social responsibility, we have come to recognize and reflect the fact that in order to move towards sustainable development we must examine social, environmental and economic issues. In this journal we have in the past demonstrated how companies can benefit from the use of environmental management tools and strategies. Now we extend the debate to social issues. However, corporate social responsibility tends to be much more controversial than improving environmental performance. Social responsibility requires us to look at ethics, stakeholder accountability and our own value systems. There will often be contradictory positions taken on some social issues and stakeholders will not always agree with each other. One starting point that seems productive however is to see corporate social responsibility in the context of human rights. This article therefore lays out how we can use the process of globalization to improve human rights through business activity and commitment. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

The sustainomics trans-disciplinary meta-framework for making development more sustainable: applications to energy issues

Abstract: This paper describes sustainomics as "a transdisciplinary, integrative, balanced, heuristic and practical meta-framework for making development more sustainable". The neologism helps to focus attention explicitly on sustainable development, and avoid the implication of any disciplinary bias or hegemony. The paper sets out some key constituent elements of sustainomics and how they might fit together. Sustainability criteria, applicable to the interlinked panarchy of economic and environmental systems, play an important role in the sustainomics framework. Environmental and social sustainability focus on the overall health of ecological and social systems, with emphasis on increasing resilience to withstand shocks and reduce vulnerability. Economic sustainability aims to maximize the flow of income that could be generated while at least maintaining the stock of assets (or capital) that yield these beneficial outputs. Equity and poverty are also key issues. All these concepts are integrated through two broad approaches involving optimality and durability. Sustainomics helps decision-makers to focus on the structure of development, rather than just the magnitude of economic growth (conventionally measured). The framework facilitates the incorporation of ecological and social concerns into the decision-making process of human society. Operationally, it plays this bridging role by enabling implementation of sustainability assessments, especially through the mapping of the results of environmental and social assessments onto the framework of conventional economic analysis. These concepts are illustrated through case studies involving energy problems across a full range of spatial scales. At the global transnational level, the first case study examines the interplay of optimality and durability in determining appropriate global GHG emission target levels, and the second explores methods of combining efficiency and equity to facilitate South-North cooperation for climate change mitigation. At the national economy level, the third study describes how the action impact matrix may be used for policy analysis, and the fourth sets out approaches for restructuring growth to make long-term development more sustainable. On the subnational-sectoral scale, the fifth case outlines methods for achieving sustainable energy development in Sri Lanka, and the sixth examines rainforest management in Madagascar. Finally, at the project-local level, multi-criteria analysis is applied to a fuel-wood stove project, and to compare small hydropower projects, using relevant economic, social and environmental indicators.

Environmental literacy and sustainability as core requirements: success stories and models

Abstract: At a number of colleges and universities, the core General Education requirements for all degrees include an in depth exposure to environmental literacy. Many colleges are also including a degree requirement in the area of social responsibility and/or civic engagement. Colleges include sustainability curricula using a variety of models. The first baseline national surveys have collected information about the percentage of institutions incorporating sustainability into curricula, course design and content, faculty development and outcomes. What does the data to date describe in terms of the models for inclusion of environmental literacy, social responsibility and sustainability in higher education? For many colleges, it is politically difficult to add additional courses for degree requirements. Some higher education institutions have solved this dilemna by integrating environmental literacy, social responsibility and sustainability course materials into existing liberal arts and specialty courses. Models have been developed that are flexible, inexpensive and fun to implement within a variety of disciplines or as part of an interdisciplinary learning community. According to research, for both teachers and students, these models reduce apathy, and instill attitudes and skills required to be positive change agents for the society. Research results support students using these models developed an: increased caring about the future of society, increased belief that they can make a difference, increased willingness to participate in solving societal and environmental problems. This chapter reviews some successful models for requirements and strategies to infuse the curricula with environmental literacy, social responsibility and sustainability. These models and strategies include degree requirements, infusion across the curricula, development of interdepartmental minors, sustainability in other sectors as the latent curricula, and integration into the mission statement. This chapter also includes a discussion of implications from the national surveys, a list of needs for future research, a highlighted course curricular project useful for a variety of disciplines, and additional resources for the educator or researcher.

Organisational Strategies for Sustainable Development: Developing A Research Agenda for the New Millennium:

Abstract: Environmental issues have been on the agendas of industry and academia for nearly thirty years While the bulk of this research has focused on environmental sustainability, the late 1990s saw a broadening of the scope of this field of inquiry to include social, environmental and economic sustainability In this paper I discuss the emergence of organisational strategies for sustainable development and their implications for management theory and practice I discuss the emergence of environmental issues and their implications for strategy, and describe briefly the theoretical and practical implications of integrating environmental and social issues into corporate strategies I also discuss my own work in this field and how it relates to other research

Marketing and Sustainability

Abstract: 'Marketing and sustainability' is based on an original booklet written by Martin Charter in 1990. The text has been updated and re-written to take account of the changing and emerging debate of marketing’s role in relation to sustainable development. This booklet has been produced as a supporting publication for the Sustainable Marketing Knowledge Network (Smart: Know-Net) a web-based information and communication platform for marketers interested in sustainability, available at www.cfsd.org.uk/smart-know-net

Managing Human Services in a Market Environment: What Role for Social Workers?

Abstract: International research suggests that the market reform of human services is leading to reduced opportunities for social workers to achieve organizational management positions. This paper explores the future of social workers as managers of human service organizations. It examines the tensions between the social justice principles that guide social work and the emerging contexts of social welfare management. The exploration draws on in-depth interviews with thirty-four social welfare managers working in the non-profit sector in Australia. These managers were identified by their peers as progressive, that is, as championing social justice values such as access, equity and social inclusion. This paper will report on their approaches to social welfare management and their perceptions of the threats and opportunities for progressive management practices in a climate of public sector reform. The paper will consider how social work educators can better prepare service professionals for social welfare management positions

Linking Local Sustainability Initiatives with Environmental Justice

Abstract: Beyond adopting sustainability as a feel-good slogan, many communities are trying to translate this general principle into specific and measurable terms. Community indicators are being introduced as a tool for analysis and community development in US cities from Seattle, WA to Jacksonville, FL. Most efforts acknowledge that sustainability ought to serve communities as a whole; rather than privilege certain elites, sustainability should build social equity. Using a web-based methodology, this research reviews sustainability efforts in 33 of the largest US cities to see which have addressed environmental justice as a dimension of sustainability. Five projects are identified and their programmes are summarised in terms of educational, policy and implementation content. KEE WARNER, Enlazando Iniciativas de Sostenibilidad Local con Justicia Ambiental . Mas alla de adoptar la sostenibilidad como un lema para estar bien, muchas comunidades estan tratando de trasladar este principio general en terminos especifico...

Environmental Economics for Sustainable Growth: A Handbook for Practitioners

Abstract: Part 1 Introduction and structure: objectives of the book description of the chapters. Part 2 Sustainable development vision in a global context: the earliest definition of sustainable development economic dimension of sustainable development environmental sustainability social sustainability measures of strong and weak sustainability sustainable development vision in a political context integrating environment and development strategies and political economy. Part 3 Macroeconomic policies and the environment: macroeconomic policies and the environment tools and methods of macroeconomic analysis conclusions case studies. Part 4 An introduction to environmental management at the sectoral level: partial or sectoral market equilibrium consumer and producer surplus market failures policy and institutional failures shadow pricing environmental management principles conclusions case studies. Part 5 Policies, instruments and the environment: analytical tools optimality of private decisions environmental instruments instruments in practice lessons and conclusions to the chapter problem set solution to problem set. Part 6 Laws, regulations and institutions: legal system for environmental protection international legal instruments environmental laws environmental institutions conclusions annexes. Part 7 National environmental strategies (NES): past experience identifying and prioritizing problems defining priorities for action - diagnozing causes defining priorities for action - finding solutions plan implementation conclusions questions for discussion. Part 8 Economy-wide policies and the valuation of environmental impacts: the project cycle and environmental assessment appraisal of a project with environmental impacts step 1 - EA and the with-without analysis step 2 - financial and economic appraisal step 3 - shadow pricing for market failures step 4 - discount rate and comparison of costs and benefits step 5 - decision-making with participation conclusion. Part 9 Economic principles and overview of valuation methods: total economic value of an environmental asset basic concepts of valuation methods overview of valuation methods economics underlying valuation methods. Part 10 Revealed preferences - direct proxy methods: productivity change method (PCM) substitute cost method (SCM) case studies. Part 11 Revealed preference - indirect proxy methods: travel cost method hedonic price method (HPM) - the conceptual framework case studies. Part 12 Stated preference - contingent valuation methods: contingent valuation method - the conceptual framework CVM methodology numerical examples. Part 13 Use of monetary value of environmental and natural resources for benefit cost analysis - an application to a soil moisture conservation project in Tunisia: background methodology exercise - case study of the BCA for the Tunisia soil moisture conservation project solution set discussion. Part 14 Use of monetary values

Mining and Economic Sustainability: National Economies and Local Communities

Abstract: Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development is a project of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The project was made possible by the support of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). IIED is a company limited by guarantee and incorporated in England. Reg. No. 2188452. VAT Reg. No. GB 440 4948 50. Registered Charity No. 800066 Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development

Social equity in housing in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: a social sustainability perspective

Abstract: The housing arena in Hong Kong has undergone dramatic transformation due to the change in government in 1997 and the subsequent economic recession engendered by the Asian financial crisis. This paper applies the sustainable development perspective to investigate whether policy changes and government responses to the collapse in the property market have made the distribution and consumption of Hong Kong more equitable. It argues that the government's emphasis on home ownership has intensified horizontal and vertical inequity but that the economic recession has the unintended effect of reducing vertical inequity between the low- and the lower-middle-income groups. Simultaneously, the recession has reduced the housing choices and mobility of the middle-income groups, rendering them the real losers of the housing policies and economic changes after 1997. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.