The Need for a Sustainability Framework
in Government, Business and Education
Elaine Hanson
Very few forward looking leaders today would deny that the great technological advances of the industrial revolution also brought with them many unintended consequences. While most of us owe our high standard of living to new technologies (affordable energy, better transportation, fast and low cost automation and complex information systems), we can no longer deny that along with all this good fortune we have inherited a litany of environmental and social problems. There is a slow but growing understanding, even within the financial sector, that the market will not, in fact, “take care of everything” and that we are on a slow spiral of decline unless we dramatically change the way we envision our future, economically, socially and environmentally.
In order to achieve this, we must first understand the important need for a sustainability framework within our organizations. Research around the world now favors a more structured approach to sustainability based on well defined scientific principles and a sustainability framework that an entire organization can adhere to. A framework provides clarity and allows us to ask a new kind of question: "what does a sustainable municipality such as Oakville look like in the future?” or “what could a region such as Halton look like in 2031?” The Oakville Sustainability Initiative was founded in 2006 specifically to explore the complexities of longterm sustainability. Thankfully, there are many in the world of business, government and education who see today’s challenges as opportunities and who are striving to make their organizations more sustainable. We refer to them as role models. Their leadership enables us to define how to pursue an effective strategy to transform organizations so that the vision of sustainability drives everyday decision making and defines short and longterm success.
The Oakville Sustainability Initiative was founded to achieve three important goals: first, to explore the latest research in sustainability; second, to help organizations incorporate a strong sustainability framework to achieve success; and finally, to learn from role models around the world who have been successful in implementing change within their businesses, governments and educational institutions.
What if we could move beyond sustainability (which suggests the maintenance of a damaging system) to a truly beneficial and sustaining model for business, government and education that gives our children a wonderful new prospect rather than simply a less terrifying one? Let’s be honest: we are not on track toward sustainable development in Oakville nor in Halton Region. Most of what we are doing is trial and error. If we know that our track is trial and error then it is even more important to learn about the experiences of others who are striving for the same type of future. The Oakville Sustainability Initiative has taken up this challenge with the support of Oakvillegreen, Appleby College, Whole Foods, The Community Fund of Oakville and countless other businesses to learn about experiences in sustainable development in hope that many more of you can be part of the learning process with us.
By joining our initiative, your organization becomes part of a larger process of change that is necessary for making the journey into sustainability. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us at info@oakvillesustainabilityinitiative.com or call us at 905 399 2707.
