Sustainability is about creating the kind of world we want for ourselves, our neighbours, and future generations. It challenges us to live our lives and make decisions as individuals, organizations and societies so that we make sure that future generations have access to the same opportunities and quality of life that we do. The framework presented here is designed to help us make good and rigorous decisions.
Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development
The purpose of this playlist is to offer 7 videos to cut through the confusion surrounding the term ‘sustainability’ and to provide the viewer with an overview of a Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Also known as The Natural Step framework from the name of the international non-profit organization that has developed it over the years, this free and open-source framework is grounded in best practices, rigorous science and the contributions of thousands of experts, business professionals and community leaders from around the world. The good news is that we already have all the knowledge, tools and resources we need to create a sustainable world. The bad news is that time is running out and we are desperately short of the leadership we need to make real change happen. The challenge to all of us is to inspire and become the sustainability champions that are needed to lead this change and create a better tomorrow.
This 28-minute playlist describes almost 30 years of thinking about what sustainability is and how to achieve it. It will take you through the core concepts of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development are the following (click here to watch on Youtube):
- A science-based definition of sustainability
- Backcasting from sustainability principles
- The 4 system conditions for sustainability
- The ABCD methodology to plan strategically for sustainability
- The 3 questions to make strategic decisions
- The metaphor of the funnel to explain the sustainability challenge we are facing
- A 5-level model to plan in complex systems.
You can learn more about the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development by downloading for free “The Natural Step Sustainability Primer“, “Planning for Sustainability: a starter guide” and many more free toolkits from The Natural Step Canada website.
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