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Our Challenge

As Stewart Brand said in the introduction to the Whole Earth Catalogs,

"If we are going to act like gods, we might as well get good at it."

And Biomimicry is one key, and in a sense, one of the legacy's of the Whole Earth movement. Like Buckminster Fuller's comprehensive antipatory design science, Biomimicry is (1) the exploration and understanding of nature, i.e., the environment, as the technology and economy of an exquisitely evolved and designed regenerative life support system (living machine) that has been tested and developed over 3.8 billion years of evolution (see-the time line of evolution) and then (2) applying those battle-hardened principles to all aspects of human activity--designing, creating, and managing of society, from industrial products, to urban and regional systems, to public policy, business, the economy, etc., i.e., Sustainability 2030 and the leading edge of the sustainability response.

Key Questions

Sustainability 2030's (S2030) research/practice program addresses the following key questions:

1. How can you/we become effective, powerful, even transformational forces for sustainability?

2. What is the program required for ultimate sustainability success--the end game?

3. Who has part of the answer now (current sustainability champions), how far do they take us, and how can we harness the state-of-the-art leading edge sustainability to an innovative research/practice program that gets us to ultimate success in the limited time remaining?  (more)

Mission

Advance, accelerate, and amplify an accurate understanding of the sustainability challenge and how to harness the power and potential of sustainability for an effective response before time runs out. The Strategic Sustainability2030 Institute  (S2030I) is a web-based think/do tank (more).

Affiliations
International Society of Sustainability Professionals
Announcements

UPCOMING:

April 2013, Chicago, APA National Conference.

May 13-15, 2013, Seattle, Living Future unConference.

PAST (2012):

October 23-26, Portland, EcoDistrict Summit 2012.

July 31-Aug. 4, Portland, Ecosystem Services Conference.

May 2-4, Portland, The Living Future Unconference for deep green professionals.

June 15-18, Brazil, Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

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Our Challenge

as Buckminster Fuller observed, is

"to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone."

This goal is the essence of sustainable development! The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) provides access to Bucky's legacy, including his comprehensive anticipatory design science revolution. Check out their website, their programs, and engage.

Problem & Way Out

  

Caption: "Sadly, the only proven way to achieve global GHG reductions so far has been economic recession." Comment: Fortunately, shifting to 100% renewables would catalyze the global transition to durable prosperity and community well-being in a way that would eliminate GHG production AND grow the economy <<continued>>. (See also: strategic sustainabilitynatural capitalismits four strategies, and RMI's Reinventing Fire [energy] Program.) 

APA Links
FEATURES1

Green Urbanism - Formulating a series of holistic principles

Green Growth - Recent Developments (OECD)

Foundation Earth - Rethinking Society from the Ground Up

Reinventing Fire - A key transformational initiative of RMI worth knowing/watching.

A Quick-Start Guide to Strategic Sustainability Planning

NEW Report: Embedding sustainability into government culture.

New STARS LEED-like sustainable transportation tool for plans, projects, cities, corridors, regions.

Strategic Community Sustainability Planning workshop resources.

Leveraging Leading-Edge Sustainability report.

Winning or losing the future is our choice NOW!

How Possible is Sustainable Development, by Edward Jepson, PhD.

Legacy sustainability articles -- the Naphtali Knox collection.

FEATURES2

TNS Transition to Global Sustainability Network

EcoDistricts -- NextGen Urban Sustainability

Darin Dinsmore: Community & Regional Sustainability Strategies and Planning

Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design

APA-SCP (Sustainable Community Planning) Interest Group

Sustainability Learning Center

New path breaking Solutions Journal

Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

Strategic Sustainability -- distance learning at BHT

Q4 Consulting - Mindfulness, Sustainability, and Leadership

RealClimate--Climate Science by Real Scientists

World Cafe--Designed Conversation for Group Intelligence

Real Change--Research Program for Global Sustainability Decision Making

RMI Conference, SF, 10-1/3-2009

Real Time Carbon Counter

Global Climate Change - Implications for US

Agenda for a Sustainable America 2009

ALIA Institute Sustainability Leadership

Frontiers in Ecological Economics

Herman Daly -- Failed Growth to Sustainable Steady State?

EOF - Macroeconomics and Ecological Sustainability

Gil Friend - Truth About Green Business

Sustainable Transpo SF

Google Earth-Day KMLs

AIA Sustainability 2030 Toolkit

Donella Meadows - Which Future?

Urban Mobility System wins Bucky Challenge 2009

Renewable Economy Cheaper than Systems Collapse

Population Growth-Earth Forum

Breakthrough Ideas-Bucky Challenge

Urban & Regional Planning-Cities at a Turning Point

John P. Holdren-Meeting the Climate Change Challenge

Stephen Cohen's Weekly Column in the New York Observer

Sustainability Committee (Temporary Home,2011)

Board Retreat, Jan. 2011WELCOME to the temporary web home for the Northern Section's Sustainability Committee in collaboration with Sustainability 2030 (S2030).[NOTE: This area of S2030's site is under development. Suggestions and feedback are welcome: scott-e@sustainability2030.com.]

Committee Overview

The urgency of the sustainability challenge is increasing and the limited time available for an effective response is decreasing. In response, the Committee's objective is to advance and accelerate innovative sustainability planning in the Northern Section, emphasizing a strategic approach, as follows:

  • Provide access to informational, educational, and training resources;
  • Develop resources and services that highlight leading-edge practice;
  • Showcase on-going innovation in the Section;
  • Cultivate and support a deepening sustainability dialogue within Northern Section communities; and
  • Expand the collaborative innovative community of the Northern Section's sustainability planners.

Introductory Resources

The following documents provide a comprehensive introduction and overview of the Committee, it's work program, and the primary resources on innovative community sustainability planning assembled to date.

1a. Introduction-Sustainability

1b. Introduction-Committee

2. Highlights

3. Publishing Program

4. Key Initiatives

5. Resources

6. Research Program

7. About

Featured Northern Section Innovative Sustainability Planning Cases

Sustainability Committee (Home)

Attendees, Northern Section Board Retreat, Jan. 2011WELCOME to the temporary web home for the Northern Section's Sustainability Committee in collaboration withSustainability 2030 (S2030). [NOTE: This area of S2030's site is under development. Suggestions and feedback are welcome: scott-e@sustainability2030.com.]

In the fall of 2010, the Committee developed a proposal and work plan, and was launched with approval at the January 2011 Board retreat (photo is of attendees).

Contents of This Page

  • Committee Overview
  • How to Use the Committee's Area of the S2030 Site
  • Introductory Resources
  • Featured Northern Section Innovative Sustainability Planning Cases

Committee Overview

Objectives

The Committee's objective is to advance and accelerate innovative sustainability planning in the Northern Section in response to growing urgency of the sustainability challenge and the limited time available for an effective response, as follows:

  • Provide access to informational, educational, and training resources;
  • Develop resources and services that highlight leading-edge practice;
  • Showcase on-going innovation in the Section;
  • Cultivate and support a deepening sustainability dialogue within Northern Section communities; and
  • Expand the collaborative innovative community of the Northern Section's sustainability planners.

Emphasis

The Committee's emphasis is on accelerating leading-edge community sustainability planning in the Northern section, beginning with a strategic approach, in response to the larger, increasingly urgent sustainability challenge. For a quick introduction to the larger sustainability challenge, See Thomas Friedman for a short Op. Ed. overview (see also Hot, Flat, and Crowded) and/or Lester Brown for a 15 minute interview video clip and a newly released 1.5 hour documentary.

The question we--that is, Northern Section Planners--need to answer in response to the sustainability challenge and context of Friedman and Brown is, "What is the unique role of planning and planners in the response?" The answer, or one anyway, is "community sustainability planning," but what is that? Simply stringing a few words together "does not a field make!" The answer behind the title has yet to be invented. Although, work has begun, it is a work in progress. That task of on-going invention is the fundamental challenge to planners.

How to Use the Committee's Area of S2030's Site

This Sustainability Committee "Home" page provides a quick introduction to the Committee and resources developed to date. Scroll down the page for a quick overview. The links provide access to documents containing the referenced material that will open up in their own separate tab or window of your browser. The sidebars contain links to other features, such as other resource links of interest, announcements, blogs/journals, and discussion boards. You can read, download, comment, and sign up for email notification on the blogs/journals. Your comments are welcome: email scott-e@sustainability2030.com or post them on thediscussion board (post: Website Launch).

Introductory Resources

The following documents provide a comprehensive introduction and overview of the Committee, it's work program, and the primary resources on innovative community sustainability planning assembled to date.

  1. Introduction-Sustainability
  2. Introduction-Committee
  3. Highlights
  4. Publishing Program
  5. Key Initiatives
  6. Resources
  7. Research Program
  8. About

The "Resources" page includes select, leading-edge, sustainability planning cases in the North Section, the USA, and internationally, along with tools, training, and other useful resources.

Other Documents

Sustainability Committee
Northern Section/SFSU DUSP Research Project -- Leveraging Leading Edge Sustainability Planning
Featured Article
The Northern Section's

Featured Northern Section Innovative Sustainability Planning Cases

(See also Resources).