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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

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUSTAINABILTY CHALLENGE

VERSION 2:

Sustainability success is the critical challenge of the;21st century. Are we on track? What will it take? The no-change, business-as-usual scenario of an accelerating climate catastrophe and the larger sustainability crisis will likely lead to continuing difficulties and ecological-economic systems collapse.

earthrise 10s4x768 startrek.jpgFortunately, creating a future of enduring economic security and prosperity is possible if we begin now.  Success will require making sufficient progress towards an ecologically sustainable global economy and society over the next 20-30-years before the window of opportunity closes.

Humanity has the potential for responding successfully, but will it develop, institutionalize, and apply the required out-of-the-box innovative problem-resolving capacity in the limited time  remaining?  How? The same capacities that produced the problem cannot fix it. We can be successful and there is a role for everyone.

In response, Sustainability 2030 is accelerating success by (1) assembling the required accurate whole systems understanding and critical path approach to an effective response; (2) packaging it in web-based and traditional media content, tools, and training; and (3) undertaking critical-path strategic initiatives to produce the needed shift in the remaining time available. 

The recent sustainability explosion is promising, but lacks the clarity, focus, speed, vision, innovative power, and scale needed for success. Its also difficult to access for credible knowledge as the basis for individual action.

Let Sustainability 2030 provide you -- as interested individuals, sustainability practitioners, professionals, leaders or employees in the public, private, or non-profit sectors -- with the knowledge services and products you need to clearly understand the systems-level predicament, its implications for your circumstances, and the best way for you to benefit and simultaneously have the maximum systems effect.

Sustainability 2030 is the critical path sustainability research, training, and strategic decision initiative of Scott T. Edmondson, Sustainability Strategist, with over 30 years of experience.

Contribute to--and benefit from--Sustainability 2030's work, products, and services. 

  • Acquire accurate understanding.
  • Answer your questions.
  • Access resources, products, and services to increase effectiveness.
  • Subscribe to State of Sustainability (SOS)TM, a research and intelligence service.
  • Learn about Sustainability 2030 - the organization & work program.
  • Join the Sustainability 2030 Champions NetworkTM

 

VERSION 1:

Will humanity respond successfully  to the accelerating climate catastrophe and the larger sustainability crisis by creating an ecologically sustainable global economy and society before the window of opportunity closes in the next 20+ years, thereby establishing the basis for enduring economic security and prosperity?

Mounting an effective response is the challenge of the 21st century.  Making sufficient progress by 2030 is critical for success. Will we do it? Are we doing it now?  How will we know? What will it take? Who needs to do what, when? How can questions and challenges of this magnitude be adequately comprehended and addressed?

earthrise-1024.jpgSobering and unsettling, but those are the burning questions -- and fundamental tasks -- of the first quarter of the 21st century.  

These are the motivating questions for Sustainability 2030, a web-based research and systems-transforming initiative.  

Fortunately, humanity has the capacity for success, but effective action will require accurate understanding, fast-tracked technological and institutional innovation, and a little luck.  What do you need to know? Do you have the time to figure it out? Then let Sustainability 2030 support you with the understanding and intelligence needed for success.

Let Sustainability 2030 assemble, forge, and illuminate an accurate understanding of the sustainability threat, challenge, opportunity, and the requirements for an effective response.  Use Sustainability 2030's products and services and benefit from its distinctive whole systems and critical-path approach and interactive research services. 

  • Acquire accurate understanding.
  • Answer your questions.
  • Access resources, products, and services to increase effectiveness.
  • Subscribe to State of Sustainability (SOS)TM, a research and intelligence service.
  • Learn about Sustainability 2030 - the organization & work program.
  • Join the Sustainability 2030 Champions NetworkTM