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Wrapping Our Brains around Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Mary Ann Curran

    (US EPA, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA)

Abstract

As many of us begin to embrace the concept of sustainability, we realize that it is not simply something that we ‘do.’ Rather, sustainability is a destination that we aspire to reach with the selection of the sustainable pathways that we choose as we proceed along the journey. We are embarking on a new journey with the creation of Sustainability , an on-line, open access journal. As stated on the journal’s website, Sustainability is an international and cross-disciplinary scholarly journal of environmental, cultural, economic and social sustainability of human beings, which provides an advanced forum for studies that are related to sustainability and sustainable development. To genuinely wrap our brains around the impact that our actions have on the sustainability of our planet, we must first understand something of the big picture and have a firm grasp of the terminology. To help further clarify the elusive term ‘sustainability,’ without attempting to provide an exact definition, this paper outlines various, inter-related concepts and basic practices and approaches that are being used in the name of sustainability, including: traditional end-of-pipe control strategies, life cycle, environmental sustainability, urban sustainability, industrial ecology, business sustainability, sustainable supply chain systems, sustainability indicators and metrics, green chemistry and green engineering, design for the environment, sustainable buildings, eco-tourism, and renewable and sustainable energy and fuels.

Suggested Citation

  • Mary Ann Curran, 2009. "Wrapping Our Brains around Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 1(1), pages 1-9, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:1:y:2009:i:1:p:5-13:d:4209
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bridie McGreavy & Karen Hutchins & Hollie Smith & Laura Lindenfeld & Linda Silka, 2013. "Addressing the Complexities of Boundary Work in Sustainability Science through Communication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(10), pages 1-27, September.
    2. Sarah-Louise Ruder & Sophia Rose Sanniti, 2019. "Transcending the Learned Ignorance of Predatory Ontologies: A Research Agenda for an Ecofeminist-Informed Ecological Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-29, March.
    3. Daeheon Choi & Chune Young Chung & Jason Young, 2019. "Sustainable Online Shopping Logistics for Customer Satisfaction and Repeat Purchasing Behavior: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Petra Andries & Alain Daou, 2016. "Teaching Case: ViaVia Yogyakarta: Choosing the Right Strategy to Maximize Social Impact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Ali Kharrazi & Brian D. Fath & Harald Katzmair, 2016. "Advancing Empirical Approaches to the Concept of Resilience: A Critical Examination of Panarchy, Ecological Information, and Statistical Evidence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Elzbieta Rynska & Joanna Klimowicz & Slawomir Kowal & Krzysztof Lyzwa & Michal Pierzchalski & Wojciech Rekosz, 2020. "Smart Energy Solutions as an Indispensable Multi-Criteria Input for a Coherent Urban Planning and Building Design Process—Two Case Studies for Smart Office Buildings in Warsaw Downtown Area," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.
    7. Rebecca Weicht & Svanborg R. Jónsdóttir, 2021. "Education for Social Change: The Case of Teacher Education in Wales," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    8. Charlotte Glennie, 2020. "Growing Together: Community Coalescence and the Social Dimensions of Urban Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-25, November.
    9. Marc A. Rosen, 2013. "Engineering and Sustainability: Attitudes and Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, January.
    10. Almudena Eizaguirre & María García-Feijoo & Jon Paul Laka, 2019. "Defining Sustainability Core Competencies in Business and Management Studies Based on Multinational Stakeholders’ Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Michael Tlusty & Heather Tausig & Tania Taranovski & Meghan Jeans & Matt Thompson & Michelle Cho & Michael Eppling & Jason J. Clermont & Jennifer Goldstein & Elizabeth Fitzsimons, 2012. "Refocusing Seafood Sustainability as a Journey Using the Law of the Minimum," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(9), pages 1-13, August.
    12. Ali Kharrazi & Shogo Kudo & Doreen Allasiw, 2018. "Addressing Misconceptions to the Concept of Resilience in Environmental Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-12, December.

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