Definitions for "Sustainable"
Capable of being sustained or maintained; as, the action is not sustainable.
A sustainable way of life is one in which human needs are met without diminishing the ability of other people, wild species, or future generations to survive.
means a number of things including safety, efficiency and environmental matters. In the resource management area sustainable management is defined as managing the use, development, and protection of natural and physical resources in a way, or at a rate, which enables people and communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well being and for their health and safety while: sustaining the potential of natural and physical resources (excluding minerals) to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of air, water, soil, and ecosystems avoiding, remedying, or mitigating any adverse effects of activities on the environment.
Will continue to be viable in the longer term.
in relation to IT initiatives, sustainability is understood slightly differently by community, business and government. From a community perspective, sustainable IT projects are projects that can pay their own way, without reliance on government funding. They serve individual and community needs, are easily accessible and promote the social, cultural and/or economic development of the community (eg. build social capital and assist local business). The business perspective sees sustainability in terms of whether the project is commercially viable and profitable. The government perspective recognises that the government has Community Service Obligations (of which a Universal Service Obligation in relation to telecommunications is one example), and that market failure occurs, especially in rural, regional and remote areas where the costs of setting up and maintaining IT services can be very high. However, they also recognised that government funds are limited and that community IT initiatives may therefore need to become self-sustaining. ( back)
Describes an activity that is capable of being continued over the long term, and which respects the needs of the economy, the environment and society.
Used in the context of tropical forestry, "sustainable" suggests that silvicultural practices are being employed which ensure a given flow of commercial timber from a forest area. Most observers agree that the achievement of sustainable forestry in tropical forests has rarely been realized.