What exactly are we sustaining here in Flagstaff? Let's consider a few lenses to gaze through as we contemplate this question...
If I were...
...a corporate executive, I might refer to my responsibility of keeping my company afloat with the sole intention of sustaining as much business (busy-ness) as possible. Whichever business I chose to go into is now my top priority. Whichever business practices I incorporate will be contingent on what benefits my company the most.
...a school teacher, I might think of how the health of the community as a whole will sustain as my responsibility as an educator is to engage students to teach them, and get them interested in, the subjectivity of our world.
...a Native American, I might think of the impact these (fairly) new settlers are having on the land that my ancestors have told me were once pristine without much of man's footprint.
...a politician, I might think of how our policies need to fit the needs of the people. Now, who those people are are contingent on who I'm exposed to and what impact they have on my job security.
...a homeless person, I might be contemplating how long I can keep living meal to meal.
I think we all get the point that sustainability can be interpreted in many different forms. So how can one contemplate the sustainability of a place that houses so many points-of-view?
To uncover what those in power are guiding their thoughts by, let's consider some of the more formal definitions of sustainability.
Sustainable development has been variously conceived in terms of vision expression (Lee, 1993), value change (Clark, 1989), moral development (Rolston, 1994), social reorganization (Gore, 1992) or transformational process (Viederman, 1994) toward a desired future or better world. ~ Gladwin, Kennelly, and Kraus
Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ~ The World Commission on Environment and Development (i.e., The Brundtland Commission)
Below are some videos of what local community members are defining as sustainable practices.
Inside NAU EP 618 - Sustainability
Focus on Sustainability: Sustainable Economic Development Initiative
Flagstaff Downtown Business Alliance
These concepts and more will be further explored as my hunch is that Flagstaff will see an interesting transformation over the coming years using innovative approaches to bringing back ancient traditions of sustainable living. For example, when people did not live beyond their means and made use of the land in a responsible way as to not exhaust their resources. Local businesses, community organizing, and educational opportunities are here and seem poised for the long run in bringing about sustainable-thinking.
In the next post, I'll be showing off two local businesses who are bringing new ideas to sustainable business and transportation. Stay tuned, stay healthy, and stay engaged..
