Sustainability Fundamentals Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering the fundamentals of sustainability, decision-making types, and waste management hierarchies.

Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

World Commission on Environment and Development ($1987$)

The organization that produced the report 'Our Common Future,' defining the concept of sustainability.

Elements of Sustainability: Environment

A component of sustainability focused on preserving ecosystems, reducing pollution, and conserving biodiversity.

Elements of Sustainability: Society

A component of sustainability focused on equity, social justice, and quality of life.

Elements of Sustainability: Economy

A component of sustainability focused on efficient resource allocation, sustainable economic growth, and secure employment.

Equity

The quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality; something that is fair and just.

Equality

The state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability; uniform character.

Explicit Limits

Quantitative and qualitative limits involving living within the regenerative and assimilative capacities of the planet.

Implicit Limits

Limitations imposed by the ability of the biosphere to absorb human activities, the adaptability of social and political organization, and technology.

Traditional Decision Making

A non-participatory and fragmented approach to decision making where environment, society, and economy are treated as separate spheres.

Ecosystem-based Decision Making

A participatory and integrated approach to decision making where environment, society, and economy are interconnected.

Reactive Decisions

The 'End of pipe' approach which deals with waste when it occurs, such as sewage treatment or catalytic converters.

Anticipatory Decisions

Decisions that plan for change by facilitating changes in processes towards clean technology or elimination of toxics.

Radical Decisions

Decisions that work on fundamental root causes, such as facilitating change in demand through less or alternative consumption.

Environmental Protection ($1970$s)

The phase of the sustainability journey characterized by End-of-pipe technologies.

Recycling ($1980$s)

The phase of the sustainability journey characterized by closed loop materials management.

Cleaner Production ($1990$s)

The phase of the sustainability journey characterized by production integrated environmental protection.

Waste Hierarchy: Reduce

The first level of the hierarchy which involves preventing waste generation from the start by using products repeatedly or not using certain materials.

Waste Hierarchy: Reuse

The second level of the hierarchy which involves reusing materials that can be and are safe to be reused.

Waste Hierarchy: Recycle

The third level of the hierarchy involving melting or chopping waste to be re-formed into new products.

Waste Hierarchy: Recovery

The fourth level of the hierarchy where non-recyclable waste (residue) is processed to produce energy or new material.

Waste Hierarchy: Disposal

The final level of the hierarchy where waste byproducts like ash are taken to a landfill to be processed without damaging the environment.