It was the Bruntland Commission that coined the term sustainable development and it defined sustainable development as the development that meets the requirements of the present without having to make any compromise in the capacity of the future generations to meet up to their own requirements. From that time onwards, the theory of sustainable development has developed a great deal and the ideas of sustainable development have been used around the planet the right way and at the right time.
The reason for the need to be more sustainable is very crucial and the fact that the planet is facing a lot of degradation of the ecosystem makes it all the more important. The natural systems provide the right kind of essential services and in the absence of these, the planet loses the capacity to sustain life. Hence sustainability has been merged with the process of development at a greater pace.
While getting to understand some examples of sustainable development across the world, it is important to know about the sustainable cities, the corporations moving towards this sphere and the eco industrial parks that are coming up in society.
A sustainable city always has the natural environment as a major factor of its design and it always tries to reduce the energy input and takes efforts to minimize the waste generation as also reduces the water input and other resources. Environmental disturbances such as these are taken note of and one example of a sustainable city is the Vitoria Gasteiz in Spain that has achieved the status of being an eco city. Vitoria has succeeded in the implementation of a policy of high density development on its important transport routes and mixed land use. The public transport has been upgraded and this system has given the residents more space to live in, while the green zones are still existent for wildlife and also for the recreational purposes of human beings.
What exactly are eco industrial parks? These are regions where the industries are juxtaposed so that the resources are managed easily and the impacts of environment are thus managed in a co-operative manner. There is an example of sustainable development in the park in Kalundborg in Denmark. This has many businesses that use the by products that are produced by other manufacturers. There is waste that is created by a power station within the park. This waste is utilized by a firm here to make cement. There are other businesses which utilize the heat generated by this power plant for their individual processes. Similarly the cement factory that generates heat is used by this same firm for its processes.
Today corporations are identifying the need for incorporation of a principle for sustainable development and they are merging it with their operations. In fact in America interface Inc. there is a very important producer of carpet tile that has actually improved on its ecological footprint. This firm used recycled products and has thus managed to have a very efficient manufacturing process thus reducing the consumption of energy and water. Waste levels especially the hazardous waste production has also been curbed.
If one adopts the principles of sustainable development, the performance of these firms environmentally has definitely changed. More and More governments, individuals, firms and industries are today incorporating sustainable development thus making the planet a better place to live in.
There are various firms which give a lot of consultation for the sustainable development sector and these indulge in making the future of the planet brighter.
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