I cannot count the number of times
in my sustainable development work when I have gone rummaging
through file cabinets looking for specific information
regarding a particular fact about sustainability. Out
of frustration, I finally decided to try and put all
in one place the many different details I have accumulated
through the last decade on this topic.
That
is the reason for this Manifesto. It represents what
I have
discovered through my own work
as well as what I have learned from the cutting edge
work of others on sustainable development – exploring
its meaning and getting inside its application. This
writing is an effort to synthesize and integrate significant
amounts of detail and many ideas that exist on different
elements of the global sustainability picture.
With
this information all in one place I believe anyone
can more effectively
advance society’s
collective wisdom for this concept and advocate for its
important influence on the future design and implementation
of development projects and programs that simultaneously
impact society and the environment. The sequence of manuscript
sections in the full Manifesto publication is significant
because they represent a hierarchical development of
background toward the expression of our understanding
for this complex subject area in an almost crescendo-like,
very simple interpretation of sustainability. Following
this interpretation, with all the background information
to support its rationale that even the general public
can "put their arms around," I have provided
several sections that focus upon sustainable development
implementation, including tools to use and means of potential
testing for sustainable outcomes. The reference
section of the Manifesto publication, in and of itself,
is a valuable document because it offers many of what
I believe are the most recent systemic thoughts and comprehensive
writings on the subject of sustainability.
Although some of the ideas are my
own, I have also borrowed extensively from many different
persons engaged in sustainable development teaching,
research, and practice in order to identify the extent
of our knowledge in calling attention to the significance
of advocating for sustainability goals in the growing
global society. I thank and congratulate all of those
persons for their stimulating thinking on the subject.
Warren
Flint, Ph.D.
The
Manifesto's contents are listed below. The Manifest
can be obtained by downloading it here.
DOWNLOAD
SUSTAINABILITY MANIFESTO
The
Manifesto also provides the foundational reading for
group workshops or retreats Five E's Unlimited offers organizations or businesses interested in their
members
exploring the concept of sustainable development in depth.
Manifesto
Contents
- Executive
Summary
- Is Our
Global Society On-Track to a Healthy Future?
- What
is Required to Change Present Conditions?
- Planting
the Seed
- Sustainability’s
Triple Threat
- Challenges
to the Idea of Sustainability
- A
Conceptual Understanding for Sustainability Philosophy
- Fundamental
Truths
- A
World of Interconnections
- A
Simple Interpretation of Sustainability to Proceed
- What
Sustainability Is and Is Not!
- Spirituality
and Sustainability
- Principles
That Can Guide Sustainable Actions
- Transitioning
to Sustainability
- A
Practitioner’s Challenge in Sustainable Development
- Tools to
Consider in Sustainability Practice
- Testing
for Sustainability
- References
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