ROOTS OF MODERN

SUSTAINABILITY MOVEMENT
DR. MERCIA JUSTIN
25 MARCH 2020
 MEANING OF SUSTAINABILITY

• Clear and short meaning:

• Doing what we can now to preserve the environment for future generations.
• Deeper meaning:
• Sustainability is composed of three components viz. Environment, Equity &
Economics.
• Environment: Preserve & protect environment
• Equity: Ensure that fairness in environmental decision-making are front and
center, as we move forward to the future
• Economics: Ensure that in reality the livelihoods are protected and
enhanced as we protect environment
 PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY

• Environment, Equity and Economics are the three pillars of

sustainability
• They are also known as the Three E’s
• Businesses and entrepreneurs focusing on sustainability use
the concept of Triple Bottom Line (TBL): People, Planet &
Profit (Triple P’s)
• TBL was coined by John Elkington in 1994 while at
SustainAbility, and was later used as the title of the
Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell's first sustainability
 FOUNDERS: SUSTAINABILITY
JOHN ELKINGTON & JULIA HAILES – 1987
IN 1988 JOHN AND JULIE WROTE THE GREEN
CONSUMER GUIDE WHICH SOLD OVER 1 MILLION
COPIES WORLDWIDE.
CARTOON ON JOHN ELKINGTON BY A
MARKETING WEEK ARTICLE 1989
 GREEN BUSINESSES AND GREEN WASH

• Modern world businesses to be sustainable cannot be focused on

profits alone. Businesses that embrace the tenets of modern
sustainability practices are considered as Green Businesses.
• Businesses and other organizations that try to embrace the
popular environmental practices & promote their efforts as green
but in reality follow unsustainable practices are said to practice
Green Wash, as discordant behavior.
 STUDY OF SUSTAINABILITY

• Aimed to teach individuals, organizations and

societies how they can lessen the impact on the
planet/environment so that it can be in better shape for
the future
 NINETEENTH CENTURY
ENVIRONMENTALISM
• Seventeenth century enlightenment:
• Societies were put on the path of environmental decline and
destruction
• Amazing technological advances and creation of middle class
• Mid Eighteenth century Industrial Revolution:
• Urbanization
• Migration of industrial workers
• Influence of Europe & North America expanded
• Life in cities became grim
• Mass destruction of natural resources and decline of air and water
 ROMANTIC AND TRANSCENDENTAL
MOVEMENTS

• Romantic and Transcendental Movements idealized nature:

Believed nature helped to transcend the meaning of an
ordinary life
• 1854 - Walden: Henry David Thoreau
• Hudson River School of Art: Nature depicted as wholly good
and as a path to greater enlightenment
• Thoreau moved from his comfortable house in Concord,
Massachusetts and lived in a cabin on the property of noted
romantic poet Ralph Waldo Emerson
 ROMANTIC AND TRANSCENDENTAL
MOVEMENTS

• John Muir: Scottish-born American naturalist put most of Thoreau’s

writings into practice.
• John Muir: Entered University of Wisconsin in his early 20s where he
got exposed to Thoreau’s writings. He took a number of scientific
courses including Geology, Botany and Chemistry
• John Muir documented a number of travel experiences. He met Ralph
Waldo Emerson and was influenced by him. He became a highly
impactful writer later.
• He strongly advocated for the preservation of the Yosemite in order
to preserve its unique natural beauty.
 JOHN MUIR’S CONTRIBUTIONS

• Yosemite: Significant in the history of sustainability

movement
• Sierra Club founded in 1892:
• Works for the preservation of natural lands and to promote
responsible use of Earth’s resources.
 PINCHOT, ROOSEVELT AND MUIR

• 1891: National Forest: Established with the intention of providing

opportunity for economic development of the resources on public lands.
• National Forest challenged Muir’s preservationist tendencies.
• Gifford Pinchot most articulated this approach to public lands. He became
the first US National Forest Service Head and greatly influenced the future
direction of land management on public lands.
• He developed the conservation ethic that focused on producing the
greatest yield possible from the land with as minimal disruption as possible.
• Gifford Pinchot: Father of Conservation Movement (Advocates the wise
use of land in order to allow economic gain while preserving it for future
generations)
 PINCHOT, ROOSEVELT AND MUIR
• Muir and Pinchot fell out when Pinchot promoted grazing on public
lands in 1897.
• Theodore Roosevelt (Teddy) American President (1901-1909):
• Loved being outdoors in nature
• Believed US should have distinct conservation policy that protected
wild lands
• Was influenced by Muir and met him in 1903: Believed in setting
aside the public land for the enjoyment of future generation
• Was influenced by Pinchot’s work: Appointed him as Chief of
National Forest Service in 1905
 ALDO LEOPOLD AND LAND ETHIC

• Aldo Leopold:
• One of the first graduates of Yale School of Forestry (1909)
• Developed the first management plan for Grand Canyon
• First Professor of Game Management in University of Wisconsin (1933)
• Purchased a land that was highly impacted by poor agricultural
practices to try to return it to its original natural conditions
• Part experiment & Part labor of passion his efforts gave the
fundamental framework for his groundbreaking writing ‘A Sand
County Almanac’ published in 1949
• The book advocated the development of a land ethic based on
 LAND ETHIC

• Land should not be set aside or managed for economic gain (As
advocated by preservationists or conservationists)
• Human society must understand the components of nature: Water,
soil, air and organisms (In order to understand how it worked)
• Land must be valued for what it is and its components are, not for its
economic value.
• To preserve nature, develop an ethical system around its components.
• The soil, the plants, air, water, organisms, etc. were as important as
the land itself.
 BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY

• Post World War II:

• Understanding the potential of using chemical building blocks
for creating new chemical and products. Examples:
Fertilizers, Pesticides, Plastics, Fuels, etc.
• Chemical Age: Transformation of people’s lives in
unimaginable ways
• Sense of we could do anything
• New forms of pollution, destruction of ecosystem and new
health concerns
 THE GREAT SMOG OF 1952
• Early December 1952: Windless period
• Stagnant air: Allowed build up coal smoke that permeated through
London streets, homes, offices, businesses, etc.
• The Great Smog of 1952: Killed 4000 people and caused illness for
tens of thousands and caused great public concern.
• Result: Efforts to make rules to control coal smoke. Parliament of UK
passed the Clean Air Act of 1956 (Not the first in Europe)
• First Act to develop effective mechanisms for improving public health
through the development of non-coal fuels and via the regulations of
the action of individual households – Pioneer in regulation of various
pollutants by national governments across the world.
 RACHEL CARSON

• Silent Spring: Rachel Carson – Credited with nudging the world into the
understanding of broader issues of pollution
• Rachel Carson: Nature writer connected with leading government and
university researches of 1950s and early 1960s. Through these researches she
understood the growing concern of the scientific community on the dangers of
unregulated chemical usage to human health and broader environment
• Chemical Industry: Acted with impunity and was able to release emissions
and create products regardless of their broader destructive impact.
• Silent Spring: Pesticides causing death of large number of birds. Impact was
significant in developing the world’s understanding that industrialization had
distinct costs associated with it
 SILENT SPRING RESPONSE
• People started questioning the use of new organic and inorganic chemicals
• People started investigation their impact
• Example: Illness near mercury mine, Minamata, Japan: Minamata disease –
Water contained mercury emitted from industrial waste water contaminated the
local ecosystems, most importantly the local bay. The mercury accumulated in the
fish and shell fish, that was the major source of food for the local population.
• Growing concern over the use of widespread application of pesticides and
fertilizers
• Growing concern over the widespread use of coal-burning power plants ad
individual automobiles in the suburban age
• Citizens started demanding enactment of laws to protect themselves and their
environment from the dangers of environmental pollution.
• An Age of Environmental Activism was born.
 ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM: 1960S &
1970S

• Books and Articles Published

• Key Organizations
• Key Environmental Advocates
• Environmental Laws
 BOOKS AND ARTICLES

• Ralph Nader: Unsafe at any speed

• Paul Ehrlich: The Population Bomb
• Edward Abbey: Desert Solitaire
• Garret Hardin: Tragedy of Commons
• Barry Commoner: The Closing Circle
• The Club of Rome: The Limits of Growth
• E. F. Schumacher: Small is Beautiful – Economics as if people
mattered
• James Lovelock: Gaia – A new look at life on earth
 KEY ORGANIZATIONS

• World Wide Fund: Promoted Wildlife conservation

• Environmental Defense Fund: Preserve Ecosystem
• Greenpeace: Direct actions to confront environmental
problems
• Friends of the Earth: International Environmental Advocacy
Group
• World Watch Institute: Develop environmentally sustainable
solutions
• The Land Institute: Sustainable Agriculture
• Earth First: Interventions to protect nature
 KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES
• Lady Bird Johnson:
• Wife of President Johnson
• Highway beautification – Lady Bird Bill/ Highway Beautification Act
• Jacques Cousteau:
• French Explorer and Film maker-Opposed French dumping radioactive waste
into ocean
• Strongly advocated marine protection
• Filmed ocean based documentary films
• Peter Seeger:
• Folk music artist
• Involved in the clean up and preservation of Hudson River
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
• US: Thirteen Acts and Two Agencies
• From The Clean Air Act 1963, The Solid Waste Disposal Act
1965 to The Surface Mining Control Act 1977 – covering
various aspects and dimensions of environmental protection
and preservation.
• Environmental Protection Agency (1970) & National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (1970)
• Many Governments across the globe followed US by
instating rules to protect and preserve local, state and
national environmental resources
 EARTH DAY

• April 1970: First earth day

• Credited for the Earth Day: Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson
• Brainchild of many
• Teach-in to educate people about the environment
• Observed every year 22 April
• Focus: Education
• Activities, Themes, Special events may vary
 INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS

• Conflicts between nations, natural disaster and deaths, environmental

degradation and damages, poor development of nations, etc. were
beyond the capability of the single nation to handle it.
• UN was seen as organization to facilitate intervention in all possible
areas.
• UN with other key organizations brought about some key agreements
to address the international issues.
 SOME KEY AGREEMENTS

• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 1971

• Establishment of Protectorate of the Environment 1972
• Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment
(Stockholm Declaration) 1972: Focused on life of dignity and
well-being
• Convention for the Protection of World Cultural & Natural
Heritage 1972
• Establishment of the Convention on International Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 1973
 OZONE: WORLD COMES TOGETHER
• Ozone (O ): A chemical that occurs naturally within the atmosphere.
3

• In the upper atmosphere, it shields us from the ultra violet radiations

coming from the sun.
• In the lower atmosphere Ozone can form from atmospheric pollution
and can cause respiratory stress on high fog days.
• 1970s scientists recognized that a group of chemicals called
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) were destroying the ozone within the
Stratosphere
• Concern about unfiltered ultra violet rays causing damage to the
ecosystem, especially causing skin cancer to humans
• Ozone thinnest parts were found in the poles. Mapping of Ozone
 CFC BENEFITS

• Effective Refrigerant systems

• Excellent propellants in aerosol sprays
• Effective solvents
• Significant resistance to ban or reduce CFC
 EVENTS ADDRESSING CFC ISSUE

• 1985: The Vienna Convention – For the protection of the

Ozone layer
• 1987: The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer
• A legally binding agreement to reduce Ozone depleting
chemicals
• Nations realized that they need to act together to reduce the
impact of harmful pollution produced by most of them
 GLOBALIZATION & THE BRUNDTLAND REPORT
• Globalization: The process by which exchanges between countries lead to a
sameness of culture or attitudes, often through an integration of economic or
transportation systems.
• Post 1980s: Globalization expanded
• Concerns about the impact of globalization on the environment and the world’s
cultures grew
• Vast evidence for deterioration of environmental and social conditions: Concern
framed itself within the broad discussion around sustainable development
• 1983: UN established the World Commission on Environment and Development
(WCED), chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, former PM of Norway
• Role of WCED: Finding ways to develop strategies for global sustainable development
• Brundtland Report: Report of the WCED: Our Common Future – Key document
outlining the future of international sustainable development
 SIGNIFICANCE OF BRUNDTLAND REPORT
• First concise definition on sustainability within the context of sustainable
development:
• Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
• Changed the outlook on environmental issues
• Impacts of inequality on environment
• Distinct limits to growth due to industrialization due to lack of resources to
support long-term growth
• Clearly outlined all the problems faced world over in the 1980s.
• Suggestions: Strengthen national laws, international agreements and improving
global institutions to manage the issues
• Weakness of the report: No specific measurable outcomes by which by which to
measure success
 IMPORTANCE OF BRUNDTLAND REPORT

• Most important document in sustainable literature:

• Clearly defines sustainable development
• Recognizes that environmental problems are linked with
social issues such as governance, poverty, class and gender
• Highlights that there are limits to industrialization due to
diminishing resources
• Vandana Shiva:
• Anti-globalization Movement
• Critic of genetically modified food
 DEEP ECOLOGY
• Evolved during the end of 1970s
• Critique of the bureaucratic response to environmental decline and the
overall lack of progress toward environmental improvement
• Founded on the writings of Norwegian Arne Naess & deeply informed by the
works of Leopold, Carson & Abbey
• Basic tenet:
• Environment and nature as a whole has value, regardless of its utility.
• Nature and environment to be protected not for its uses, but for its right to
exist
• Man is not protector of nature, but its problem
• Simple living, deeper connection with nature, lowering of human population
 DEEP ECOLOGY BASED ORGANIZATIONS

• Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

• Tree Sitters: Julia Butterfly Hill
• Earth First
 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
• Environmental community dominated by white men in 1970s
and 1980s.
• Colored communities’ concerns were ignored
• Hazel Johnson: Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement
• South side Chicago several people ill for no reason. Hazel
Johnson studied it and found the landfills and the leaking
underground storage tanks were the cause of it. Drinking water
was contaminated
• EPA started office of Environmental Equity 1992
• 1994: President Clinton signed executive order to ensure
QUIZ QUESTIONS

• What are the three pillars of Deeper meaning of

Sustainability?
• What is TBL?