Let's say that Timmy wants to pick the apples from his apple tree. As Timmy sees it, he has two options. He can grab a stepladder and go up to where the apples are, or he can grab an axe and cut down the apple tree. Timmy thinks the second option is a great idea because, instead of bothering with a cumbersome ladder, he can just chop down the tree and bring the apples to ground level, where he can easily pick them up. Timmy is pretty proud of himself for coming up with a solution, but I bet you can see a problem here.... Timmy did not sustain his natural resource and it will no longer be available to him. By chopping down the apple tree, Timmy overlooked the importance of environmental sustainability.

Environmental sustainability is defined as responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources and allow for long-term environmental quality. The practice of environmental sustainability helps to ensure that the needs of today's population are met without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Another approach might be to think of environmental sustainability as the study of how natural systems function, remain diverse and produce everything it needs for the ecology to remain in balance. This approach acknowledges that human civilization takes resources to sustain our modern way of life and takes into account how we might live in harmony with the natural world around us, protecting it from damage and destruction. 16

Environmental sustainability often refers to:

• Air quality

• Water quality

• Soil quality

• Plant life

• Animals and wildlife habitats

• Hazardous waste

• Greenhouse gas emissions

We live a modern, consumerist, capitalist and largely urban existence throughout the developed world and consume a lot of natural resources every day. Sustainability and sustainable development focuses on balancing that fine line between competing needs - our need to move forward technologically and economically, and the needs to protect the environments in which we and others live. However, sustainability is not just about the environment. It is also about our health as a society in ensuring that no people or areas of life suffer as a result of environmental legislation, about examining the longer term effects of the actions humanity takes and asking questions about how it may be improved. 17

Since ecological conditions and economic and social systems differ from country to country, there is no single blueprint for how sustainability practices are to be carried out. Each country has to work on its own concrete policy to ensure that sustainable development is carried out as a global objective. International cooperation and action, however, is also essential.18