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FROM THE CEO
High-maintenance lifestyle or sustainability? As our younger child rapidly approaches the end of her undergraduate studies, it has been interesting to watch her sort through the next steps in her life. One thing has become abundantly clear to her in our conversations: The college fund will be depleted, so she needs a job to sustain her lifestyle! As she weighs her choices, other factors in achieving lifestyle sustainability also require consideration. Now don’t get me wrong, money and financial resources are quite important to her. After all, life’s realities of food, transportation and housing must be attended to, and she can be a high-maintenance gal when it comes to fashion. But there are also elements of social and environmental sustainability that enter into her thinking. For example, she can’t move too far from her college chums and social network, so going great distances for employment is out. Then there is the matter of community size—should she go to a big city, a medium-size one or a small town? In which environment would she enjoy living most? Where would she thrive? Then, of course, there are thoughts of the future—a progressive career, graduate school, a fulfilling personal life. So many choices need to be made to meet present needs without compromising future options. When she asks us for advice, our parental mantra has been that few choices are forever carved in stone, and she should just get a job! Sustainability—whether that of a lifestyle, an organization, an ecosystem, a business or a financial position—requires delicate balancing of present and future needs. When something is sustainable, it can be carried out over and over without long-term, negative impact on social, environmental and economic systems. We work in a myriad of settings in health care and are engaged in many programs, systems, processes and projects that we work hard to keep going. We learn quickly that essential elements of sustainable development are strategies that lead to a better environment in the future. If we don’t learn this, the likelihood that our programs, projects, systems and processes will collapse increases significantly. Successful sustainability strategies depend on 10 key factors (Young & Hamshire, 2000). Participation and ownership: Stakeholders, once identified and committed, must genuinely participate in the sustainability strategy. Building on their initiatives and demands and involving them in evaluation are critical to success. Capacity building and training: Motivating and transferring skills to others—on the part of stakeholders—builds capacity to continue, replicate and improve the endeavor. Supporting policy: Any development initiative must be aligned with policies of the system, organization or government. Without a mandate and infrastructure, sustainability is difficult to achieve. Financial: For any initiative to survive over time, appropriate fiscal resources are critical. Many endeavors fail because of inadequate financing. Linking with other funding sectors, charging fees and fund raising are all strategies to create long-term sustainability. Management and organization: Sustainability actions that integrate with or add to existing structures are better prospects for success than those that establish new or parallel structures. Culture: Introduction of new ideas and skills requires an understanding of the culture in which they will be used. To achieve sustainability, action must be created around preferences, decision-making systems and divisions. Technology: While advanced technology is a primary tool of the 21st century, careful consideration must be given to the ability, acceptability and capacity of implementers to use it. In addition, attention must be given to financing maintenance and replacement of rapidly changing technology. Environment: The community in which an initiative is to be sustained requires thorough assessment. Community members must be involved in identifying and managing risks, and in achieving a balance between sustainability and the resources required to meet new needs. External factors: Simplicity is the most efficient way to achieve sustainability. Complicated, ambitious and expensive actions are not easily replicated. Realistic duration: Actions must be periodically evaluated to determine their sustainability. Maintaining sustainability requires a balance between intentional behavioral and institutional change and dependence on solutions without ownership. The notion of developing sustainability applies across all spectrums of life. It is a conscious, intentional attempt to provide the best outcomes for human and natural environments, now and in the future. Given this, perhaps we should expand our parental advice to include awareness of the tradeoffs between sustaining a balanced lifestyle versus a high-maintenance one. Whatever … a job is still required! RNL
Reference: Young, L., & Hamshire, J. (2000). Promoting practical sustainability. Canberra, Australia: Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). |
