ABSTRACT
Although the following principles may sound simple, they are not. In fact, the seemingly common-sense appearance of the sustainability concept overall has been one of its main drawbacks from the beginning. Almost everyone thinks they know what sustainability means, and on the surface it does appear that sustaining human civilization is a straightforward goal. However, the reality of helping do this every day is not at all easy. Being an effective sustainability practitioner means carefully honing approaches and skills over many years, learning from experience as you go, and constantly pushing yourself to better weave together professional skills, bodies of knowledge, strategic approaches, and methods of collaboration with others. 1
The ecological worldview and holistic approach outlined in Chapter 2 emphasize the extent to which any situation is embedded within a dynamic, richly interwoven context. A planning issue, building, park, transit system, economic development initiative, or social policy does not stand alone, but fits into a complex and constantly changing world. When contemplating a particular action, the challenge is to understand as much as possible all the systems and interactions that this endeavor fits into so as to design the best possible intervention. The process of figuring out sustainable solutions depends heavily on such contextual understanding. Otherwise, actions may meet some goals but not others, may
distract from more important steps that need to be taken, and may even be counterproductive in terms of overall progress toward sustainability.
