ABSTRACT
Returning to the Social Ecology model of sustainability introduced in Chapters 1 and 6, we start a series of three chapters by drilling down first into the sector named ‘environmental’. This is the obvious starting point for focusing on the challenges articulated in the Brundtland Report in 1987, even if the notion of sustainable development often begins by looking at economic policies and practices. Environmental considerations impose constraints on economic growth and development and we need to begin by understanding the nature of those constraints. This chapter will focus on three of the nine RMIT Guiding Principles introduced in Chapter 2:
■ Acknowledge interconnectedness at all levels within the biosphere. ■ Acknowledge that there are limits to growth. ■ Respect diversity in both nature and culture.
