Sustainability
The following text is a translation of an excerpt from the German article on sustainability (Nachhaltigkeit) on Wikipedia:
The concept of sustainability describes the usage of a regenerative system in such a way as to maintain its essential properties and such that its resources can replenish naturally. [...]
The term sustainability is commonly understood to be made up of three components, which are also called the three pillars of sustainability.
- Ecological sustainability describes the goal of maintaining nature and the environment for future generations. This includes the conservation of biodiversity, prevention of climate change, looking after the countryside in its original form as well as generally a considerate handling of the natural environment.
- Economic sustainability makes the postulate that the economy be designed such that it may offer a permanent and stable basis for yield and affluence. The protection of economic resources from exploitation is of special importance.
- Social sustainability understands the development of a society to be a path which enables participation of all its members. This includes a balancing of social forces with the aim of achieving a society which is […] permanently worth living in.