WiserIT
So that we don't forget about the impact of IT
How much energy does a laptop use? Where do batteries go when we "recycle" them? What's the kilowatt cost of our data centers? This group was started mainly to talk about our increasing dependency on IT to do our work in the non-profit/ngo world, and how we may often overlook the impact of using this technology. After all, if we go on strike to protest t ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Oct 10, 2007
Updated: Aug 27, 2009
Membership: Open To Apply
Semi-Private
Sustainable Systems
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Developed by Michelle Chow, PhD, at the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation in conjunction with
the Institute for Children's Environmental Health
What Is Meant by “Sustainability”?
The notion of sustainability is, in essence, living with minimal impact on the environment and
natural resources, with a view to maintaining environmental and natural systems for future use
and enjoyment. Human activities have resulted in long-lasting damage to air, water and land
environments, depletion in natural resources and loss of ecological biodiversity.1 With everincreasing
global population size, urbanization and consumer demands for both basic needs and
modern conveniences, there is an urgent need to reconsider the ways in which human needs are
met. A commonly quoted definition, based on the 1987 Brundtland Report arising from United
Nations commission, describes sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.