Sustainable Development Strategies
How to Achieve Sustainability through The Natural Step Framework
Sustainable development balances the needs of today’s society with the anticipated needs of future generations. It assures our children that their future ability to live sustainably will not be undermined by choices we make today.
The foundation of The Natural Step’s approach to sustainable development is The Natural Step Framework, a comprehensive model for strategic decision making. It supports the development of sustainable businesses and sustainable communities, large and small.
The Natural Step Framework is based on systems thinking. It recognizes that what happens in one part of a system affects every other part. It will help you explore the system within which you operate to understand the rules, restrictions and assumptions that exist. Then, applying our science-based Principles of Sustainability you will define a sustainable vision for your organization. Each organization will have a unique vision. Our process is neither prescriptive nor proprietary. The next step is to backcast from that vision to define your strategies to achieve it. Finally, you will identify the actions and tools necessary to track and manage your progress.
We often use the example of a sports team. To understand the team’s performance, we must analyze the actions of each individual player as well as how they played as whole. We won’t learn much if we just study one member of the team. Our Framework gives your organization the tools to look at your whole team, to understand the rules of the game, to define success, and move towards it together.
ESSENTIAL LEARNING RESOURCES:
Sustainability Learning Programs
Sustainable Development Learning Resources
Sustainability Primer - Step By Natural Step
Case Studies on Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Buildings, , Sustainable Manufacturing, Sustainable Technology, Sustainable Professional Services and Sustainable Food Services.
