Sustainable: Buzz Killing the Buzz Word

"Sustainability is a popular and useful word - yet one that also has shortcomings. It begs the question, for example, of what we want to sustain. Those who are invested in suburban, automobile-dependent living may contend that their way of life deserves sustenance - regardless of its impact on carbon emissions. The federal government's recent bailout of bad mortgages is a policy that kept many suburbs afloat.

Sustainability implies judgments that divide people. We run the risk of sounding self-righteous when we argue that urban patterns are more sustainable than sprawl. So the question must be asked: Is there a less divisive and more precise way to make this argument?"

Thanks to Renee Brutvan