Page 12 - “GREENING” THE CONTENT IN CXC® SYLLABUSES

E-LEARNING MODULES AND LEARNING GUIDE FOR TEACHERS

On completion of this Module, teachers should:

1. understand the fundamental concept of sustainable development and sustainability; and,

2. appreciate the need for sustainability.

1.1: Understanding Sustainability.

Objective 1: Explain the concept of sustainability.

Read to Learn!

There is no universally agreed definition of sustainability.

Literally, sustainability means a capacity to maintain some

entity, outcome, or process over time (Basiago, 1999).
Sustainability may also be defined as the processes and

actions through which we avoid depleting natural

resources to maintain the ecological balance that is

essential for our well-being and a good quality of life. If
an action causes little, less, or no harm to the natural world – under the belief (not always

ensured) ecosystems will keep on operating and generating the conditions that allow for the

quality of life of today’s modern societies not to decrease – someone is often claimed to be

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sustainable.
Sustainability is not just environmentalism, but (it) also allows us to address concerns about social

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equity and economic development . Sustainability is a paradigm for thinking about the future in
which environmental, societal, and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of an

improved quality of life. For example, a prosperous society relies on a healthy environment to

1 https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-sustainability-definition-examples-principles/
2 https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf
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