Page 13 - “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

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societies not to decrease – someone is often claimed to be 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

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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