The terms sustainability, sustainable, and sustainable development are used to describe innovative and holistic approaches towards planning and decision making. Many organizations and municipalities have embraced this concept, which is described as:
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs(from 1987 Brundtland Report).
In the County of Frontenac, sustainability is defined as:
Reaching a desired future state that incorporates values - identified by community members and organizations - which integrate social, cultural, economic and environmental issues.
These issues are known as the four pillars of sustainability. Sustainable community planning will be unique to our region since our priorities, pressures, values and opportunities are defined by our community members themselves. Through this process, community sustainability is achieved most effectively.
Monitoring Our Success
How do we track how sustainable and positive our actions are in the Frontenacs? If we undertake a project or initiative which contributes to a healthier community, how do we measure its success? In other words, we need some indication of what we are striving for within each of the four pillars.
Strong public policy and a commitment to accountability are necessary to keep sustainable planning current and fresh in the Frontenacs. Sustainability indicators are a useful tool to monitor and track progress. They go beyond traditional measures and indices to incorporate factors which contribute to community capacity and development. Appropriate sustainability indicators should be based on the four pillars to capture the close relationship between the core sustainability principles selected by residents of the Frontenacs and the Focus Areas listed in the preceding section. They are useful in gauging and monitoring the effectiveness of various initiatives as they relate to national and provincial benchmarks and/or local baseline information. Benchmarks and baselines allow for comparison and help determine our extent of progress.
Within the four pillars of sustainability, broad indicators of sustainability include:
