Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T19:43:31.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Beyond Cliché – Reclaiming the Concept of Sustainability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Robert J. Fuller
Robert J. Fuller*
Affiliation:
Deakin University
*
†School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia. E-mail: rjfull@deakin.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In closing his 2008 Myer Lecture, the scientist and environmentalist Dr Tim Flannery said that this century will be defined by the search for sustainability. How perilous therefore that nowadays there is so much overuse of the word “sustainability” that it has become a cliché. Today's tertiary students studying architecture and energy-related subjects are so exposed to this linguistic devaluation that most of them appear to have accepted the vagueness of the term and are on their way to becoming the next generation of misusers. This paper presents a case study of an attempt to sharpen up the debate with some university students from these particular disciplines. A model of the four principles of sustainable development that has been found to be particularly useful is described. The students in question were challenged to think about the meaning of some of the words ascribed to new buildings and about the implications of the four principles to energy supply systems.

Keywords

sustainabilitydefinitionsbuilt environmentenergyequityfuturity.
Type
Feature Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 26 , 2010 , pp. 7 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ABS (2001). Australia's Environment: Issues and Trends. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. (Catalogue No 4613.0)Google Scholar
ABS (2004). Energy, 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2004. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.Google Scholar
BOMA (1994). Energy Guidelines. Melbourne: Building Owner and Managers Association.Google Scholar
Brazil Institute (2007, 04). The global dynamics of biofuels. (Special Report, No. 3). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Cambridge (2010). Dictionaries Online. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=25959&dict=CALD&topic=environmental-issues Google Scholar
Canegrowers (2008). Annual Report 2008. Brisbane: Queensland Cane Growers Organisation Ltd.Google Scholar
Chapman, D. (2004). Sustainability and our cultural myths. Canadian Journal of Environmental Engineering, 9, 92–108.Google Scholar
Cooper, I. (1995). Environmental assessment methods for use at the building and city scales: Constructing bridges and identifying common ground? In Brandon, P. S., Lombardi, P. L. & Bentivegna, V. (Eds.), Evaluation of the Built Environment for Sustainability (pp. 1–5). London: E & FN Spon.Google Scholar
Daly, H. E., & Townsend, K. N. (Eds.). (1993). Valuing the Earth – Economics, Ecology and Ethics. Massachusetts: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Daly, H. E. (1996). Beyond Growth. Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
DENA (2009). Power from sunlight. Renewables Made In Germany, German Energy Agency. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from http://www.renewables-made-in-germany.com/Google Scholar
DEWHA (2007). National strategy for ecological sustainable development. Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved December 19, 2008, from http://www.environment.gov.au Google Scholar
DWIA (2009). Wind Figures. Danish Wind Industry Association. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from http://www.windpower.org/ Google Scholar
EPA (2009). Green Building – Basic Information. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/about.htm Google Scholar
Fuller, R. J. (1997, 10-Nov). Living in the 70s. ReNew, 61, 40–43.Google Scholar
Fuller, R. J. (2005, 11). Renewable energy and sustainability– An evaluation. In Lloyd, B. (Ed.), Renewable energy for a sustainable future: A challenge for a post carbon world. ANZSES conference held in Dunedin, New Zealand (pp. 1–7). Melbourne: ANZSES.Google Scholar
Garnaut, R. (2008). Understanding Climate Science. Chapter 2, Final Report. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
GCI (2009). Contraction and Convergence. A global solution to a global problem. Global Commons Institute. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from http://www.gci.org.uk/contconv/cc.html Google Scholar
Goldemberg, J., Johansson, T. B., Reddy, A. K. N., & Williams, R. H. (1987). Energy for a Sustainable World. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute.Google Scholar
IEAust (1994). Policy on sustainability. Canberra: Institution of Engineers, Australia.Google Scholar
Jickling, B. (1994). Why I don't want my children to be educated for sustainable development: Sustainable belief. Trumpeter, 11(3), 1–8.Google Scholar
Jickling, B. & Spork, H. (1998). Education for the environment: A critique. Environmental Education Research, 4(3), 309–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jickling, B. (2001). Environmental thought, the language of sustainability, and digital wateches. Environmental Education Research, 7(2), 167–180.Google Scholar
Johnson, L. (2001). The view from Australia - green limits in the land of plenty. Architectural Design, 71(4), 52–59.Google Scholar
Krugmann, H., & Goldemberg, J. (1983). The energy cost of satisfying basic human needs. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 24(1), 45–60.Google Scholar
Lenzen, M., & Murray, S.A. (2001). A modified ecological footprint method and its application to Australia. Ecological Economics, 37(2), 229–255.Google Scholar
Lovins, A. B. (1977). Soft Energy Paths: Towards a Durable Peace. Cambridge, MA: Penguin Books Ltd.Google Scholar
Mitchell, G., May, A., & MacDonald, A. (1995). PICABUE: A methodological framework for the development of indicators of sustainable development. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 2, 104–123.Google Scholar
NSW Government (2010). Canterbury–Your Home–Environmentally Friendly Building. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from http://www.canterbury.nsw.gov.au/www/html/1436-your-home---environmentally-friendly-building.asp Google Scholar
Palmedo, P. F., Nathans, R., Beardsworth, E. & Hale, S. Jnr. (1978). Energy Needs and Resources in Developing Countries. BNL 50784, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York.Google Scholar
Palmer, J., Cooper, I. & van der Vorst, R. (1997). Mapping out fuzzy buzzwords - who sits where on sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 5, 87–93.3.0.CO;2-Z>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PCA (2001). Energy Guidelines. Sydney, NSW: Property Council of Australia Google Scholar
Redclift, M. (1987). Sustainable development: Exploring the contradictions. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
SA Government (2004, 12 3). Green light for environmentally-friendly government office accommodation [Media Release]. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from http://www.gbca.org.au/media-centre/ Google Scholar
Sauve, L. (2002). Environmental education: possibilities and constraints. UNESCO International Science, Technology and Environmental Newsletter, 27(1-2), 1–4.Google Scholar
Sawin, J. L. (2008). Another sunny year for solar power. Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute.Google Scholar
Serchuk, A. (2000). The environmental imperative for renewable energy: an update. Renewable Energy Policy Project, Special Earth Day Report, REPP-Crest, Washington, US.Google Scholar
Spratt, D., & Sutton, P. (2008). Climate Code Red. Carlton North: Scribe Publications.Google Scholar
Taylor, P., Fuller, R. J., & Luther, M. B. (2008). Energy use and thermal comfort in a rammed earth office building. Energy and Buildings, 40(5), 793–800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UN (2009). Poverty and inequality. Retrieved February 20, 2009, from http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/poverty/poverty_and_inequality.html Google Scholar
UNCED (1992). Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Report on the UN Conference, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 06.Google Scholar
UNDP (2004). World Energy Assessment - Energy and the Challenge of Sustainability. Overview: 2004 Update. New York: United Nations Development Programme.Google Scholar
UNEP (2005, 11/December). Indicators for assessing progress towards the 2010 target: Ecological footprint and related concepts. Note by the Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal.Google Scholar
van Kooten, G. C., & Bulte, E. H. (2000). The ecological footprint: useful science or politics? Ecological Economics, 32, 3, 385–389.Google Scholar
VROMRaad (1999). Global Sustainability and the Ecological Footprint: Advice No 16. The Hague, Netherlands: Council for Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment.Google Scholar
Wackernagel, M., & Rees, W. D. (1996). Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. Gabriola Island, British Columbia: New Society Publishers.Google Scholar
Walker, K. J. (2002). Environmental Policy in Australia. In Desai, U. (Ed.) Environmental Politics and Policy in Industrialized Countries (pp. 247–293). Cambridge, Massuchusetts: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Wallace-Crabbe, C. (2008, 09 13). The Republic of Clichés. Transcript of Linqua Franca, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National broadcast.Google Scholar
Wals, A. E. J., & Jickling, B. (2002). “Sustainability” in higher education: From doublethink and newspeak to critical thinking and meaningful learning. Higher Education Policy, 15, 12–131.Google Scholar
WCED (1987). Our Common Future. World Commission on Environment and Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Williamson, T., Radford, A., & Bennetts, H. (2003). Understanding Sustainable Architecture. London: Spon Press.Google Scholar
World Bank (2009). Poverty. News and Broadcast. Washington, DC: AuthorGoogle Scholar
WWF (2002). Living Planet Report. Gland, Switzerland: World Wildlife Fund International.Google Scholar