User:ISSP/Sustainability professional

Sustainability: An Emerging Industry
More and more organizations are trying to implement sustainability and yet integrated, comprehensive approaches to promoting sustainability are the exception, not the rule. Director of sustainability or sustainability coordinator positions are proliferating to aid these organizations wanting to embed sustainability into every level of their operations/structure so that sustainability becomes part of everyday business. While there are a few universities with sustainability programs, there is a need for professional development on a broader scale. Many colleagues have expressed a desire to connect with others doing this work to support and learn from one another.

Sustainability can be defined in different ways in different contexts but at its root is an acknowledgment of the limits of nature and a long-term systems view that includes social and economic elements as well as environmental ones. The world is in its infancy in learning how to develop a sustainable society, so open dialog about different approaches will be key to sustainability professional's success. No one has the whole picture or the whole answer, so through collaboration, experimentation, and information sharing, together we can find paths toward a better, more sustainable world.

While there are other organizations related to sustainability, they tend to be focused on a geographic area, framework, philosophy or sector.