Strategic sustainable development

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Strategic Sustainable Development

Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD[citation needed]) is a strategic approach to sustainable development and is a field of study that exists within the public domain. A number of authors, researchers and practitioners identify with this approach. The approach is based upon whole-systems thinking where the 5-Level Framework (System, Success, Strategic, Actions, Tools) is applied to society within the biosphere. This is called the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). The FSSD is a process of continual learning that incorporates other methods, tools, and concepts into a shared, structured overview. The framework is also known as The Natural Step Framework after the originally Swedish international non-profit NGO promoting it (www.thenaturalstep.org). The academic network Alliance for Strategic Sustainable Development consists of different universities from around the world where the framework is scrutinized, applied and tested. Both the Blekinge Institute of Technology (part of the Alliance) and The Natural Step, along with many leading experts in the sustainability arena, are contributors to it.

Advantages

SSD has the advantages of being:

  • Scientific – basic concepts from physics, natural and social systems provide a foundation
  • Based on systems thinking – to support decision making in situations of high complexity recognizing the interdependence of the natural world and society
  • Structured – there is a clear distinction between: (1) the principle functioning of the system, (2) a principled view of sustainability, (3) strategic decision making, (4) actions and (5) various support methods & tools (e.g. life-cycle assessment, environmental management systems)
  • Based on sustainability principles derived from scientific consensus
  • Strategic – a clearly principled view of a future sustainable society creates a perspective on which we can base our decisions (i.e. backcasting)
  • Tested by application – theories and concepts are continually applied and tested in concert with business & society
  • Encouraging creativity – a vast range of possibilities within broad but concrete constraints

The SSD approach combines a number of concepts that are published independently (e.g. backcasting as a general approach, strategic planning, systems thinking, etc.) and it is the combination of these elements that give it strength.

Alliance for Strategic Sustainable Development

The founding partners of the Alliance for SSD are:

  • Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden: Göran Broman, Tobias Larsson, Karl‐ Henrik Robèrt.
  • Carnegie Melon University, USA: Terry Collins.
  • Sheridan College, Canada: Elaine Hanson.
  • Arizona State University, USA: George Basile.
  • Berkeley University, USA: Bernard Lietaer.

References

  • Robèrt, Karl-Henrik. (2002). The Natural Step Story: Seeding a Quiet Revolution. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.
  • Robert, Karl-Henrik et al. (2002). Strategic Sustainable Development: Selection, Design and Synergies of applied tools. Journal of Cleaner Production 10(3):197–214

See also

External links

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