What is Sustainability?
Sustainable Growth
“Sustainability” applies not simply to environmental matters, but also to wider social and economic issues. It encompasses climate change, but also applies to our wider social responsibilities.
The SRM team believes the way to achieve truly successful sustainability is through a holistic approach to development and practice which embraces the Triple Bottom Line; combining economic, social and environmental concerns with equal weight.
Often thinking on sustainability typically includes economic and environmental factors, but neglects social concerns. Often barriers to projects are constructed from arguments based on narrow definitions of sustainability. These may be overcome by considering the wider benefits. Whilst this more holistic approach can rapidly be seen to bring greater benefits to a project, the planning system tends to lag behind.