Featured Article

The Characteristics of Sustainability
The Global Development Research Center (http://www.gdrc.org/sustdev/triads/triad.html) states there are seven characteristics of sustainability, where each characteristic incorporates a triad of  elements to support it. By implementing these characteristics, regardless of the overlapping nature of them, sustainability can be achieved.

  • Participation - Commitment, communication, and cooperation. Exchanging  ideas and opinions (communication) grounded in mutual respect and shared responsibilities (commitment) while working together towards common and mutual benefit (cooperation) is the first triad.
     

  • Decision Making - Consensus building, awareness building, review. Creating collective agreement (consensus building) for action where initiating action means understanding of the causes and effects (awareness building), and then involving all members in discussion of the issues (review).
     

  • Partnership - Interdependence, networking, clustering. Mutual respect of others' strengths and weaknesses (interdependence), of interacting with people who have similar interests or concerns, or providing support (networking), and merging different skills and resources (clustering).
     

  • Governance - Transparency, accountability, efficiency. Information is easily accessible and readily available (transparency), people are empowered and responsible for decision-making (accountability) so maximum output is achieved (efficiency).
     

  • Knowledge and Information - Appropriateness, accessibility, timeliness. It is essential to have knowledge and information that is appropriate, easily accessible, and available in a timely manner.
     

  • Continual Improvement - Monitoring, needs assessment, feedback. Monitor and evaluate progress, implement a needs assessment system to set up measureable goals, and encourage feedback to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
     

  • Lifestyles - Behavior, values, ethics. Whether it's personal or professional lifestyles, a commitment to supportive values and ethics modify behaviors to contribute to sustainability.  

The key to success is determining how to implement these characteristics in your project teams and your personal life to bring sustainability down to an individual level. Learn more about how self-actualization leads to sustainability in this month's Know How Network article and this issue's first article, Sustainability and You.
 

By implementing these characteristics, regardless of the overlapping nature of them, sustainability can be achieved.