Welcome to Sustainability 101.  

This online module was developed by UNB Sustainability and the Office of Experiential Education, in collaboration with campus partners, to introduce key topics in Sustainability.  

To begin, let’s take a look at what sustainability is. 

Sustainability can be defined in many ways, but is, in general, development that meets today’s needs without compromising the needs of the future. This requires natural, social, and economic resources – meaning that sustainability is about more than just the environment! 

Sustainability is usually described as being made up of three different areas or types of sustainability: 

1) Economic sustainability 

The goal of economic sustainability is to maintain intact global communities and ensure that everyone has access to secure sources of livelihood. 

2) Social sustainability 

The goal of social sustainability is to protect the basic requirements needed to keep individuals and communities healthy, secure, and respected and ensure that they are available and accessible to all. 

3) Environmental sustainability 

The goal of environmental sustainability is to conserve natural resources and protect global ecosystems to support health and wellbeing, now and in the future. The concept of stewardship, in which humans must act as stewards of the earth, is deeply intertwined with environmental sustainability. 

It is important to note that there are alternative lenses and perspectives that can be taken. In the words of Robin Wall Kimmerer, an Anishinabekwe scientist,  

“The traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous harvesters is rich in prescriptions for sustainability. They are found in Native science and philosophy, in lifeways and practices, but most of all in stories… 

The details are highly specific to different cultures and ecosystems, but the fundamental principles are nearly universal among people who live close to the land.” 

In this module, we will look at some of the issues and topics in sustainability, such as climate change, obstacles to sustainability action, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. You will consider some of the possible actions you can take to promote sustainability and those being taken by the University of New Brunswick.  

Let’s get started!

One of the key topics in sustainability is climate change. In fact, it is difficult to consider sustainability or sustainable actions without considering climate change and its effects.  

Climate change is the long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional, and global climates. Its effects include droughts, flooding, rising sea levels, melting polar ice and glaciers, and increased severity and frequency of storms and wildfires. 

Collectively, these changes have already begun to affect human health, our ability to grow food, and our safety and security. Biodiversity has also been decreasing as habitats change and dangerous conditions put wildlife at risk.  

Action to slow and reduce the effects of climate change is possible, however. In general, climate change action can broadly be divided into two areas, adaptation and mitigation.

Adaptation is the process of making something suitable for a new use or purpose. In the context of climate change, adaptation includes all actions that will help human societies, Earth’s natural processes and ecosystems, and plant and wildlife survive in a changing world. This can include developing new agricultural crops that can withstand higher temperatures or use less water or designing new irrigation processes that remove less water from freshwater ecosystems.  

Mitigation is the act of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something. In the context of climate change, mitigation includes the actions being taken to try to limit or avoid the worst effects of climate change. These can include implementing carbon taxes, the development of carbon capture technology, and policies limiting the production of carbon dioxide and methane.  

You will learn more about climate change and strategies in adaptation and mitigation in future modules.