Sustainability in Whistler

Many may have heard the Brundtland Commission’s Our Common Future definition of sustainable development as, “…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition, developed in 1987, was a turning point in society’s efforts to understand and implement sustainability.

Many other definitions have been developed since, and all have to do with:

• Living within environmental limits
• Understanding the interconnections among economy, society and environment, and
• Distributing resources and opportunities fairly.

In 2000, Whistler adopted the Natural Step framework for sustainability as a means of building a common understanding of sustainability throughout the community. The Natural Step Sustainability Objectives are based on science and enable us to assess our daily decisions. They shape our Vision of success as a resort community, and inform the path ahead toward sustainability, locally and globally.

The Sustainability Objectives are underpinned by an evolution of perspectives on what sustainability means.

Whistler's Sustainability Objectives

T he Earth is a system, and natural cycles are essential to the health of this system. We know that the system is open with respect to sunlight, which is turned into energy through photosynthesis. On the other hand, it is a closed system with respect to materials, meaning that the materials may be found in different forms, but there will never be ‘more’ or ‘less’ of them. Sustainability is about natural cycles running in perpetuity.

So how do we, as a society, influence these cycles? Science suggests that we influence these cycles in four ways, by:

1. taking relatively large flows of materials from the earth’s crust
   (e.g. oil, copper)
2. introducing persistent compounds that are foreign to nature
   (e.g. DDT or plastics)
3. physically inhibiting the ability of nature to run cycles
   (e.g. paving wetlands, over harvesting)
4. creating barriers that inhibit the ability of other people to meet their basic needs
   (e.g. lack of access to education, health, or freedom of expression)

By understanding these systems-level impacts, we understand that in order to achieve a sustainable society, Whistler must reduce and ultimately eliminate our contributions to:

	Ongoing build-up of substances taken from the earth’s crust Or, use less or different stuff!
	Ongoing build-up of substances produced by society Or, make less or different stuff!
	Ongoing degradation of natural systems by physical means Or, reduce our impact on life-sustaining ecosystems.
	Undermining the ability of people to meet their human needs Or, meet human needs fairly & efficiently.

Click here for more on the scientific basis of sustainability.

The non-prescriptive nature of Whistler’s Sustainability Objectives should help to unleash the creativity of all Whistlerites to identify opportunities for moving toward sustainability. The resort community has used these objectives to develop Whistler2020 and encourages their use in all decision-making.