Applied sustainability

Note that this is a significant difference from the standard definition of sustainability that normally is encapsulated by some version of the Brundtland Commission's concept: “development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”[1] A more refined definition would be called "just applied sustainability": the just and equitable application of science and innovation, including the social sciences, to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems.

[2] It generates an improved definition of sustainable development as "the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems".

[3] This new form of sustainable development prioritizes justice and equity, while maintaining the importance of the environment and the global life support system.

Applied sustainability is made up of work in engineering, policy, and education – whatever methods are necessary to conserve the world for our children.

Sustainability, itself, is a term that is often confused because in its most basic form it is a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely.