The UN World Commission on Environment and Development states this: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 

Sustainable practices support both ecological and human, as well as economic wealth and vitality. Sustainability assumes that the resource in question is finite and should therefore be used conservatively or in a manner in which it cannot be depleted within the foreseeable future (hundreds of years). It is important to use sustainable measures when dealing with certain resources (especially those essential to human survival) so that they do not run out or become unusable. For example a water plant may help the replenishment or creation of drinking water but if it is not sustainable, can ruin the environment around it causing a multitude of other problems.