Modern Principle of Sustainability

Sustainability is multidimensional in that it necessarily includes social and economic value dimensions in addition to environmental value dimensions. To establish and maintain sustainability within any aspect of life one must consider all three value dimensions simultaneously. To give attention to one without giving attention to the other may potentially compromise the system as a whole which may then inhibit any potential for sustainability.



Dimensions of Sustainability

Now, having said that, there is certainly nothing wrong with focusing on one value dimension provided it does not come at the expense of another. Green, for example, is primarily thought of as an environmental concern. It is very easy to get caught up in that way of thinking and to forget that there are also social and economic aspects of green.

Social value: healthier home environments leads to healthier people which leads to healthier communities
Economic value: lower operating costs, greater home value, longer economic value lifecycle
Environmental value: less pollution, energy efficient and better use of natural resources.

Energy efficiency, Cost Reduction, and CO2 Abatement

Global climate change challenges us to transform the ways in which we generate and use energy. Based on the findings of the world’s climate scientists and mitigation experts, substantial emissions reductions are necessary to avoid significant changes in the earth’s atmosphere with severe consequences for human health and the global environment. The most recent consensus findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be reduced by 50 to 85 percent by 2050 to avoid global temperature rise of 2.5 degrees Celsius or more, and global GHG emissions must stop rising no later than 2015 (IPCC, 2007). With the majority of government leaders taking steps to act on these findings, there are intensified efforts in many nations to develop low-cost emissions reduction options in the near term. This puts energy efficiency in the climate policy spotlight as a near-term, low-cost resource for reducing the growth in carbon emissions and lowering the ultimate cost of reducing GHG emissions. Energy efficiency provides multiple public benefits regardless of its carbon emissions impacts. It reduces home and business energy costs, improves productivity, stimulates economic growth, reduces energy market prices, improves energy system reliability, reduces criteria air pollutant emissions, and enhances national energy security. Savings from reduced energy consumption typically outweigh the cost of the energy efficiency investment. Thus, efficiency reduces the overall cost of energy services.
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Increased energy efficiency investment combats global climate change in two primary ways. First, simply put, “the less energy used, the fewer emissions produced.” While this general statement overlooks the more complex relationships between energy efficiency and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, it places energy efficiency in a core role for future energy and climate policies and programs. Second, cost-effective energy efficiency achieves these environmental benefits at low cost, and thus can reduce the economic costs of achieving climate policy goals.

The remaining parts I am going to post soon.There are lots of thing remaining here to write.I will become always fresh when writing in such topics.
more links:
Energy saving list for industry