WHAT SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT

In the span of years of seminars and lectures I have given on sustaina ble use of the planet, sustainable development, leaving a habitable pl anet for our descendants, and similar titles, a small but exceedingly vocal group has attempted, during the discussion period or the talk it self, to link sustainability with environmental extremism. Almost with out exception, objections to sustainability have been without foundati on. The most common accusations are that sustainability is: (1) a subt erfuge to protect endangered species, (2) anti-technology, (3) anti-in dustry, (4) anti-humans, (5) anti-private property, and (6) anti-chang e. Consequently, stating what sustainability is not is often helpful, and repetition of it may be necessary, depending on the depth of the m isunderstanding in the audience. This discussion covers some, but far from all, common objections to sustainability. As sustainability has b ecome better understood, attempts to associate it with environmental e xtremism should have diminished. However, no reduction in these misund erstandings has occurred and, if anything, the intensity may have incr eased slightly. Generally, only a small percentage of audiences appear to be emotional about sustainability, and stating what sustainability is not may not change their opinion or even silence their opposition. However, other members of the audience may be informed by stating wha t sustainability is not.