Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2009 - (Page 13)

European governments urging a solution that is sustainable in all respects. EEB contends that, while granting credit has not been based on real earning capacity, our consumption of natural resources in the last decades has also exceeded the earth’s carrying capacity. This double-edged unsustainable behavior must be addressed from both sides. EEB’s Secretary General emphatically stated, “Requiring sustainability reporting and indexing for large companies in the stock exchange markets, using public money for application of currently available sustainable innovations in energy, transport, housing and agriculture, implementation of green public procurement, making capital for green innovative investments readily available and cheaper and encouraging tax shifts that reduce the costs of labor and increase the costs of resource use and pollution - these are just a few tools that should be on the table during any discussions for financial remedies to this crisis.” The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) membership comprises the national standards’ bodies of 157 countries and is complemented by more than 600 international and regional partners and the participation of close to 100,000 experts. ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden commented: “While the content of the majority of ISO standards is technical, their implementation goes beyond solving technical problems to delivering positive results in economic, environmental and societal spheres.” Land developments are the largest physical things we build on the planet. Collectively they form the infrastructure of our civilization. Sustainable land development standards are essential to balancing the needs of people, planet and profit – for today and for future generations. become self-fulfilling prophecies of reality. While the current problems of the land development industry, as well as the American and global economies, are indisputable and certainly a reality, they have been influenced by perceptions. While many spent last year hoping that the declines consistently being reported were fleeting and soon to end, the polling of consumer confidence throughout the year continually declined. Was the tumultuous collapse of our economy precipitated by the perception of the citizenry or was it a house of cards bound to fall on itself? Likewise, there is still a widely held perception by professionals in the land development industry that incorporating sustainable principles is cost-prohibitive. This perception was enhanced by early adopters of environmental and “green” solutions that only were con- People: Meeting Market Demands Perception and reality are often different. In many instances, though, they are inescapably linked. In fact, it can be argued that some dominant perceptions Circle 143 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard www.SLDTonline.com 13 http://www.grpumps.com http://www.grpumps.com http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2009 Contents Our Voice Your Voice The BottomLine SLDI in Focus Calendar Industry Rebound Will Require Balanced Approach What Happened to Fannie and Freddie? Added Value in Entitlements Industry Spotlights Technology Wastewater Innovation Classifieds Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2009

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