Sustainability means to last for a long time, to be around for future generations.
Do you know why the idea of sustainability is important?

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	Want to find out more? Check out these other cool sites! International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) No War Zone Issue Fact Sheets Sustainable Development Gateway UNESCO Youth Sourcebook on Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a term that grew out of the conservation/ environmental movement of the 1970s. While the conservation/ environmental movement asked questions about preserving the Earth's resources, sustainable development was designed to include questions about how human decisions affect the Earth and its environment.

At the heart of sustainable development is the simplest idea of trying to ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. Sustainable development essentially works to meet the needs of the present human population without destroying the ability to do so in the future.

What sustainable development means for the creation of projects, is that careful consideration must be given to the impact of the work on the local community, the local environment and the community’s access to resources over time.

	Some Quick Facts… Already, nearly half a billion people around the world face fresh water shortages. In the past decade alone, over 154 million hectares of tropical rainforest, equal to three times the land area of France, have been destroyed. 20% of the world’s population consumes 86% of all the available resources. (Source: Energy for the Poor and the United Nations Development Programme)