In 1987, the Bruntland Commission defined sustainable development as follows:

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

A common concept in discussing sustainability is that of the seventh generation, attributed to the Great Law (or Constitution) of the Iroquois Nation*, and often quoted as follows:

“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

What if every one of our actions was made with the thought of future generations – especially those beyond our own lifetime? What would change? What would we need to know?

While there are many unanswered questions yet about the impact of our actions, this is nonetheless the heart of sustainable design, trying to get through the maze of information to minimize the impact on future generations.

*Note:  While this “seventh generation” quote is frequently attributed to the Constitution of the Iroquois Nation, my quick Google search of the actual Constitution text yielded this: “

Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground — the unborn of the future Nation.” 

Can anyone shed more light on this?

Most common examples are bamboo (see bamboo flooring and bamboo textiles posts), and cork.  Flax, used in linoleum flooring, is also rapidly renewable.  New products are continually coming onto the market, using such agricultural products as wheat (e.g., wheat board), straw, sunflower seed hulls, and sorghum stalks.  Cotton is also considered rapidly renewable.  Although not from a plant, wool is sometimes also included in this list. 

The idea is that these products have short enough harvest cycles that using them is not depleting finite raw materials, as using petroleum based products would be, or even renewables like wood which still take considerably longer to replenish. 

While I would encourage people to seek products made from rapidly renewable materials, it is important to remember that it is only one of many sustainable characteristics, and it doesn’t address issues of agricultural production, namely chemical use, water use, monoculture, natural resource or food crop destruction for construction purposes, product transportation, and end of life.  On the other hand, some agricultural waste products that would otherwise have been burned in the fields are now being put to good use in products (such as wheat straw, sorghum stalks and sunflower seed hulls).  Cork is a particularly interesting example as the groves of cork trees tend to support biodiversity, and the harvesting (removal of the bark) is necessary for the plant to survive.

Here’s a couple of good articles (with a US bias) on products options and issues of rapidly renewable materials:

• “Rapidly Renewable Materials’ Comples Calculus” by B.J. Novitski
• “Growing Demand: The Green-Building Industry Seeks Rapidly Renewable Materials” by Jeff Stephens

Buying wood with an FSC label means getting assurance that the wood comes from a sustainably managed source.

The FSC website says:

“FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.  It provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.  Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

Only FSC

• prohibits conversion of natural forests or other habitat around the world
• prohibits the use of highly hazardous pesticides around the world
• prohibits the cultivation of genetically modified trees (GMOs)
• respects the right of indigenous peoples around the world
• controls each certified operation at least once a year – and if they are found not to comply, the certificate is withdrawn”

“This means what the organization does to:

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency:  “The major requirements of an EMS under ISO 14001 include:

A policy statement which includes commitments to prevention of pollution, continual improvement of the EMS leading to improvements in overall environmental performance, and compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

• Identification of all aspects of the community organization’s activities, products, and services that could have a significant impact on the enviromment [sic], including those that are not regulated
• Setting peformance [sic] objectives and targets for the management system which link back to the three comitments [sic] established in the community or organization’s policy (i.e. prevention of pollution, continual impovement [sic], and compliance)
• Implementing the EMS to meet these objectives. This includes activities like training of employees, establishing work instructions and practices, and establishing the actual metrics by which the objectives and targets will be measured.
• Establishing a program to periodically audit the operation of the EMS
• Checking and taking corrective and preventive actions when deviations from the EMS occur, including periodically evaluating the organization’s compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
• Undertaking periodic reviews of the EMS by top management to ensure its continuing performance and making adjustements [sic] to it, as necessary.”

Basically, it’s a sign of good environmental stewardship (and that the EPA doesn’t have spell check).