Sustainability is a word we have been hearing about over and over again during these last few years. The question is: is it really achievable in Malta?

Sustainability is based on three fundamental, interlocking pillars: economic decisions based on environmental criteria that promote social equality among citizens; social equality decisions that make economic sense while promoting a better environment; and environmental decisions that promote social equality based on positive economic performance.

Whatever the background, decisions and actions can be sustainable.

Obviously, this is not music to everyone's ears. There are many who, in their shortsighted view of life, are either not conscious of the impacts of their decisions or choose not to take their decisions based on these considerations.

These people are the problems of sustainability, the problems to sustainability, the problems to a better quality of life. Justifications for unsustainable decisions and actions usually relate to lack of education, lack of information, lack of funds, greed or extremism.

To be blunt, environmentalists who do not take into account the economic and social dimensions are also 'unsustainable', as are economists who do not take account of the environmental and social dimensions.

The main problems with sustainability, therefore, relate to people, and their ability to understand, accept and adopt the concept.

Global vs local

On the international arena, the concept of sustainability is a hot topic. The EU, as an example, is an active leader and promoter of the concept. It actively promotes strategies that are sustainable.

However, the further down we go from the global forum to the local forum, the concept of sustainability starts to lose ground.

This is because the further we approach the local level, the more we depend on actions. Ultimately, we go down to the level of the individual - the grass roots, where it is all action with almost no strategy.

Therefore, although top-down strategies are important, it is only the bottom-up approaches that will really show how sustainable we are. Beyond individual actions, the first administrative levels, mostly local councils in Malta, are considered to have the potential of being key players for adopting and implementing sustainable actions among the community, for the community. This will, in turn, influence the national strategies and policies adopted.

Are we really opting for sustainable actions? Are we always checking whether our local policies and actions leave positive effects on the environment, make economic sense, and are socially equitable? Or are we just not bothered about sustainability or the immediate present, but obsessed with our field of expertise or just plain egoistic and greedy?

Local actions

Promoting sustainable actions is not an easy task. It is a challenge, and therefore the reason why many of us take the easiest way out, bury our heads in the sand and ignore the concept.

I was recently reading Small Town Sustainability, by Paul Knox and Heike Mayer, which highlights the challenges and advantages of small towns in adopting such concepts.

Examples include the promotion of a local sense of place, rhythm, local products and outdoor activities, the promotion of social interaction, conserving the physical fabric of the town and promoting eco-friendly behaviour (such as composting and recycling), investing in renewable energy systems and environmentally sensitive infrastructure, including schools and transportation, respecting the needs of fellow citizens, newcomers and visitors, and promoting partnership between business leaders and the community.

These are just general concepts which we can all translate into specific actions. Most importantly, these actions need to be tracked and measured through the identification of sets of indicators so we can all learn from networking with each other.

Is this possible?

Many foreign cities are promoting this bottom-up approach to sustainability. These cities, however, have one thing in common - they have made public their intentions of basing their actions on sustainability criteria and they are constantly trying to put their words into action.

We Maltese are good at talking, but can we really stand by our words and translate them into action?

Our future generations will definitely be talking about us!

Mr Magri is specialised in land use planning and has worked in planning since 1988, both as part of the Planning Directorate and in the private sector.

vmagri@mmp.com.mt