Fourth Triangle: Sustainable Development

Sustainable development often appears as a somewhat abstract concept. However, it becomes much less abstract if is being conceptualized at the local level. A good example is vegetable oil. Have you ever considered how much vegetable oil is being consumed in your city, in particular by restaurants and industrial kitchens? And have you ever considered that much of it is actually not consumed but rather disposed of after some period of use? If you start to ask around, you may come to figures which amount to several tons of vegetable oil which is monthly poured into sewers or local rivers. This is not only creating environmental problems. It is also a big waste. Used vegetable oil still has a high energy content, and after a process of refining it can be used, for instance, in vehicles. Why not run local buses on recycled vegetable oil? If you think about it, it quickly becomes obvious that this is an excellent manifestation of the concept of sustainable development:

• it solves several environmental problems (pollution of rivers, air pollution from conventional petrol),
• it creates an economic opportunity, since the collection and refinery operation ought to be run as a private enterprise (probably with some public seed money),
• it makes a contribution to social development, in particular in terms of creating low-skilled jobs in the oil collection business.

This example shows two things. First, sustainable development can be a very concrete concept. Second, thinking about issues from this perspective opens the mind to note potentials which otherwise go unnoticed. In this sense, sustainable development can play the role of giving orientation in terms of strategic orientation. It can also contribute to motivate local actors for a LED effort. There are many places, even in poor regions, where environmental problems such as waste disposal are pressing. Many such problems indeed are business opportunities, and conceptualizing them in this way can pave the way for an effective LED initiative.

An example of how environmental issues may be integrated into development strategies is provided from the South African Integrated Development Planning (IDP) approach ("How to prepare Development Strategies").

Practical Approaches to Connecting Ecological, Social and Economic Development in order to Achieve Sustainable Development

Practical approaches offered here include a new methodological approach to enable businesses to practically apply the principles of sustainable development and even turn them into a competitive advantage: Profitable Environmental Management (PREMA), which easily blends with LED efforts.

Environmental Principles Relevant for LED will introduce the most prominent environmental principles to consider in local economic development efforts;

Environmental technology is the issue under Transfer of Environmental Technologies and Appropriate Technology Information Service;

Sustainable Tourism provides yet another perspective on how to foster regional sustainable development.

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