4th Summit on Tap Nov. 7-8: Incorporating Public and Environmental Health into Sustainable Solutions
Martin Armes, Friday, September 23, 2011
Theme of Summit: There is an increased emphasis on sustainability, which has been defined as “improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems.” The three pillars of sustainability are the economy, society and the environment, and to achieve sustainability there is a natural interaction among these three pillars. Of increasing importance and focus are the impacts of population growth, rapid urbanization and globalization on public health and quality of life. There is increasing concern that sustainability be achieved in an equitable or “just” manner.
This summit will provide decision-makers in the public and private sectors an overview of existing and emerging tools and methods to evaluate sustainability as it relates to public health, with particular emphasis on products, the built environment and energy production.
End Product: A White Paper that focuses on: 1) Identifying the gaps in current methodologies in regard to measuring the effects on public health and well-being from adopting and developing sustainable solutions; establishing ways to incorporate and standardize sustainability metrics, especially with respect to public health effect. This will involve life cycle and cost-benefit analyses. 2) Providing a roadmap or recommendations for how to address these gaps.