Principles at the Principles at the Fundamental Level of a Fundamental Level of a

Systems-based Systems-based Sustainability FrameworkSustainability Framework

David Kettle, D&B Kettle Consulting LtdDavid Kettle, D&B Kettle Consulting Ltd

22ndnd International Conference on Sustainability Engineering International Conference on Sustainability Engineering and Science, 21 – 23 February 2007, Auckland NZand Science, 21 – 23 February 2007, Auckland NZ

OutlineOutline

What are Principles?What are Principles?

The Author’s Principle Based FrameworkThe Author’s Principle Based Framework

Sustainability as a Global IssueSustainability as a Global Issue

ConclusionsConclusions

Principles are “fundamental laws or rules Principles are “fundamental laws or rules governing the behaviour of a system”governing the behaviour of a system”

Gibsons’ Principles Gibsons’ Principles (Gibson 2001)(Gibson 2001)

The seven system The seven system qualities (Luckman qualities (Luckman

2006)2006)

Six Basic Orientors of Six Basic Orientors of self-organising self-organising

systems (Bossel systems (Bossel 1999)1999)

IntegrityIntegrity NurturingNurturing ExistenceExistence

Sufficiency and Sufficiency and OpportunityOpportunity

SupportiveSupportive EffectivenessEffectiveness

EquityEquity StableStable Freedom of ActionFreedom of Action

EfficiencyEfficiency ContributingContributing SecuritySecurity

Democracy and CivilityDemocracy and Civility ResponsiveResponsive AdaptabilityAdaptability

PrecautionPrecaution DirectedDirected CoexistenceCoexistence

Immediate and Long Immediate and Long Term IntegrationTerm Integration

AdaptiveAdaptive

Further Definitions of PrinciplesFurther Definitions of Principles

IntegrityIntegrity – build human-ecological relations to – build human-ecological relations to maintain the integrity of biophysical systems in maintain the integrity of biophysical systems in order to maintain the irreplaceable life support order to maintain the irreplaceable life support functions upon which human well-being dependsfunctions upon which human well-being depends

Sufficiency and opportunitySufficiency and opportunity – ensure that – ensure that everyone has enough for a decent life and that everyone has enough for a decent life and that everyone has opportunity to seek improvements everyone has opportunity to seek improvements in ways that do not compromise future in ways that do not compromise future generations’ possibilities for sufficiency and generations’ possibilities for sufficiency and opportunityopportunity

Principles – Principles – Systems ThinkingSystems Thinking

““Analysis means taking something apart in Analysis means taking something apart in order to understand it; systems thinking order to understand it; systems thinking means putting it into the context of a means putting it into the context of a larger whole” larger whole” (Capra 1996, p. 30)(Capra 1996, p. 30)

Qualities rather than individual measured quantities

““The great shock of twentieth-century science has The great shock of twentieth-century science has been that systems cannot be understood by been that systems cannot be understood by analysis. The properties of the parts are not analysis. The properties of the parts are not intrinsic properties, but can be understood only intrinsic properties, but can be understood only within the context of the larger whole. within the context of the larger whole. Thus the Thus the relationship between the parts and the whole are relationship between the parts and the whole are reversed.reversed. In the systems approach, the In the systems approach, the properties of the parts can be understood only properties of the parts can be understood only from the organisation of the whole.from the organisation of the whole. Accordingly, Accordingly, systems thinking does not concentrate on basic systems thinking does not concentrate on basic building blocks but rather on basic principles of building blocks but rather on basic principles of organisation.” organisation.” (Capra 1996, p.29)(Capra 1996, p.29)

Karl-Henrick Roberts’ principle Karl-Henrick Roberts’ principle based systems approachbased systems approach (Robert 2000)(Robert 2000)

Level 1: Principles that describe the system, Level 1: Principles that describe the system, these are these are constitutionalconstitutional principles principles

Level 2: Principles that determine favourable Level 2: Principles that determine favourable outcomesoutcomes in a system in a system

Level 3: Principles that describe Level 3: Principles that describe howhow to reach a to reach a favourable outcome in a systemfavourable outcome in a system

Level 4: Various activities that must be aligned Level 4: Various activities that must be aligned with those principleswith those principles

Level 5: Ways of measuring and monitoring Level 5: Ways of measuring and monitoring those activitiesthose activities

Author’s Interpretation Author’s Interpretation (PhD 2007)(PhD 2007)

Level 1: Issue and World ViewLevel 1: Issue and World View

Level 2: General PrinciplesLevel 2: General Principles

Level 3: Discipline Specific PrinciplesLevel 3: Discipline Specific Principles

Level 4: Comparison IndicatorsLevel 4: Comparison Indicators

Level 5: Progress IndicatorsLevel 5: Progress Indicators

People Processes Places

Cultural & Social Institutional & Financial Natural & Built Environment

People Processes PlacesCultural & Social Institutional & Financial Natural & Built Environment

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Participation, Communication, Openness

Institutional Capacity Biodiversity / Biomimicry

Intergenerational Equity Life Cycle Costing Appropriate Technologies

Immediate & Long-term Integration

Precaution, Holistic Closed Loops, At Source

Community Consultation Integrated Water Services Water Cycle

Catchment Approach Sufficient Resources Nutrient Cycle

Water Quality/Quantity

Cultural Health Index Technical Requirements Water balance

Public Health Risk Regulatory Requirements Nutrient Balance

Public Acceptability Life Cycle Costs Water Quality

Life Cycle Analysis

Cultural Values Institutional Efficiencies Macroinvertebrates

Public UseOperational & Maintenance

CostsFlooding

Public Adoption Energy Use

People Processes PlacesCultural & Social Institutional & Financial Natural & Built Environment

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Sustainability as a Global IssueSustainability as a Global Issue

West East

(Gibsons’ principles)

(Vedic, Indian qualities of natures intelligence)

Vedic LiteratureVedic Literature(examples of seven of the total number of forty (examples of seven of the total number of forty

vedic qualities of natures intelligence)vedic qualities of natures intelligence)

Vedic Literature Vedic Literature Terminology Terminology

English terminology for English terminology for equivalent vedic termequivalent vedic term

Gibsons’ Principles Gibsons’ Principles (Gibson 2001)(Gibson 2001)

Rk VedaRk Veda HolisticHolistic IntegrityIntegrity

NiruktNirukt Self-referralSelf-referral Sufficiency and Sufficiency and OpportunityOpportunity

YogaYoga UnifyingUnifying EquityEquity

Karma MimamsaKarma Mimamsa AnalysingAnalysing EfficiencyEfficiency

Vagbhatt SamhitaVagbhatt Samhita Communication and Communication and EloquenceEloquence

Democracy and CivilityDemocracy and Civility

Madhav Nidan Madhav Nidan SamhitaSamhita

DiagnosingDiagnosing PrecautionPrecaution

Charak SamhitaCharak Samhita Balancing – Holding Balancing – Holding Together and Together and SupportingSupporting

Immediate and Long Immediate and Long Term IntegrationTerm Integration

ConclusionsConclusions

Principle based row-column frameworkPrinciple based row-column framework

ColumnsColumns - Cultural & Social - Cultural & Social- Institutional & Financial- Institutional & Financial- Natural & Built Environment- Natural & Built Environment

5 Rows (Levels)5 Rows (Levels) Level 1 basic building blocks (column headings)Level 1 basic building blocks (column headings) Then ….agree on general (level 2) and discipline Then ….agree on general (level 2) and discipline

specific (level 3) principlesspecific (level 3) principles Then…. agree on comparison (level 4) and Then…. agree on comparison (level 4) and

progress (level 5) indicatorsprogress (level 5) indicators

Principles as commonality between ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ worldviews?