When you hear someone say “sustainability”, is it “environmental responsibility” that comes to mind?

Sustainability is indeed about more than just the environment.  Defined in Wikipedia, it is the capacity to endure and the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which includes environmental, economic, and social aspectsdimensions}.

More and more organizations are taking a rounded, holistic view.

Environment covers the impact of the corporation’s operations on our natural resources – air, water, land, minerals, fuel, ecosystems.

Economic considerations ensure operations are not ineffective, are efficient and required.

Social aspects consider human and labor rights, and corporate governance.

Here’s an example of one company’s triple-bottom line vision of sustainable development, where energy development should occur in a way that provides economic prosperity, promotes social well-being and preserves a healthy environment.  And you can visit their web site to see how they strive to achieve these dimensions.

There are many many other blogs and articles about the environmental angle.  Lots of ideas about what we can do to help the environmental dimension.  What about economic and social considerations?  Are there small things we can change on a day-to-day basis that can have an impact?

Let’s take a seemingly mundane category – carpeting.  Indeed, there is an expanding choice of eco-friendly carpet materials.

But what about carpet cleaning?  Here’s an something that not only helps environmentally and economically, but also socially.

Investing in quality carpet cleaning will extend the life of carpet (that’s an economic saving).  While this makes good sense for home-owners, it’s especially beneficial for businesses to consider eco-friendly, high quality commercial carpet cleaning because defering carpet replacement not only postpones carpet spending, the business disruption that replacement can cause could be costly.

And what’s in those products that are used to clean carpets?  After cleaning is finished, they’re in the air.  Check if the cleaning solutions you are using are have the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Clean Seal of Approval.  And if they are recognized by Designed for the Environment as environmentally friendly.  Keeping those chemicals out of the air we breathe is also good for everyone’s long-term health.

Look around you. Think. I’m sure you’ll have a long list shortly of things you can affect day to day advances sustainable practices, one action at a time.