sustainability: in their own words

Tampa Bay 'green' experts weigh in on their definition of sustainability.

“Sustainability is living on nature’s income rather than its capital. That's a pretty powerful statement because people try to say green is sustainable, but really green is kind of a fad word. It doesn't really mean anything. They have tied it to sustainability and energy efficiency and health, but sustainability is reducing your impact on the environment. So we can use resources, we can use anything we have that the Earth gives us. But are we using it wisely and to its best and most logical purpose?” ­– Taylor Ralph, vice president of REAL buildings

“Sustainability is allowing our children to have the same opportunities that we have.” – Jason Green, St. Petersburg College sustainability coordinator

“Sustainability is the ability to maintain a quality of life for all living things into the future. So, the quality of the life for the tadpoles and even the mosquito larvae is just as important as the quality of life of humans. So it's finding ways to do things that won't have a negative impact on any living thing.” – James Stevenson, urban sustainability coordinator for the Pinellas County Extension Office

“There's a million definitions, but all you have to do is cut it right in half: ability to sustain. Live a life to make decisions to sustain life as we know it.” – Jack Bevilacqua, ACTgreen Partnership

“It's not a defined term yet. It's still new. Every industry has its own definition for it. So in the next five years there might be a definition that covers all industries, but it's still developing.” – Timothy Freudo, 3BL Consulting

“It’s hard to put into words because with each business, just doing the little things to try to make a difference, and using that as a stepping ladder effect.” – Amy Haynie, owner of Tampa Street Market

“There’s are like a million definitions, but essentially it’s responsible use of your resources.” – Brian Gregson, RainWater Services

“Living a sustainable green life isn't always about making the big drastic changes. It's not about collecting your brown water or composting if it's not convenient. That's what's going to turn people away. Sometimes being green or organic is sort of becoming more primitive. To me, being sustainable is about making simple changes in your life. Recycle. Change your bath and body products.” – Jennifer Dutkowsky, owner of Why Not? boutique

Compiled by Jen Hiatt, University of South Florida