History
For decades environment groups like Environment Victoria have been frustrated by ongoing destruction of the environment for short-term economic objectives. As time goes on, it has become clearer that this myopic view has not only damaged the environment, but has also had a detrimental impact on society and the wider economy. A key example of this is the growing salinity problem, which has been driven by land clearing and water extraction, for short-term economic gain. Unfortunately there is an enormous cost to pay, with predictions that more than half of Victoria’s agricultural land is at risk of salinity within 50 years. One of the key arguments used by economic interests against pursuing environmental sustainability is that it will be bad for the economy. At Environment Victoria we disagree vehemently. Not only is destroying the environment bad for the economy, there is also much evidence that wealth can be generated by pursuing sustainability.
Now it seems that Environment Victoria is not alone in this view. In March 2000 we obtained a commitment from the Bracks Government to the development of a Triple Bottom Line Strategy for Victoria. We used the language of triple bottom line because we wanted our ideas to be responded to by business, who already understand the concept of a single bottom line. Triple Bottom Line basically means giving equal value to environmental, social and economic goals. A proposal that would be endorsed as “triple bottom line” would be one where no category was traded off in a major way. The commitment given by Government has resulted in a groundswell of community based activity, as Environment Victoria and other groups from a wide range of sectors get together to explore triple bottom line together. “Triple Bottom Line Victoria” is the banner that we come together under.
Implications
Triple Bottom Line covers the whole of society, encompassing a vision for how our society could be in future. Currently our society is characterised by the following:-
– an emphasis on production of consumer goods, using cheap (subsidised) raw materials and minimising the use of labour
– growing pollution, waste, and shrinking deposits of raw materials which must be obtained by ever more environmentally destructive processes
– a high unemployment rate
– lack of satisfaction for many, as people compete for limited jobs, work hard for the money to support high consuming life styles
– growing awareness that environment and social problems are not going away and lack of understanding of what we can do to rectify these problems without drawing society as we know it to a standstill
A Triple Bottom Line society would ideally be a shared vision that many have contributed to creating. These are some of Environment Victoria’s notions of what a triple bottom line Victoria could be like:-
– Full employment because raw materials are expensive and products are created in the most intelligent way;
– Our remaining natural places protected because we no longer need to destroy them in the interests of the economy;
– Living and working in buildings that are so well designed they use minimal energy, yet are comfortable all year round;
– A thinking community, with people highly educated at free Universities to take on jobs that demand more brains and less wasted materials;
– A community that is totally linked by public transport and where greenhouse polluting cars are chuckled at as part of our distant history
Sound like it is impossible to achieve? With the rapid pace of change that characterises society today we don’t think so. All it needs is the recognition across the community that it is in our interests to achieve. At Environment Victoria we feel that we are on the way.