Sustainability requires a systems perspective that considers the environmental, social, and economic components together as an interconnected whole.
Sustainability strives to provide all people with a good quality of life above a base social foundation within the ecological constraints put upon us by living on a finite planet, such that we end up living in a safe and just space for humanity. We define sustainability broadly beyond simply environmental sustainability and take a systems approach towards understanding the critical linkages between environmental, social, and economic systems, focused at the local and regional level although framed within the national and global context. As such, the office addresses not only environmental sustainability challenges like climate change, resource depletion, and energy production, but also related economic and social justice sustainability issues like affordable housing, alternative transportation, income mobility, and food security as examples. We aim to create and support communities that are environmentally sound and resilient, socially just and equitable, and economically viable and inclusive.