As we head into Nashville’s third centennial, no one questions the growth and good fortune Nashville has experienced. The thought, however, lingers, “Can we continue to grow in a way that will support the commerce that fuels our industries, and not jeopardize our quality of life?” The answer is yes, and the path will be through sustainable design principles.
Consider the manufacturing of almost anything: books, cars, buildings, and cities. Where do you get the raw materials, how do you put them together, and what do you do with them when you are finished with them?
If the raw materials are remote, expensive, and scarce; if the process is inefficient and wasteful; if the waste from the process is useless and harmful; if the product itself is detrimental to our livelihood when its useful life is over, how long can we sustain that process?
BUT, if the raw materials are accessible, and abundant; if the process is efficient and focused on quality; if waste is safe and completely reusable; and if the product is effective, it would be different. It would be sustainable.
The Tennessee Fund for Sustainability is working hard to promote sustainable design principles and their practical applications in Middle Tennessee. It’s these principles, applied to all that we do, that will carry Nashville into its next centennial and preserve our robust markets and unique quality of life.
