The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce has adopted the principals of The Natural Step as part of a larger effort to become a more sustainable organization and, in turn, work with other partners to make our community more sustainable environmentally, economically and socially.

The Natural Step was developed in Sweden in 1989 by Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert. Robert used a consensus process involving the country’s top scientists to define principles of a sustainable society. The principles look at the earth as a complex system of which humans are an integral part.

Here are the  fundamental principles of the Natural Step process:

1. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the progressive buildup of materials (and their associated wastes) extracted from the Earth’s crust

Material that humans take out of the earth such as lead and mercury can’t be allowed to accumulate in the environment. The environment and health-related issues due to lead and mercury are probably the most well known problems the first condition addresses.

2. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the progressive build-up of synthetic materials produced by society

Material that are created by humans must not build up faster then the ecosystem can break them down. Examples of this range from materials which are harmful in relatively small doses such as DDT, PCBs and ozone-depleting chemicals, to materials which are less harmful but are being produced in very large quantities, such as CO2.

3. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the ongoing physical degradation of Nature.

Human activity cannot destroy the ability of the earth to provide the services we need. Examples include farming practices that cause erosion or land use practices that destroy the flood calming and water filtering abilities of wetlands.

4. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to conditions that undermine people’s ability to meet their basic needs.

Resources need to be used equitably and efficiently. Equitable distribution means that poor people will not have to destroy their natural resources just to survive in the short term.

Robert, Daly, Hawken and Holmberg

Coyote Woodshop, Bainbridge Island, WA

The Natural Step process helps companies to understand the connections between their business and the earth’s ecological and social processes. The Natural Step in many ways is a continuation of other efforts by business to improve their processes and reduce their impact on the world.

These other efforts have included Total Quality Management, Total Quality Environmental Management, pollution prevention, reduced use of toxins, design for the environment, adopting ISO 9000 and 14000 management standards. The Natural Step moves beyond these to focus on how businesses will work in a sustainable society.

The Natural Step U.S. web site is:  http://www.ccnet.com/~emis/tns/