Editor’s note: This is the first part of a five-part series exploring the topic of sustainability. The next part will be about alternative energy solutions.

The terms “sustainable” and “sustainability” have become increasingly prevalent pieces of modern-day vocabulary as many people come to understand the forethought required in the use of the world’s resources.

But as with any buzzword, people can benefit from taking a second look at the word “sustainability” and exploring what it means in different contexts.

This series will seek to understand what is meant when people use the word “sustainability,” and how the term relates to energy, agriculture and other interrelated aspects of prolonging the Earth’s resources.

The Brundtland Report, a 1987 document from the World Commission on Environment and Development, was commissioned by the United Nations to explore options for sustainable growth and development. It has been a reference point on the subject of sustainability for the last two decades. It defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Frederick Kirschenmann, distinguished fellow for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, said sustainable agriculture is often described as a “three-legged stool,” in that it incorporates three necessary elements: resilient ecology, viable economy and good community.

In the “three-legged stool” scenario, the environment and its resources are respected, farmers can make an income and a good community motivates farmers to continue their sustainable practices.

Kirschenmann said he thought an obstacle to understanding sustainability is that it is often defined as a prescriptive term, but sustainability really depends on circumstances.

He said the term has to do with maintaining something in the future.

For example, agriculture as it currently exists probably cannot be maintained in the future, he said, because it is draining energy and water and relies on stable climates, which will probably be altered due to global warming.

“Sustainable agriculture is more of a journey,” Kirschenmann said.

In addition to the components of the “three-legged stool,” time is needed for something to become sustainable.

Gene Takle, interim director of the department of geological and atmospheric sciences, is very familiar with one of the factors Kirschenmann mentioned that also threatens the current state of agriculture – global warming.

The global warming phenomenon has caused many to consider the amount of carbon they and others put into the air. People are looking for sources of energy that are more renewable than the limited supply of fossil fuels, which result in carbon emissions.

The emissions issue is just one of the many concerns related to sustainability and global warming, though it may be the most talked about.

Takle said global warming, or climate change, is a serious issue “because it has the potential to disrupt many of our weather patterns in ways that will change how our land use and agriculture have adapted over the years.”

He said irrigation will be one area affected by climate change, as irregular weather patterns begin to become more commonplace.

Scientific data has shown that among the various factors that affect climate change, greenhouse gases continue to increase and create a larger problem than any of the other factors, Takle said.

He said this indicates that human activity is more important to climate change issues than volcanic activity or fluctuations in the sun.

“It isn’t very likely that we can wean ourselves from coal in the near future,” Takle said.

He said a certain amount of warming is inevitable, especially considering the comfortable, energy-consuming lifestyle people aspire to as economies around the world grow.

Individuals can look at their own lives and explore ways to conserve energy, Takle said.