It seems like sustainability is all around us these days: our paper napkins announce to us that they are some % sustainable, familiar companies tell us about the great strides they are making and the light footprints they are leaving through clean, green TV ads and every magazine on the planet has put out a "green issue" in the last year. But what does it all really mean?

The famous definition put forth by the Bruntland Commission of 1987 says that sustainability is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."

The Santa Clara University Solar Decathlon Team prefers the image of sustainability as a tripod composed of three pillars: ecology, economics, and ethics. Simply put, sustainability is a new, integrated approach to many of the modern problems plaguing the natural world and human well-being. Thinking sustainably gives us a framework for addressing questions about our future and a vocabulary by which to set goals for how to best interact with the natural world that is our home.

Check back soon for more information on sustainable homes, the basics of solar power, and a wealth of books, presentations, and websites we have found useful in our sustainable journey.