Frank A. Stowell - Böcker

The term "sustainability" has entered the lexicon of many academic disciplines and fields of professional practice, but to date does not appear to have been seriously consid­ ered within the systems community unless, perhaps, under other guises. Within the wider community there is no consensus around what sustainability means with some authors identifying 70 to 100 definitions of the term. Some see sustainability as the precise and quantifiable outcomes of biological systems whilst others see it in terms of processes rele­ vant to personal and organizational change with the potential to effect changes in our rela­ tionships with out environments. Internationally it has been increasingly used in relation to the term "sustainable development"--a term popularised by the Brundland Commis­ of definitions sion's report in 1987 entitled "Our Common Future. " Despite this diversity and polarised perception on its utility, unlike many other popular terms, it has not had its time and subsided quietly from our language. It is therefore timely for the systems com­ munity to explore the relationship between systems and sustainability in a range of con­ texts. Participants in this, the 5th International Conference of the United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS), have been invited to reflect critically on the contribution of sys­ tems thinking and action to sustainability-to the sustainability of personal relationships, the organizations in which live and work, and our "natural" environment.

As we approach the end of the 20th century we can look back upon the achievements that have been made in a variety of human endeavours with pride. Enormous strides have been made to improve the quality of life of millions of people through the application of the scientific discoveries made during this and past centuries. The 20th century will be remembered as much for the mass exploitation of scientific discovery as for the discoveries themselves. The technological age has meant that the human being is able to contemplate activities which "defy" nature. For example, some of the work involved in the preparation of these proceedings has been done whilst travelling at over 500 miles per hour seven miles above the surface of the earth. It is not difficult to conjecture about the effect that this relatively recent technology has had upon a number of "systems". Air transportation has provided a number of benefits including such disparate examples such as enabling holidays, famine relief and the cross fertilisation of cultural practices from other lands. Equally, there have been undesirable effects such as enabling the means of mass destruction, interference in other cultures and the speedy transportation of disease. Moreover, the physical presence of the aeroplane itself represents the consumption of fossil fuels, a source of pollution and a change in the way think about life. The view expressed here is of course the view of an inhabitant of the "western world".