In 2002 the Scottish government issued a set of national
objectives which included the promotion of sustainable
development. In doing so, the Scots defined sustainability as
“meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It is a
definition that can be found numerous times across the Internet
in a variety of contexts.
In a presentation to the CAD/PLM media earlier this month --
and in his remarks the next day before an international
symposium in Brussels on sustainability and the arts -- Autodesk
CEO Carl Bass said it may be a common definition of
sustainability, but it needs revision. “That was an appropriate
quotation for the 1980s [but] I think we need to revise it
somewhat… It is no longer OK just to allow people to meet their
needs. We need to change it to say, ‘meeting the needs of the
present while improving the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.’ ”
Autodesk is putting its money where its mouth is regarding
sustainability. There is a new director of sustainability who
reports directly to Bass. The company is sponsoring a second
season of design: e2 a series on US Public Broadcasting Service
that explores “green” building and related design initiatives
for sustainability. And Bass is devoting considerable time and
attention to promoting Autodesk as a leader in promoting
sustainability
For Autodesk, Bass said, promoting sustainability requires a
twin agenda. First, the company must promote sustainability by
what it does and says as a corporate citizen. Second -- and Bass
said this is the exciting part -- Autodesk must support
sustainability by providing tools that encourage and enhance
sustainable design. “The second [objective] holds much more
potential than the first,” Bass noted. But the talk must come
first, he said, “to get people’s attention.”
The Energy Factor
The single most important design issue today, Bass said, is
the rising cost of energy. It affects the users of products in
all Autodesk divisions. The rising cost of energy, Bass said,
creates both geopolitical and economic costs. But the global
economy is just now starting to account for the use of oil in
terms of both types of cost. Autodesk wants to help its customer
design for a new triple-focused bottom line, the sweet spot
where technology, the economy, and the environment merge.
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