Sustainable Development – Development that meets the needs of the present without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

To understand the words "sustainable development" you need to remember the meaning of sustainable and then development.

Sustainable – able to be maintained or continued

Suds couldn't remove the stain, I wasn't able (sustainable) to get the stain out - it continued to annoy me.

Development – The process in which someone or something changes and becomes more advanced

When we develop it should be on the basis that it is meant (development) to be an improvement on what we did before.

So, sustainable development is advancing as a society in a way that can be continued or maintained. 

It's about building both domestic and commercial properties without destroying any ecosystems; using recycled materials and making careful use of energy, water and materials.

It's about how we have learned to rotate crops, which has led to sustainable agriculture.

It's also about developing energy resources that are renewable, such as:

• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Hydroelectric energy
• Geothermal energy
• Biomass