sustainable

comparative more sustainable · superlative most sustainable

1. Able to be sustained.
2. Able to be produced or sustained for an indefinite period without damaging the environment, or without depleting a resource; renewable.

   sustainable economy

   4 more examples

   In addition to the resources listed in the organic and local food sections earlier, a good source of sustainable meat is Heritage Foods USA (heritagefoodsusa.com).

   2008, Kate L. Harrison, The Green Bride Guide, →ISBN, page 174

   Some critics have asserted that sustainable food is "elitist"; that it's too expensive and not widely available.

   2008 August–October, Dawn Brighid, "A Taste of Hope", in Organic Gardening, ISSN 1536-108X, volume 55, number 6, page 73 http://books.google.com/books?id=S8MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73&dq=%22that+sustainable%22

   A city on a hill—or many cities on hills—surrounded by unbroken vistas of beautiful countryside; small, thriving, family-run farms growing organic, seasonal, and sustainable fruits and vegetables specific to the region.

   2010, Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw, →ISBN, page 129

   Right now, rich nations devour 28 tonnes of material per person per year – including everything from fish to forests, plastics to metals. That’s four times more than ecologists say is sustainable.

   2019, Jason Hickel, “Climate breakdown is coming. The UK needs a Greener New Deal”, in Guardian.

plural sustainables

1. A renewable energy source.

   It has only been in the last 20 years that the long-term trend away from fossil fuels and toward nuclear energy and sustainables has intensified.

   1996, Joseph Francis Coates, John B. Mahaffie, Andy Hines, 2025: Scenarios of U.S. and Global Society Reshaped by Science and Technology, page 117