Round table on sustainable development

The Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development was a diverse group of 30 business, environmental and community leaders appointed by Governor Arne H. Carlson to consider how Minnesotans could safeguard their long-term environmental, economic and social well-being. Its mission was to serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, to foster public and private partnerships and reach out to Minnesotans across the state, and to stimulate interest in and communicate the importance of achieving sustainable development.

The Round Table completed its work in July 1998 with a series of reports proposing concrete steps for helping make Minnesota business, communities and government function more sustainably. As the group’s co-chairs put it: "We cannot afford yesterday’s old approaches, whether they boost the economy at the environment’s expense or protect the environment without thought to the effect on our economy. We need an economy that naturally restores the environment and enhances communities."

• Principles: Developed by the Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development in response to Minnesota Statutes, Section 4A.07, these five principles lay out broad guideposts along the path to sustainable development.
• Policy characteristics: Adopted by the Round Table, these are the traits of policies likely to contribute positively to sustainable development.
• Membership: The leaders who served on the Round Table.
• Six Challenges to Sustainable Development in Minnesota
  

  The Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development focused on three areas of study:

  • To learn what makes a given community an enduring place to live and work. The Round Table formed the Sustainable Communities Committee to consider this question.
  • To come to terms with how land use decisions are made and how they might be made in a more sustainable manner. The Round Table established the Land Use Committee to tackle these issues.
  • To understand the barriers that discourage businesses from adopting sustainable development practices and technologies. The Round Table created the Economics and Incentives Committee to find these answers.

  Reports

  • Investing In Minnesota's future: an agenda for sustaining our quality of life, May 27, 1998: The Minnesota Round Table on Sustainable Development proposed steps for aligning economic, environmental and social goals (27 p., 219K, PDF 3.0) | report summary
  • Economics and incentives: a committee report of the Round Table on Sustainable Developement, July 23, 1998: Suggests that helping businesses adopt sustainable practices and challenging them to help society take strides toward sustainable development should be among Minnesota’s chief economic goals (22 p., 111K, PDF 3.0) | report summary
  • Sustainable communities and land use: committee reports of the Round Table on Sustainable Developement, July 23, 1998: Offers innovative advice and direction for communities wanting to invest in their long-term prosperity (34 p., 173K, PDF 3.0) | report summary

Areas of study