Welcome to a UTRI Transformation Talk about the history of sustainability!
This talk explores the cultural and historical contexts that shaped the concept of sustainability before the publication of the United Nations’ landmark report Our Common Future in 1987, also known as the Brundtland report. While this report is often cited as a starting point for modern definitions of sustainability, the roots of the idea extend much further back. The discussion will trace earlier notions of sustainability that grappled with ideas of balance, conservation, and the limits of growth. By examining key historical developments—from Enlightenment debates on resource management to early 20th-century environmentalism—this talk will explore the deeper cultural origins of sustainability and highlight how past ideas have influenced today's environmental discourse.
Janina Priebe, Associate professor at Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies
This event can be attended on site or on Zoom. For those who attend on site UTRI will offer a light lunch. Please register before 8 November: Register here
