Governmental Strategies for Sustainability: A Comprehensive Report

This report delves into the critical importance of sustainability for government agencies, emphasizing their role in protecting resources and promoting ethical practices. It highlights strategies such as energy conservation, green building, and efficient urban planning, and stresses the need for government agencies to lead in adopting sustainable measures, given their reliance on public funds. The report provides a case study of Northampton County in Virginia, showcasing effective strategies like creating preserves, applying the precautionary principle, and focusing on environmental prevention to protect natural and cultural resources. References to relevant literature support the discussion, emphasizing the practical application of sustainability principles and their impact on environmental and community well-being. The report underscores the importance of sustainable practices for the long-term health of both the environment and the communities that depend on it.

Running head: ETHICS, LAW, AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES 1
Ethics, Law, and Sustainable Business Practices
Name
Institution Affiliation

ETHICS, LAW, AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES 2
Ethics, Law, and Sustainable Business Practices
Sustainability is a priority for many organizations anticipating to operate in the foreseeable
future. Likewise, government agencies should be in the front line in agitating for the strategies and
measures that promote sustainability. It is evident that government agencies run on the funds that have
been sourced from the general public through taxation (Heather M. Farley & Smith, 2014). Therefore,
they should embrace sustainable measures that will ensure the critical resources relied on by the common
citizens to survive are well protected. For example, the government should make sure publicly owned
land, forests, water catchment areas, waters sheds, and fisheries are protected from activities that may
result in their eradication.
There are many strategies that government agencies can employ to facilitate sustainability of the
available resources (Slavin, 2011). The most common strategies comprise of conserving energy, taking
advantage of wasted resources, employing green building practices, finding new funding sources,
planning for climate change, designing efficient and vibrant urban spaces, designing effective public
transportation, protecting the commons, privatizing the resources within the right boundaries and others.
Environmentalist argues that government agencies and other organizations should apply these practices to
address the problems sustainability that has been witnessed over decades (Heather M. Farley & Smith,
2014).
Though many government agencies have been accused of failing to observe appropriate
sustainability strategies, some communities have effective and sustainable strategies in place. For
example, it Northampton County in Virginia State, sustainable strategies are quite evident. The county is
endowed with a variety of natural and cultural resources such as historic villages, woodlands, tidal creeks,
barrier islands, marshes, beaches, and farms. To sustainably utilize and protect these resources, the county
has employed effective strategies such as creating the preserve, adopting the precautionary principle and
focusing on environmental prevention. The county employs the strategy of creating a reserve to protect
heritage tourism industry through protecting the cultural and natural resources. Secondly, the county has
cautioned its constituents that failure to protect water quality will lead to future consequences. Therefore,
the communities in Northampton obtain seafood as well use water for agriculture while protecting the
water quality. Thirdly, the county ensures that the new industries including the eco-industrial park are
established by observing the protection of the groundwater, quality of life and natural environment.

ETHICS, LAW, AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES 3
References
Heather M. Farley, & Smith, Z. A. (2014). Sustainability: If It's Everything, Is It Nothing? New
York: Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?
id=PVZtAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Communities+in+the+United+Stat
es+embracing+sustainability&source=bl&ots=yxNz2XxHdO&sig=xI_aWa8Xowl81-
F8luUDVqnW3kU&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Communities%20in
%20the%20United%20
Slavin, M. I. (2011). Sustainability in America's Cities: Creating the Green Metropolis.
Washington: Island Press. doi:https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=i-HRVZ-
BWeQC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=Communities+in+the+United+States+embracing+sust
ainability&source=bl&ots=v5Eo0e4VH4&sig=93EkwMK-
Ujl5g2uR0eXlWj7bAew&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Communities
%20in%20the%20United%20Stat