sustainable

Etymology

sustain + -able

adj

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
   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, 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, 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.

noun

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