Promoting Cultural Sustainability in the Context of Public Health: A Thai Perspective

In the 1970’s the concepts of ―sustainability‖ and ―sustainable development‖ emerged as a result of the tensions between economic development and environmental protection [1]. In 1972 the United Nation’s Conference on the Human Environment addressed the apparent competing demands of economic growth and environmental security while acknowledging their interconnectedness [2]. A decade later, the World Commission on Environment and Development deliberated for several years to produce a report in 1987 entitled ―Our Common Future‖ which framed sustainable development as ―an urgent imperative on the global agenda.‖ [3]. By 1992 the participants at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development identified 27 principles related to the concerns and challenges for sustainable development that ultimately could serve as a foundation of international law [4]. Despite its ubiquitous use among a wide array of disciplines [1,5,6] the definition of the term sustainable development varies somewhat depending on the major theoretical and philosophical paradigms of the players involved [7-9]. Wheeler [1] identified 9 distinct themes among various definitions of sustainable development over the last two decades with four major distinct disciplinary perspectives among environmentalists, economists, equity advocates and spiritual writers/ethicists. In search of a common ground, Fullan suggested simply that sustainable development is ―the capacity of a system to engage in the complexities of continuous improvement consistent with deep values of human purpose.‖ ([10], p. ix). The former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, identified the key issues related to sustainable development in terms of a complex philosophical question to be answered: ―Can the people now living on this planet improve their lives, not at the expense of future generations, but in a way from which their children and grandchildren will benefit?‖ ([11], p. 4). Regardless of the context and discipline, most definitions include the paramount concern at some level for the ―three E’s‖ which include the environment, the economy and equity [1]. Similarly, Blackburn [2] has succinctly summarized the essential meaning of sustainability as the ―2 R‖s’—resources (wise use and management thereof) and respect (for people and all living things). 1.1. Purpose of This Paper While the concept of sustainability has been well described, few reports have operationalized it from a public health perspective. The objective of this manuscript is to explore this concept in the context of cultural, economic and public health challenges in Thailand. This article will also provide an example of how an educational program can integrate sustainable dev