In my last article, I discussed sustainability in generic terms, focusing mostly on environmental issues. This month, we’re going to look at how sustainability is reported externally. 

Why do we care about how sustainability is being reported? It’s a hot topic! In The New York Times, Sept. 14, David Jolly reports in the article “G.D.P. Seen as Inadequate Measure of Economic Health,” French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, accepted the report of an economic panel that feels that the gross domestic product (GDP) is inadequate in describing the true national “health” of the economy. The article states that “The panel, chaired by two Nobel economists, Joseph E. Stiglitz, of Columbia University, and Amartya Sen, of Harvard University, concluded that GDP was insufficient and that measures of sustainability and human well-being should be included. An ‘excessive focus on GDP metrics’ also contributed to the onset of the current financial crisis, according to the report."

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