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The five discussants presented information on models for linking disaster recovery to sustainable development in the United States; mentioned specific application of programs such as Operation Fresh Start (USDOE/Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – a program being phased out in 1998) and The Wingspread Principles – A Community Vision for Sustainability; identified definitions of sustainable development such as that used in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the Bruntland Report; and cited the President's Council on Sustainable Development report, Sustaining America (two mentions of natural disasters on pages 92 and 99, respectively) as a reference document.
The brief discussion, which followed, focused on the following issues:
Getting the most out of the federal program dollar: federal and local officials are looking for multiple program compliance in reconstruction after disasters to offer the most comprehensible package of programs possible.
Rapid rebuilding following a disaster and sustainable development goals: there is tension between rapidly restoring services and creating the basis for consensus for following a sustainable development approach to reconstruction.
Creating the basis for a sustainable development approach: the rebuilding context following a disaster may provide a "teachable moment" and a "program opportunity moment," but such a basis can take more time than hard charging reconstructionists are willing to cede. Creation of a basis is as much about program process as it is about program product, and the political process must create ownership of the program.
Sustainable development and creating conflict: the goals and objectives expressed by those individuals and programs promoting sustainable development (particularly in physical terms) may fall short during the reconstruction if all segments of the community are not full participants and their expectations are not met as per underlying sustainable development definitions and concepts.
Equity, sustainable development, and limited resources for reconstruction: one of the most obvious areas of conflict for low income disaster victims and those who defend that group's participation in the reconstruction process a la sustainable development is encountering no funding support for housing and other services in federal programs for the most economically disadvantaged.
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