sustainability

IPA: sʌsteɪnʌbˈɪɫɪti

The ability to sustain something.
(ecology) A means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, planning and acting for the ability to maintain these necessary resources for future generations.
(business) The ability to sustain a business in the long term, which is a state that is partly dependent on, but broader than, profitability today or in the short term; it involves aspects of a plausible path toward eventual profitability (as applies to a startup) and ecologic sustainability (for example, the long-term dependence of the timber/lumber industry on forest preservation and renewal, or of fisheries on viable fish stocks).
(civics) The ability to sustain a civic practice or process in the long term, such as democracy, entrepreneurialism, a war effort, or others.

Examples of "sustainability" in Sentences

There’s sustainability and then there’s *sustainability*.
Solutions are sought, but the phrase "sustainability practices" is often bandied about as a potential panacea for job creation without direction.
In an era when the term "sustainability" is increasingly cast as mere jargon, it is worth noting a sincere and authentic application of family, business and building which gives credence to the term.
I was trying to make the point that we have the means to do quantitative, whole-system analysis of our material and energy impacts, rather than leave the term sustainability as just a fuzzy green word that could mean recycling the newspaper or maybe even driving a hybrid.