International Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD)

ICSD Gaithersburg:
22923 Wildcat Road Gaithersburg, Maryland 20882 U.S.A.

Phone: 1.301.428.1040 Fax: 1.301.916.8786 Email:info@solarcities.org

ICSD Baltimore:
111 S. Calvert Street,
Suite 2310
Baltimore, Maryland 21202 U.S.A.
Phone: 1.443.514.7122 | Fax: 1.443.451.8386



 

ICSD's Guiding Principles

ICSD’s efforts to improve the sustainability of cities are guided by three established  principles of sustainability - Economic Empowerment, Social Equity, and  Ecological Sustainability.

  1. Economic empowerment. This includes job creation, attracting green industry, creating a new “green” economic sector, promoting entrepreneurship in the green sector, efficiency improvements that reduce expenses and improve profits, etc.

  2. Social equity. A city cannot be sustainable with a large poor population. Therefore emphasis is on job creation and increased opportunities for the poor. This is closely linked to economic empowerment. 

  3. Ecological sustainability. A city cannot be sustainable without clean water, clean air and a healthy ecosystem. Many cities around the world are realizing that the quality of life in the city is a direct function of the quality of the environment.

Collaboration Between Social Sectors to Achieve Sustainability

ICSD recognizes that a healthy environment and improved quality of life require a collaborative approach among all involved parties - the public, private, and civil sector.