Back to The Institute for Sustainable Development		Indicators of Sustainability What are indicators? Indicators are bits of information that highlight what is happening in a larger system-, or give us a glimpse of the "big picture." They tell us which direction a critical aspect of our community, economy, or environment is going: forward or backward, increasing or decreasing, improving or deteriorating, or staying the same. Normally, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is used as an indicator to judge the health of the nation. However, the GDP increases when there is a toxic waste spill and money is spent cleaning it up or when there is a natural disaster that necessitates aid. Since GDP only measures the health of the economy by looking at the amount of money spent overall, the enormous disparity in the distribution of wealth becomes invisible. A tiny percentage of wealthy people spending a lot of money can lead to a high GDP even if most of the population is struggling to meet its basic needs. Using GDP as the main indicator, especially when it can include false notions of the health of a country, makes it difficult, if not impossible, to truly know how well we are doing at keeping our communities, environment, and economies healthy. Indicators that are carefully designed, watched, and interpreted can help us to understand the relative sustainability of our communities, the status of our actions, and where to proceed. Without indicators, we have no real idea of how well we are doing, what we should do more of, less of, or what issues we need to rethink. Why use indicators? When we have a method of judging the health of our communities, we can improve areas of distress and continue to sustain or improve healthy areas. By using indicators we know where to focus community action. Valid and understandable indicators are needed to detect problems and to raise public awareness so that the need for change is taken seriously. But not just any piece of data tells you what you need to know about sustainability. Good indicators: Reflect something basic and fundamental to the long-term cultural, economic, environmental, or social health of a community over generations. Are accepted by the community as a valid sign of sustainability or distress. Are attractive to the local media so that the press publicizes them and uses them to monitor and analyze community trends. Are statistically measurable. Data must be relevant to the geographic area and, preferably, comparable to other cities, counties or communities. If data are not readily available, a practical method of data collection or measurement should be used or created. Are logically or scientifically defensible. Understandable rationales should exist for using the specific indicator and for drawing general conclusions from it. The Institute for Sustainable Development has put out the document, "A Methods Report for Sustainable Indicators," which examines the processes of 10 different national indicator projects and envisions an Indicator Project for Long Island. Also see Indicators of Community Sustainability Report. For a report on Indicators of Community Sustainability see Measuring the Quality of Life in the City of Glen Cove Report 2000.