Loreto Bay is the largest sustainable development under construction in North America today. But, what is sustainable development? The United Nations defines it as “meeting the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Ask David Butterfield, president of the Trust for Sustainable Development, and he'll tell you that it means following an “Intergenerational Golden Rule.” Living so that our children can enjoy life as fully as we do. Of course, if you do get the chance to ask David about sustainability, be sure you've got time for a good, long talk. His knowledge is as thorough as his passion is contagious.

The Three Pillars
The most commonly understood aspect of sustainability is respecting and preserving the environment, but there are actually three areas of sustainable development that we refer to as the three pillars.

1. Environmental sustainability means preserving and enhancing the ecosystem locally and globally by measuring and improving our business impacts on the environment.
2. Social sustainability requires that a development improve the health and welfare of a community and region, providing opportunities for local jobs and business creation, personal growth, education, health and lifelong learning.
3. Economic sustainability means that a development is profitable due to sound business practices, with measurable cost benefits due to strategic sustainability policies such as conservation of water and energy.   It means creating wealth for investors and home owners, jobs for people in the community, and new business development in the local economy.

Our goal is to become an international model for how a development can enrich an existing landscape and community while remaining profitable and economically viable. We invite you to learn more about sustainability in Loreto.