Religion: A Fourth Pillar of Sustainability

Various writers have suggested that the model of three pillars of sustainability—people, planet, profit—is incomplete. They suggest that there may be variables that are not captured in this framework. One such variable is religion. Although it could be argued that it is subsumed under the social pillar there is a strong argument to consider it as a fourth pillar. This chapter explores evidence from the interviews in support of this proposition. It was found that there is a strong link between religious beliefs and sustainability, especially environmental sustainability.