- Sustainable Development Indicator (SDI) Group
- SDI Inventory, Organized by Framework Element
- Working Draft, Version 3, October 8, 1996
Economic Endowments
Capacity for Work Definition: The capacities, skills, personality, and capabilities of an individual.
Candidate SDI:
- Work Force Skill Level (448 SDI Group)
- Definition: The average level of experience, capability, knowledge, and social skills of the individuals in the work force
- Issue: Economic Performance/Labor Time Productivity
- Capacity for Work Characteristic: Level of skill
Development Time Definition: The total time available to an an individual devoted to the development of mental, emotional, and physical skills and abilities. Development Time includes all time devoted to education and training. Most Development Time occurs between birth and 18 years of age.
Candidate SDI:
- Time with Children (134 SDI Group)
- Definition: hours spent with children
- Issue: Social Cohesion/Crime
- Development Time Characteristic: Time
Labor Time Definition: The sum total of individual's time available for or devoted to mental or physical exertion or work. The bulk of labor time occurs between the ages of 18 and 65.
Candidate SDI:
- Productivity Per Capita (10 PCSD)
- Definition: per capita production per hour worked
- Issue: Production/Production Efficiency
- Labor Time Characteristic: Money per Hour
Leisure Time Definition: The total amount of time available to an individual devoted to rest, relaxation, recreation, hobbies, and entertainment.
Candidate SDI:
- Forest Visitor Days (93 USDA FS)
- Definition: number of visitor days attributed to recreation and tourism, in relation to population and forest area
- Issue: Individual/Recreation
- Leisure Time Characteristic: Time
- Television Viewing Time (435 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total number of hours per day of television viewing time per person, as identified by Putnam
- Issue: Social Cohesion/Participation
- Leisure Time Characteristic: Time
- TV Viewing Time (129 SDI Group)
- Definition: amount of TV watching
- Issue: Social Cohesion/Alienation
- Leisure Time Characteristic: Time
Population Definition: The total human population, including men, women and children.
Candidate SDI:
- Drug Abusers (365 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of people suffering from drug addiction, including alcohol.
- Issue: Individual/Drug Abuse
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Employment Rate (224 UN CSD)
- Definition: Employment rate (%)
- Issue: Economic Performance/Unemployment
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Faith in Justice (421 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of people who believe the court system is fair
- Issue: Infrastructure/Justice
- Population Characteristic: Number of Cases
- Fertility Rate (230 UN CSD)
- Definition: Total fertility rate
- Issue: Population/Population Shifts
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Homeless People (35 PCSD)
- Definition: number of homeless people in communities
- Issue: Equity/Homelessness
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Poor People in Drysoil Areas (305 UN CSD)
- Definition: Population living below poverty line (in drysoil areas (%))
- Issue: Climate/Desertification
- Population Characteristic: Human Population
- Population Growth Rate (42 PCSD)
- Definition: rate of population growth in the US
- Issue: Population/Population Shifts
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Population Growth Rate (227 UN CSD)
- Definition: Population growth rate (%)
- Issue: Population/Population Shifts
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Prison Population (378 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of inmates in Federal, state, and local prisons
- Issue: Social Cohesion/Crime
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Skin Cancer Rate (373 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of people diagnosed with cancerous melanoma per year
- Issue: Climate/Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Suicide Rate (380 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of people who commit suicide each year
- Issue: Social Cohesion/Alienation
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Total Population (442 UN CSD)
- Definition: Total population in the United Statesorganized by geographic area
- Issue: Population/Population Shifts
- Population Characteristic: Number of People per Area
- Unemployment Rate (6 PCSD)
- Definition: unemployment rate
- Issue: Economic Performance/Unemployment
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Unintended Pregnancies (44 PCSD)
- Definition: number of unintended pregnancies in the US
- Issue: Population/Unwanted Pregnancies
- Population Characteristic: Number of Pregnancies
- Urban Migration (412 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of people moving into cities greater than 100,000
- Issue: Land Use/Urbanization
- Population Characteristic: Area of Land
- Welfare Dependants (366 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of people receiving financial aid from Federal, state, and local governments. This excludes recipients of Medicare and related programs.
- Issue: Poverty/Welfare
- Population Characteristic: Number of People
- Women in Labor Force (236 UN CSD)
- Definition: Women per 100 men in the labor force (%)
- Issue: Equity/Gender Equity
- Population Characteristic: Number of Women
Unusable Time Definition: The total amount of unproductive time for an individual, such as commuting time.
Candidate SDI:
- Commuting Time (256 UN CSD)
- Definition: Travel time for work trips
- Issue: Land Use/Traffic Congestion
- Unusable Time Characteristic: Time
- Travel Time in Cars (382 SDI Group)
- Definition: Average time spent traveling by individuals in personal passenger cars
- Issue: Individual/Recreation
- Unusable time Characteristic: Time
Wealth Definition: Assests minus debts; the net worth of an individual, business, or government after deducting all liabilities. Assets include money used or accumulated in business by an individual, partnership or corporation, material wealth used or available for use in the production of more wealth, and funds contributed to a business by the owners or stockholders. Debts include all finacial obligations, commitments, and leins.
Candidate SDI:
- National Debt (278 UN CSD)
- Definition: Debt/Gross Domestic Product (%)
- Issue: Economic Performance/National Debt
- Wealth Characteristic: Amount of Money
- National Debt Relief (284 UN CSD)
- Definition: Debt relief
- Issue: Economic Performance/National Debt
- Wealth Characteristic: Amount of Money
- National Debt Service (279 UN CSD)
- Definition: Debt service/export (%)
- Issue: Economic Performance/National Debt
- Wealth Characteristic: Amount of Money
- Savings Per Capita (8 PCSD)
- Definition: savings rate per capita
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Wealth Characteristic: Amount of Money Saved
Tangible Reproducible Capital Definition: Wealth, as in money or property, owned, or accumulated by an individual, partnership, or corporation used or available for use in the production of more wealth. This includes all physical infrastructure (buildings, roads, tools, machinery, etc.) used to produce goods and services. The framework organizes Tangible Reproducible Capital by industry (a particular branch of manufacture and trade dedicated to the commercial production and sale of a specific set of goods and services).
Candidate SDI:
- Capital Assets (425 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total value, in dollars, of US tangible reproducible capital, excluding all public infrastructure, as defined in the National Asset Accounts
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Tangible Reproducible Capital Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
Forestry Industry Definition: All establishments primarily engaged in the operation of timber tracts, tree farms, forest nurseries, and related activities such as reforestation services and the gathering of gums, barks, balsam needles, maple sap, Spanish moss, and other forest products.
Candidate SDI:
- Environmentally dependent Jobs (400 USDA FS)
- Definition: Total number of jobs involved in resource extraction, agriculture, recreation, and other industries that depend upon the environment
- Issue: Economic Performance/Environmentally Dependent Industry
- Forestry Industry Characteristic: Number of Jobs
- Forest Industry Growth (102 USDA FS)
- Definition: growth in per capita income levels in forest dependent communities compared to national growth rate
- Issue: Economic Performance/Environmentally Dependent Industry
- Forestry Industry Characteristic: Income
- Forest Industry Jobs (100 USDA FS)
- Definition: Direct and indirect employment in the forest sector and the forest sector employment as a proportion of total employment.
- Issue: Economic Performance/Environmentally Dependent Industry
- Forestry Industry Characteristic: Number of Jobs
Transportation, Communications, and Utilities industry Definition: The branch of manufacture and trade based on freight , transportation, communications, and utilities. Freight and transportation include railroads, trucking, and public transportation, including transit systems, highways, roads, and bridges. Communications include radio and television, but not newspapers and magizines (see manufacturing). Utilities include water, gas, electricity, sewage, and irrigation, including publically and privately owned infrastructure such as dams, and wastewater treatment plants.
Candidate SDI:
- Public Transportation Use (33 PCSD)
- Definition: use of public and alternative transportation systems
- Issue: Land Use/Traffic Congestion
- Transportation, Communications, and Utilities industry Characteristic: Number of People
Communications Industry Definition: All establishments furnishing point-to-point communications services, whether intended to be received aurally or visually; and radio and television broadcasting. This also includes paging and beeper services, and microwave or satellite facilities. This does not include establishments that provide telephone answering services (see Business Services).
Candidate SDI:
- Telephone Lines (345 UN CSD)
- Definition: Main telephone lines per 100 inhabitants (no.)
- Issue: Infrastructure/Public Infrastructure
- Communications Industry Characteristic: Number of Telephone Lines
Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Service Industry Definition: All establishments engaged in the generation, transmission and/or distribution of electricity or gas or steam. This also includes water and irrigation systems, and sanitary systems engaged in the collection and disposal of garbage, sewage, and other wastes by means of destroying or processing materials. This includes publically and privately owned infrastructure such as dams and wastewater treatment plants.
Candidate SDI:
- People With Sanitation (239 UN CSD)
- Definition: % of people without access to adequate sanitation
- Issue: Infrastructure/Poor Sanitation
- Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Service Industry Characteristic: Number of People
- Wastewater Treatment (290 UN CSD)
- Definition: Waste water treatment (% of population served, total and by type of treatment)
- Issue: Resource/Water Resources
- Electric, Gas and Sanitary Service Industry Characteristic: Amount of Water Treated
Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate Industry Definition: The branch of manufacture and trade based the management of money, banking, investments, and credit (finance), the coverage of loss in return for premiums (insurance), and the buying and selling of land and property (real estate).
Candidate SDI:
- Housing Loans (258 UN CSD)
- Definition: Housing loans
- Issue: Equity/Housing
- Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate Industry Characteristic: Number of Loans
Public Administration Definition: All executive, legislative, judicial, administrative and regulatory activities of Federal, State, local and international governments.
Candidate SDI:
- Infrastructure Needing Repair (405 SDI Group)
- Definition: Dollar value of public infrastructure needing major repairs
- Issue: Infrastructure/Public Infrastructure
- Public Administration Characteristic: Amount of Money
Justice, Public Order and Safety Definition: Government establishments engaged in justice, public order and safety.
Candidate SDI:
- Forest Law Enforcement (113 USDA FS)
- Definition: number of persons designated to enforce laws, regulations, guidelines that promote the sustainable use of forests
- Issue: Government/Environmental Protection
- Justice, Public Order and Safety Characteristic: Number of Officers
- Prison Capacity (379 SDI Group)
- Definition: Maximum allowable number of inmates in Federal, state, and local prisons infrastructure
- Issue: Social Cohesion/Crime
- Justice, Public Order and Safety Characteristic: Number of People
National Security and International Affairs Definition: Government establishments primarily engaged in national security and international affairs, such as the military and the diplomatic corps.
Candidate SDI:
- Maritime Agreements (298 UN CSD)
- Definition: Participation in maritime treaties/agreements (yes/no)
- Issue: Government/International Cooperation
- National Security and International Affairs Characteristic: Number of Ratified Treaties
- Ratified International Treaties (347 UN CSD)
- Definition: Ratification of international agreements
- Issue: Government/International Cooperation
- National Security and International Affairs Characteristic: Number of Ratified Treaties
- Ratified International Treaties (348 UN CSD)
- Definition: Implementation of ratified international agreements through national legislation
- Issue: Government/International Cooperation
- National Security and International Affairs Characteristic: Number of Ratified Treaties
- Regional Trade Agreements (267 UN CSD)
- Definition: Participation in regional trade agreements (yes/no)
- Issue: Government/International Cooperation
- National Security and International Affairs Characteristic: Number of Ratified Treaties
- US Aid Sustainable Development (49 PCSD)
- Definition: Development and use of new measures for assessing progress toward sustainable development in countries receiving U.S. assistance.
- Issue: Government/International Cooperation
- National Security and International Affairs Characteristic: Number of Indicators
Waste Definition: Worthless or useless by-products resulting social and economic processes, but not environmental processes. This includes all waste stored, managed, or processed by man. This does not include the processing and storage facilities for such waste, which appear under Tangible Reproducable Capital. This does not include any latent waste released into or present in the environment, which appears under Ecosystems Capacity. The framework organizes waste by source.
Candidate SDI:
- Forest Product Recycling (89 USDA FS)
- Definition: Tons of recycled paper per year
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Industrial and Municipal Waste (332 UN CSD)
- Definition: Generation of industrial and municipal waste (l)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Volume of Waste
- Municipal Waste per Capita (336 UN CSD)
- Definition: Municipal waste disposal (t/capita)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Superfund Sites (160 CEQ)
- Definition: number of sites listed in the NPL, which identifies the nation's most seriously contaminated hazardous waste sites eligible for permanent Superfund cleanup
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Number of Sites
- Total Managed Waste (422 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total mass of waste managed in man-made facilities in the United States organized by type (including nuclear), by site, and by hazard level. This does not include waste already released in the environment or in abandoned, uncontroled sites.
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Waste Disposal Per Capita (333 UN CSD)
- Definition: Waste disposed per capita (l)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Volume of Waste
- Waste Recycling (159 CEQ)
- Definition: recovery and disposal rates of wastes such as paper, glass, aluminum, plastic, metal, and rubber
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Waste Recycling (335 UN CSD)
- Definition: Waste recycling rate (%)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Waste Reduction (337 UN CSD)
- Definition: Waste reduction rates per unit of Gross Domestic Product (t/year)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste
Nuclear Waste Definition: Radioactive by-products resulting from fusion, fission, refinement, or processing of radioactive materials. This includes all solid and liquid radioactive wastes. This does not include the processing and storage facilities for such waste. This does not include any latent waste released into or present in the environment.
Candidate SDI:
- Permanent Nuclear Waste Storage (370 SDI Group)
- Definition: Volume of nuclear waste in approved, long term storage facilities
- Issue: Waste/Nuclear Waste
- Nuclear Waste Characteristic: Volume of Nuclear Waste
- Temporary Nuclear Waste Storage (162 CEQ)
- Definition: Volume of nuclear waste (in cubic meters) at commercial and temporary disposal sites
- Issue: Waste/Nuclear Waste
- Nuclear Waste Characteristic: Volume of Nuclear Waste
Solid, Liquid, and Gas Waste Definition: Solid, liquid, or gaseous by-products resulting from human biological processes, manufacturing, materials processing, comsumption of goods, or any other human activity. This does not include the processing and storage facilities for such waste. This does not include any latent waste released into or present in the environment.
Candidate SDI:
- Waste Recycling (26 PCSD)
- Definition: % of waste recycled
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Solid, Liquid, and Gas Waste Characteristic: Mass of Waste