Bermuda needs to look at every facet of society to ensure a secure future for our children, according to the Director of Sustainable Development Charles Brown.

And while the environment is an important area, he stressed that it is far from the only one.

Speaking to the Hamilton Rotary Club yesterday, he said: "Sustainable development also includes our social and economic issues, what we call the blue and the yellow issues to go along with the ever-present green that we hear so much about."

One major area of concern is the job market in Bermuda and he said the number of jobs available on the Island had risen, but the representations of Bermudians in the job market has fallen from almost 80 percent to below 70 percent.

"This suggests while we're creating jobs, increasingly they are being filled by our guest workers from overseas," he said.

"There is no suggestion that job creation should be suspended, but as a country we should ask what are the consequences of our economic success on our ability to sustain a good quality of life.

"Our future depends on how well we adopt the principles of sustainable development. We owe our children and their children a strong and healthy economy, society, and natural environment."

Mr. Brown said that in many ways, Bermuda has been successful, with a very high literacy rate and internet access in 90 percent of households.

However, at the same time, Bermuda's growing population and energy demands are signs of worry. "It is widely accepted that our current path of energy consumption is unsustainable," he said. "We need to make a conscious effort to reduce our fossil fuel reliance and consumption.

"Currently, we're the eighth most densely populated country in the world, and population projections between now and 2024 show a steady increase. We should ask ourselves, what are the effects of being even more densely populated?"

He also said that Bermudians produce a great deal more garbage per person than most other developed countries.

"When we combine all these elements, it strongly suggests that we need to agree on a plan for Bermuda that is compatible with our limits to growth. It is so important that we establish the right balance."

Part of the problem, Mr. Brown said, was that people were not thinking about sustainable development.

He said: "We surveyed Bermuda residents last year to establish a benchmark of awareness. The results were not surprising.

"Of those surveyed, 25 percent said that they don't know what sustainable development is. Another 25 percent said, 'Isn't it about preserving our open spaces?'

"Sustainable development requires us to expand our perspective to include both short and long-term considerations in every decision we make, both personally and as a country. It's about ensuring our quality of life, and there is not much more important than that."