does sustainability mean “going green” and reducing environmental impacts? Can businesses generate profitability simply by becoming sustainable? I asked myself these two questions at the beginning of this course and was hoping to find the answers for myself. Fortunately, the things I learned from this course are even more than I expected. Now I not only know the answers to these two questions, but also many other interesting related concepts. This can be a great opportunity for me to interpret what I have studied to future students in this class or anyone who is interested in the topic of sustainability but does not have much knowledge about it. So, in this article, I will focus on the major concepts of sustainability which are externalities, the IPAT equation, the "triple bottom line", the "natural resource-based view" (NRBV) and some typical examples of sustainable businesses. in the real world. Before talking about sustainability, it is more important to know what an externality is. An externality, an effect created by a transaction between a buyer and a seller, directly influences a third party. In our daily lives, many transactions are made between people, and these transactions can cause both positive and negative externalities. According to Jeff Butcher and Rachel Hill (nd), positive externalities represent the benefits, and negative externalities the costs linked to the production or consumption of goods and services. Obviously, the negative externalities caused by these transactions are much greater than the positive externalities. Many environmental concerns arise from pollution, toxicity, greenhouse gas emissions, natural resources and loss of ecosystem services. Indeed, most people have...... middle of paper ......AWB Global Forum: 1-46.Griggs, D. (2013, March 21). Sustainable Development Goals for people and planet. Macmillan Publishers Limited, 495: 305-307. Hardin, G. (1968). Garrett Hardin: the tragedy of the commons. 1-13. Hart, S.L. and Dowell, G. (2010). Guest editorial: A vision of business based on natural resources: fifteen years later. Journal of Management 2011, 37: 1464-1476. Laverty, KJ (2012). The environmental value chain and strategic decision-making for sustainability. Academy of Corporate Affairs: 1-7. Lovins, AB, Lovins, LH, & Hawken, P. (1999). A roadmap for natural capitalism. Harvard Business Review: 143-158. SC Johnson: Reducing our ecological footprint. (2004). World Business Council for Sustainable Development: 1-3. Vittorio, A. (2014). Large companies are stepping up efforts to reduce environmental risks in supply chains. Blooberg: 1-8.