The historical evolution of environmental protection is going to be presented from ancient times to the present day. 20th/21st century approaches will be elaborated on, ranging from environmental management to waste reduction, pollution prevention, green chemistry/engineering, and sustainability. Particular emphasis will be given to the concept of sustainability, including the variety of its definitions. Possible interrelations among these different sustainability concepts, and relevant quantifying tools will be discussed. Finally, a novel sustainability concept will be introduced, and tools for its quantification will be discussed.
