I have read with interest the Environmental Sustainability Index that has been developed at Columbia University. For my Master's Thesis I am looking at developing a framework for measuring sustainability. I am particularly interested in measuring differences at the regional/state level. Would you see the application of the Environmental Sustainability Index at the state level as effective? Would it need to be modified or could it serve as a useful comparison for states to national achievements.
We definitely see the ESI framework as relevant at the state level. The Mexican Business Council on Sustainable Development produced a state-level index that had much in common with the ESI for the Mexican states — http://www.cce.org.mx/cespedes/publicaciones/otras/SustentaMex/isa.htm.