The Object Level: ELSI

ELSI is a categorization system for all existing physical things in our world. It replaces the "People, Planet, Profit" triple bottom line with something more inclusive, more consistent, and far more useful. Where PPP draws arbitrary lines between three domains that overlap in confusing ways, ELSI provides a logical structure that reveals causal relationships.

Every physical entity in the universe fits within the ELSI system. The name derives from the first letters of its four main categories:

The ELSI4 version is useful for quick communication and mental shorthand. The ELSI8 version is used for detailed scanning, indicator development, and brainstorming. Both describe the same reality at different resolutions.

Why This Order Matters

ELSI is arranged from bottom to top in a nesting structure. Each higher layer depends on the layers below it and cannot exist without them:

• Energy and Materials form the foundation. Without energy flows and material resources, nothing else can exist. This is physics.
• Life (ecosystems and species) depends on energy and materials to survive and function.
• Society (culture and economy) depends on living systems and the resources they provide.
• Individual (health and happiness) depends on a functioning society, living ecosystems, and available resources.

This nesting is not arbitrary. It reflects causal dependency. If the energy foundation fails, everything above it collapses. If ecosystems degrade, society and individual wellbeing follow. This is why approaches that focus exclusively on the top layers (happiness, economic growth) without attending to the foundation (energy, ecosystems) are structurally fragile.

How ELSI Replaces Triple Bottom Line

The PPP model puts "People, Planet, Profit" side by side as if they were equal and separate domains. They are not. "Planet" (ecosystems, materials) is the foundation on which "People" (society, individuals) depend, and "Profit" (economy) is just one component of the societal layer. ELSI makes these relationships explicit. It also includes domains PPP ignores entirely: happiness, cultural expression, species diversity as distinct from ecosystem health.

Using ELSI in Practice

When analyzing a system, you scan across all eight ELSI categories. For each, you ask: what objects exist here? What is their current state? What indicators would help us measure performance? This scan ensures nothing is overlooked. A building project that considers only energy efficiency (one ELSI category) while ignoring biodiversity impact, cultural displacement, or health effects is doing incomplete analysis.

ELSI also works across scales. The same eight categories apply whether you are analyzing a product, a neighborhood, a city, or a country. The objects and indicators change, but the framework stays constant.