Workshop 1 – How shall we live? – 14th April, Gt North Museum, Newcastle
Background and Context
SUSTAINE, the independent champion for sustainable development in North East England, in association
with the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) and sustainability strategists Beyond
Green, delivered two technical workshops exploring how we can work towards achieving a sustainable
future for our region.
Our first workshop explored the question: “How shall we live?” as part of a sustainable regional future.
This workshop considered:
 How the need to lead more sustainable lives could shape the region’s future?
 What kind of lives might we lead?
 What might need to change to make sustainable living attractive?
 What new economic and work opportunities might emerge?
 How can the region as a whole, and communities within it, effect change?
The workshop was structured into two halves; the first half drew on keynote presentations and regional
respondents, whilst in the second half the workshop delegates explored the issues raised within themed
workgroups. The workshop concluded with plenary feedback and reflections.
Session 1: Setting the Agenda
Welcome and Introductions: Professor John Tomaney (CURDS); Professor Paul Younger (Pro-Vice
Chancellor, Newcastle University)
Keynote Presentations and Regional Respondents:
Joanna Yarrow, Beyond Green; John Adams, SUSTAINE; Bob Hull, Tynedale Transition Towns
Session 2: Themed Workgroups

Sustainable living and economic opportunity

Social implications of sustainable living

Environment, ‘place’ and sustainable lifestyles

Leadership and agency for sustainable behaviour change
Introduction
Professor Paul Younger opened the workshop with some words of welcome and echoed one of the key
challenges of the sustainability agenda: ‘It’s easier to talk about sustainability than get an idea of what this
means in practice’. In terms of defining sustainability, Professor Younger suggested: ‘Enough, for all,
forever’.
Professor John Tomaney introduced the workshop and situated the event as part of a longer and wider set
of discussions around sustainability in the North East. In particular, today’s workshop was designed to
complement and broaden discussions raised at a previous CURDS/One NorthEast Regional Insights seminar
on the Green New Deal that focused on the job opportunities for the region associated with new industries
like wind turbines or electric cars (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds/news/item/green-new-deal-policy). Today’s
workshop seeks to think more broadly about ‘how we will live in the future’.
Session 1: Setting the Agenda
Keynote Presentation – Joanna Yarrow (Beyond Green)
See weblink: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds/research/projects/project/3506
Regional Respondents
John Adams (SUSTAINE) – A key issue emerging is the extent to which either GVA or quality of life
measures are prioritised in sustainability strategy and practice. In the North East, particularly, there is a
tendency to frame things in terms of the GVA gap, and how they can be used for economic growth. In
contrast to this there is an opportunity for the region to develop a brand as a leading low-carbon and
sustainable region.
Referring to the ‘Prosperity without Growth’ (Sustainable Development Commission: http://www.sdcommission.org.uk/publications.php?id=914 ) – there is an inherent need in our economic system to
produce new goods and services fuelled by consumer demand. We have to continually grow to support this
and replace the jobs lost through productivity increases. This is unsustainable. We need to ‘get off this
train’ and start a discussion about quality of life measures against GVA. We need to embed sustainable
development in the region. The Single Integrated Strategy is potentially a move in this direction but we
need to go beyond this. However, a key problem is that we don’t know where the accountability for this is
held in the region.
Key message: There is a need to rethink what we mean by growth, and how we measure it. We need to
explore a range of indicators to measure quality of life and what we really value in society.
Bob Hull (Tynedale Transition Towns) – Bob’s response drew upon his experiences of Transition Towns in
the North East. These are local community-based responses aimed at mitigating the effect of larger issues
such as peak oil and climate change which could potentially affect all aspects of life in these localities. They
form groups in the community to look at key issues, with some links to local government.
The premise is that society has used huge levels of creativity and ingenuity in moving up the energy use
curve, so we should also be able to use this to find ways of moving downwards. ‘If they rely on
governments its too late, if they rely on individuals its too little, there’s a need for community action’. The
challenge is getting the community to put ideas into practice.
Bob then drew on Tynedale as an example. Tynedale started by looking at energy use, focusing on e.g.
renewable energy projects, transport, allotment / school gardens. Whilst recognising they are not a
campaign group, they aimed to get into schools and raise awareness. It is a bottom-up approach aiming to
make links with other local groups and empower people.
Key message: Transition movement is about taking collective action led by a core group of people to
make it work. It needs experts and expertise. If ‘we work with communities, we might just deliver and in
time’. We need to look at the small things people/communities can do to make a change, and build
momentum around this to create a change.
Discussion
In response to the presentation, a number of points were raised and discussed by the workshop delegates.
The following key messages emerged:

An important consideration is the issue of growing populations (in developed and developing
world) that obviously acts against reducing overall carbon use levels, so we could reduce per capita
levels and still end up standing still or even moving backwards. Demographic change needs to be
factored into our sustainability planning.

We need to first look at reducing the need for travel (e.g. through more homeworking) and then at
the development of alternative modes of travel through more viable public transport links and
options. We need to enhance our evidence base in planning for sustainable transport systems
and improve the ways in which we communicate these systems to the public.

There is a danger in ignoring the role of the central government in structuring our options.
Politicians need a stronger mandate to make changes. We also need to think in longer terms than 5
year political cycles – more towards 25-30 year inter-generational timeframes. Long-term visions
are required to shape and coordinate shorter terms objectives
Session 2: Themed Workgroups
Group 1 – Sustainable Living and Economic Opportunity (reported by Anja McCarthy, ONE)
Many of the themes developed in this group resonated with earlier discussions about the implications of
environmental sustainability for economic growth. These included:

Sustainable production : ‘making more with less’

Socially useful jobs: ‘the nature and type of work and how it impacts on society (e.g. caring jobs)’

How housing is organised: ‘local mechanisms for renting; community-based cooperatives’

How do we affect behavioural change:
-
‘Not just incentives for individual consumers but also in business’.
-
Not just through regulation but also by presenting / phrasing opportunities in new ways to
increase their appeal. Need for private sector leadership as well.
It was roundly agreed that green jobs and renewable energy offers great potential for the North East. We
need to look at the advantages the region has nationally to lead both technological and community
solutions: the production of renewable energy through wind and off shore wind is the first and underway,
the second is food production. The region has an opportunity to design, develop and export technologies in
these fields. It is also well placed in terms of sustainable food production (a point also raised by Group 2).
Given the region’s natural resources, can we develop opportunities around the concept of ‘Food
sovereignty’?
Finally, the group discussed the challenge of developing the skills base to achieve a more sustainable
society and economy.
Group 2 – Social Implications of Sustainable Living (reported by Shruti Jain, SUSTAINE)
An overriding theme emerging from this group was the extent to which activities should be focused on
working with communities - to see how they live and work. We need to work with our communities to raise
awareness of sustainable development relating it to the individuals and how they live, work and socialise.
Issues need to be addressed through active working practices/sessions.
Poorer communities consume less, use public transport more, and are seen as a problem/drain on society.
There is a huge part of the population not taking action but the state is helping them through initiatives like
Warm Zone. We need to think further about how we ‘help’ these hard to shift communities.
The challenge is to build community based projects for larger solutions e.g. SRB, Leader schemes
Previous initiatives such as SRB worked well and brought communities together on one issue. A climate
challenge fund based on a SRB style basis where communities come together with ideas for cutting carbon
footprint – adding positive externalities such as social capital. IPPR North is doing some local work at street
level on travel behaviours that has been incentivised and is hugely successful.
In so doing, as a region, we need to decide what we value in forming a sustainability agenda. There was a
consensus in the group that there is a need to create other measures and parameters. Sustainable living
needs to be achievable and ‘friendly’. We do not want to frighten people. There needs to be a further
debate on what kind of society we aspire to, and which groups there must be a focus on. This will help the
region better recognise and promote its particular qualities, for example quality of life (e.g. open spaces
etc.).
There is a sense that good things are already going on at the local level, but this needs to be joined-up more
through collaboration at the regional level, whilst still avoiding a top-down approach. Darlington Travel
Town Initiative is a good example of activity. It should be rolled out across the region. However there is an
issue of scaling up activity. The activity needs to stay local, and join up and work at this level. It cannot work
as a big infrastructure project.
Is there scope for a particular place to become a leading exemplar of sustainable development for the rest
of the region?
Group 3 – Environment, ‘Place’ and Sustainable Lifestyles – (reported by Neil Murphy, Beyond
Green)
How are different parts of the region set up for sustainability? Sustainable lifestyles vary between urban,
suburban, and rural areas, but we must move away from looking at things in terms of an urban-rural split.
There is hidden rural deprivation as well as urban deprivation, and an ageing population in rural areas.
Can we make the environment an economic asset for the region? It was recognised that there currently
exists a ‘cognitive dissonance’ with people not seeing the benefits of, for instance, having wind turbines in
the region – they see this as a something more akin to an inward investment or something imposed from
outside. Challenge is how to get them to see the benefits.
Need to recognise the importance of ‘movement / mobility’ as a theme. For instance, how does the effort
being put into becoming a mass producer of electric cars sit with things like increasing walking and building
cycle lanes etc. (when things like building infrastructure for electric cars, disposing of batteries and levels of
energy actually saved are considered). Is this a genuinely low-carbon alternative or just distracting from
other changes that are needed? Car use is the biggest affecter socially and environmentally. Reductions in
use of the private motor car will promote social as well as environmental sustainability. We need to get
people used to public transport early in life – free transport for under 18 year olds as well as the over 60s!
The public transport system needs to be de-privatised to deliver a true public transport system.
There remains an overriding need for more participation and buy-in. For example, today’s event is still just a
group of professionals talking, and not community participation.
Group 4 – Leadership and agency for sustainable behaviour change – (reported by John Edwards,
CURDS)
In terms of leadership, the group questioned the extent to which Central Government are leading on new
forms of measurement for sustainable development. Sustainability is still a box-ticking exercise. Could the
North East develop its own alternative set of measures and strategy?
However, it was also recognised that local and regional activity takes place as part of a multi-level system.
Local initiatives are important but some issues need national state interventions (e.g. North Sea Oil).
In terms of leadership:
-
Accountability was not considered particularly strong at the regional level.
It is the job of regional policymakers to empower people.
Leadership is influence – outlining the changes that are needed.
Need for distributed leadership across different institutions (e.g. including education, private
sector as well) with each area doing what they are good at.
The group also suggested that strategies can be usefully informed by ideas and evidence drawn from
outside the region.
Plenary Reflections and Discussions
Drawing on the feedback from the themed workgroup, our invited speakers offered the following points:
Joanna Yarrow:

The eternal problem is a lack of engagement. There is a difference between talking fervently in our
policy and stakeholder communities and actually engaging.

There is a level of disenfranchisement in the region which needs to be addressed as a major
challenge moving forward.

Ownership of the problems and ownership of the solutions will be important.

Co-ordination and celebration of the good work already happening in the region.
John Adams:

Should we be focusing on smaller things that can help sustainability than some of the big
renewable energy schemes and issues like local food production that we have talked about?

A lack of leadership? Politicians ‘don’t run too far ahead of the population’, so a need for wider
engagement to influence them.

In events like this there tends to be too much optimism about the short-term and too much
pessimism about long-term, so we need to be more balanced about these.
Bob Hull:

More thinking is required as to what sustainability on the ground actually means.

There are clear opportunities for technological solutions, but this will require coordination between
local authorities, the private sector, and universities.

Need community participation and a can-do attitude – we know what needs to be done, so should
do it.
Appendix 1: Pen Portraits of Invited Speakers
Joanna Yarrow
Joanna is a founder of sustainability company Beyond Green (www.beyondgreen.co.uk), which provides
strategic advice to clients ranging from the Olympics to Audi and the Premier League.
She presented BBC3’s Outrageous Wasters and is GMTV’s green expert. She regularly appears on lifestyles
and current affairs programmes including Five News and ITV Tonight, and is a presenter on ITV’s 60 Minute
Makeover, bringing a sustainable touch to interior design.
Joanna is the author of 1,001 Ways You Can Save the Planet, How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and
Eco-logical! She fronts consumer behaviour-change campaigns including the Ariel/Energy Saving Trust
energy- and water-saving campaigns and the Future Friendly Awards, and is often featured in the print
media. She regularly hosts or speaks at conferences, events and award ceremonies. Joanna sits on the
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment Eco Towns Design Review Panel.
John Adams
John Adams is an experienced freelance researcher based in North East England. He has an extensive
knowledge of public policy, nationally, regionally and locally. He has written solely and jointly a number of
keynote research publications in a diverse range of policy areas. He is also a non-executive Board member
of Sustaine, the sustainability champion for North East England.
He is a former Special Advisor in Whitehall, and a former Director of Research at ippr north. He advised the
government during the passage of the legislation which established the National Assembly for Wales, and
moved to the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) where he led their research programmes on
devolution and regionalism. He then moved to Gateshead where he oversaw the creation of ippr north, and
co-ordinated a programme of work and a range of research projects. He personally conducted a number of
research projects in the fields of regional economic policy and labour market policy and his work did much
to highlight the nature of various socio-economic challenges facing the North East.
Robert Hull
Until his retirement in 2006 Robert Hull was Policy Director of the European Economic and Social
Committee in Brussels. He followed very closely developments on environmental and sustainability
questions having previously been, from 1990 to 1999, the Head of the Division in the European
Commission’s Directorate General for the Environment responsible for initiating and co-ordinating new
policy proposals on the environment and sustainable development. He led the team which produced the
first European Strategy for sustainable development in 1992. During this time he was the Secretary of the
European Consultative Forum on the Environment and Sustainable Development and a member of the
Environment Committee of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Currently Mr Hull is a member of the Council of Newcastle University, a member of the Sustainable
Development Steering Group of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, chairman of the
Regional Centre of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development, adviser to a cross party
parliamentary group on environment issues and sustainable development and a board member of the
Hexham Community Partnership with a particular interest in environment and climate change.
He is also involved in a series of theatre projects linking arts and sustainability.
Appendix 2: List of Registered Delegates
No
Surname
First Name
Organisation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
Adams
Armstrong
Balderson
Best
Bone
Boyes
Boyne
Brown
Buchanan
Burke
Byers
Campbell
Clark
Clear-Hill
Cliff
Colling
Coombes
Coverdale
Cowie
Coyne
Crilly
Cripps
Davies
Davison
Eastick
Edwards
Errington
Goddard
Gough
Grant
Gray
Harrison
Haverson
Histon
Hodson
Hurst
Hull
Jain
Jeynes
Johnston
Jones
Lashley
Lowther
Marston
John
Jill
Ursula
Nic
Gemma
Samantha
Nicola
Ian
Keith
Wendy
Edward
Ian
Mike
Hugh
Thomas
Valerie
Mike
David
Paul
Clive
Michael
Jonathan
James
Amy
Alan
John
Barry
John
Tina
Olivia
Martin
Nicola
Paul
Julia
Julie
Rich
Robert
Shruti
Sara
Sheila
Phil
Sharon
John
Michael
Sustaine
Richmondshire District Council
Newcastle University
CPRE North East
UK Youth Climate Coalition
Civil Engineering, Newcastle University
Association of North East Councils
Sustainable Heating Solutions UK Ltd
Consultant
Public Health NE
Newcastle University
Northumberland County Council
Association of North East Councils
Northumberland County Council
CPCR Ltd
Colling Construction Ltd
Newcastle University
Northumberland National Park Authority
Northumberland National Park Authority
Gateshead Council
Newcastle City Council
Community Energy Solutions
Tyne & Wear City Region
Bradley O'Mahoney Public Relations
North Tyneside Council
CURDS
Government Office for the North East
Newcastle University
Spence and Dower Architects
Sustaine
Gateshead Council
English Heritage
D3 Associates Ltd
North Star Housing Group
Sunderland City Council
North East Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Schools
Association of North East Councils
South Tyneside Council
Gateshead Council
One NorthEast
Community Energy Solutions
Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit
Soil Association /Federation of Cityfarms and
Community Gardens
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
McCarthy
McDonald
McLaughlin
Megginson
Moore
Mortimer
Murphy
Murphy
Namdeo
Nichols
Peacock
Richards
Richardson
Robson
Sanderson
Schmuecker
Scott
Sellars
Singh
Stevens
Stewart
Stirling
Straughan
Stretton
Sturman
Thompson
Thompson
Thomson
Tighe
Tiwary
Tomaney
Townsend
Vallance
Wainwright
Ward
Wilson
Woolf
Yarrow
Young
Younger
Anja
Stephen
Ben
Claire
Roland
Shirley
Martin
Neil
Anil
Rob
Lynda
Pete
Kevin
Steve
Joan
Katie
John
Dermot
Saljeet
John
David
John
Carol
Neil
Peter
Stuart
Peter
Kirsteen
Becki
Abhishek
John
Alan
Paul
Andrew
Karl
Sean
Craig
Joanna
Rosemary
Paul
One NorthEast
Durham County Council
One NorthEast
Association of North East Councils
Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
North Tyneside Council
Sustaine
Beyond Green
Civil Engineering, Transport
Newcastle City Council
4 Housing Group
Groundwork North East
Newcastle City Council
Association of North East Councils
Northumberland County Council
IPPR North
South Tyneside Council
Homes and Communities Agency
BEACON
JSA Regeneration Ltd
Sustaine
North Tyneside Council
Stockton on Tees Borough Council
Durham County Council
TWRI
Ribble Consultants
Gateshead Council
One NorthEast
Craven Local Strategic Partnership
Newcastle University
Newcastle University
University of Durham
CURDS
South Tyneside Council
Newcastle University
South Tyneside Council
Community Renewable Energy (CoRE)
Beyond Green
Stockton on Tees Borough Council
Newcastle University