SD Learning Session: One Planet Living - a practical framework
for achieving sustainable consumption and production
June 15th 2012, Rio Centro, Rio de Janeiro
The SD-learning workshop organised by BioRegional and partners was attended by 80 participants
from more than ten countries including Qatar, Surinam, Uganda, India, China, Australia, Germany,
Colombia and Brazil.
The session was introduced by Sue Riddlestone, CEO & co-founder of social enterprise BioRegional.
Sue explained that the One Planet Living framework is about sustainable living and is based on
equity, ecological and carbon footprint and sustainable consumption and production (SCP). One
Planet Living is based on ten principles which address all three pillars of sustainability; zero carbon
(in building energy use), zero waste, sustainable transport, sustainable materials, local and
sustainable food, sustainable water, land use and wildlife, culture and community, equity and local
economy; and health and happiness. The framework can be used at many different scales to write
sustainability action plans that help create the future we want. Sue explained how BioRegional are
working with partners around the world to make One Planet Living a reality.
Presentations were also made by representatives from real estate developers, China Merchants
Property Development, and a manufacturing company, Imbera from Mexico, who have been using
the One Planet Living principles to structure their sustainability strategies.
Workshop sessions
Following the presentations, the attendees
divided into groups to discuss how to apply
the One Planet Living approach and ten
principles to different scenarios. Three
groups chose to explore how to enable One
Planet Living in a very low income
community, such as a favela. Other groups
chose a municipal authority, a convenience
store and a manufacturing company as case
studies. There were passionate discussions
all around the room as participants really
got into their role play!
It was interesting that participants focused on the need and opportunity of creating green jobs,
especially from waste collection, remanufacturing and energy efficiency. Social aspects such as the
need for education and empowerment, creating community and well being were also considered
very important.
Launching the One Planet Living online toolkit
Pooran Desai, co-founder and International Director at BioRegional, announced that the One Planet
Living framework is being made easy for people to use through making case studies and a toolkit
available on-line at www.oneplanetliving.net
Ideas generated by participants in the discussion groups
Zero Carbon
Zero Waste
Sustainable
Transport
- Utilise renewable energy more effectively: use solar ovens, solar panels, solar
powered street lights, passive solar technology for heating and cooling buildings, as
well as, water for air conditioning and biogas
- Reshape policy instruments: more effective economic instruments, policies and
education are needed to incentivise sustainable energy and zero waste
- Reshape policy instruments: more effective economic instruments, policies and
education are needed to incentivise sustainable energy and zero waste
- Use electric bicycles and alcohol and biodiesel as motor fuel in vehicles, expand the
road infrastructure to remote areas around the world, and build more cable cars
Sustainable
Materials
- Have easily accessible information available about alternative construction
materials
Local and
Sustainable
Food
- Build vertical gardens, compost, safe food, heritage seeds
- Food linked to education and feeding programmes
Sustainable
Water
- Conserve water: careful use of water for laundry, the garden and in biodigesters,
harvest rain water
Land and
Wildlife
Culture and
Community
Equity and
local
economy
Health and
Happiness
Create habitat for biodiversity
- Mobilise Community groups and build on what the community are doing
- Empower and educate youths about good examples of sustainable living
- Use the arts and theatre to educate
- Exchange visits between communities to understand best practise and innovative
new technologies
- Channel more of the money invested by society to local authorities and make
microfinance more widely available
- Community bartering and exchange and enforce local protection of community
assets such as solar panels
- Measure well being as well as economic development
Charlie Arden-Clarke from UNEP joined the workshop to hear the feedback and spoke about the
importance of sustainable consumption and production. Arden-Clarke remarked that training such
as One Planet Living and other SCP programmes will become more widely available if the Ten Year
Framework of Programmes on SCP is adopted at Rio+20 (which it was) and encouraged participants
to enquire about it.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and attendees found the One Planet Living a useful way to
think about sustainability and how to structure actions. 26 participants returned the feedback form
and participants rated the session 4.5/5 on average. Three participants wanted to spread the
training and three wanted to receive more in depth training. Two participants liked having the
training in different languages. Two participants thought it was important to create eco-villages in
poor communities. People enjoyed the group work but one participant did not like the table layout
and found the room too noisy. Other points which participants thought were an important aspect of
the training were the inclusion of happiness, values and principles in sustainable development.
For further information please contact:
info@bioregional.com +44 (0)20 8404 4880
www.bioregional.com