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BioRegional
Solutions
BioRegional is an entrepreneurial charity, which invents
and delivers practical solutions for sustainability.
Our Challenge
We live in a consumer society where over-consumption is driving
environmental degradation. If everyone in the world lived
as we do in the UK we would need three planets to support
us.
This challenge varies around the world: for example the USA
is at a five planet level and China is currently at a sustainable
one planet level.
The BioRegional challenge is to find ways of living and working
where we are consuming resources and producing carbon emissions
at a sustainable level while improving our quality of life
- what we call one planet living. |
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you have a problem viewing this email please click
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BioRegional Newsletter
Issue 25
summer 2009
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A
message from our Director
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It felt like
a historic moment when the Government launched the UK’s
low carbon transition plan on 15th July. Thanks to the Climate
Change Act passed last year we are the first country in
the world to have a carbon budget and plans to reduce emissions
in line with an 80% cut by 2050. Since Sir
Nicholas Stern’s review, the idea that we should spend
now to save later where climate change is concerned is accepted.
But now we have to actually do it and in a big way if we are
to meet our targets.
The first obvious thing to tackle is cutting carbon from our
existing homes. Many people are saying "how can we finance
green retrofit?" This is all very real to us because working
with the local council we aim to make all buildings in the London
Borough of Sutton zero carbon by 2025, and are currently figuring
out how we can do it. It’s definitely not straightforward.
The other thing that keeps
coming up is the need to set out what a really green economy
will look like, that is living within its fair share of the
earth’s resources, in terms that economists and ministers
will understand. We have all the stats to show the eco-benefits
of our various enterprises and projects but we also need to
make the economic case.
Is this an issue for you, or do you
have any solutions? We’d love to hear from you and will
certainly keep you all updated as we work through it ourselves.
Sue Riddlestone, Director |
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United Nations award for BioRegional’s
clean energy work in China
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The sustainable community project
that BioRegional has worked on in southern China has won a
prestigious award from the United Nations (UN) for its clean
energy solutions.
The UN-HABITAT award’s committee short-listed 26 "Good
Practices" from around the world of which 5 winners were
chosen including China
Merchant Property Development (CMPD) for “The
Hills”- a live work community in Guangzhou. BioRegional
has worked with CMPD on this project since 2006, to apply
the 10 one planet principles framework. The project won in
the category of Clean Urban Energy Solutions, Mitigation and
Adaptation to Climate Change. The site strategy includes installing
a solar powered hot water system and photovoltaics, and energy
efficient buildings which exceed China's building regulations
requirement by 40%.
Sue Riddlestone said: “It’s
crucial to have projects in China that show how the country
can develop sustainably. With around 20% of the world's population
living there clean energy and energy efficiency is vital to
help curb world CO2 emissions. Congratulations to CMPD for
showing leadership in China”.
More
about the winners
If you would like to use the 10 one planet principles framework
for your organisation or project download the free template
and guidance for a one
planet action plan from our web site. |
Mr Hu, CEO of CMPD, proudly collects the award
(third from right). |
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90%
of people in local consultation support sustainable suburb
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Work continues
in the London Borough of Sutton towards fulfilling its commitment
to be the UK’s first official One Planet Borough –
that is a happier and healthier borough living within its
fair share of the earth’s resources by 2025. The project’s
pilot suburb of Hackbridge went through a process of community
consultation on the draft masterplan earlier this year with
some encouraging results – 90% of people supported the
vision to make Hackbridge the greenest suburb using the one
planet living principles as a framework. The draft masterplan
suggests giving greater priority to pedestrians and cyclists,
providing a new mixed use district centre and improved green
spaces.
Find
out more about the Hackbridge pilot project |
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Our
new web site provides helpful sustainability tools
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You may have noticed that we have
recently launched our new web site. The site offers some great
services and tools that you might find useful - you can download
our new project briefing sheets and one
planet action plan for organisations, use the RSS
feed and twitter to keep up to date with our news and
donate
on-line. People often find the scope of our work confusing,
so we have also used the new site to better show how our projects
and services fit together under a unified approach.
We’d like to thank everyone who took part in our web
site feedback questionnaire – you’re input was
invaluable in helping us to build a useful new site. If you
have any comments about our site we'd love to hear them.
www.bioregional.com
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New
world record for one planet living expedition
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Adrian takes ice readings
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Back in May we told you about the
arctic explorer who was just about to embark on a record breaking
kite skiing expedition across Greenland to spread the one
planet living message. Well we are glad to say that last week
Adrian Hayes and his team successfully completed the 4,262
kms after 67 days and are in good health. While travelling
they took essential ice readings to help us understand the
effects of climate change in the arctic. Adrian has used the
expedition to raise the profile of the need to live sustainably
through a media campaign in United Arab Emirates, UK and Denmark.
Near the end of the expedition Adrian wrote on his blog about
how the trip had strengthened his commitment to sustainable
living: “We have lived, eaten and slept in an area of
7' x 2' in our tents. Our entire worldly possessions have
been contained in two sled bags with everything having its
use. We have treated water, food and fuel preciously with
nothing going to waste. And managed perfectly well... A lesson
in simple living; a lesson perhaps for all of us back home;
in what is really important in our lives...For the three of
us it certainly isn't the 65" television screen and the
new mobile with 500 functions that we value most. It’s
our health, loved ones, families and friends.
One planet living doesn't mean we all have to go back to
living in tents or caves however. It’s simply about
being more sensible and smarter in how we live in the World.
You don't have to go on a 2 month Polar expedition to learn
this.”
Find out more about the expedition at www.greenlandquest.com
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Raise
money for BioRegional and get green energy
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This summer we are aiming to generate
funds for our work by encouraging our supporters in the UK
to sign up for renewable energy from Good Energy. It’s
a win – win deal where you get the satisfaction of using
100% renewable green energy and Good Energy donates money
to BioRegional as a thank you for putting custom their way.
Businesses – if you sign up BioRegional will
receive a donation of £120
Individuals – if you sign up BioRegional will
receive a donation of £20
You just need to follow this link www.goodenergy.co.uk/bioregional
so that Good Energy knows that you want your donation to go
BioRegional. If you prefer to phone, then don't forget to
mention BioRegional - thank you!
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We’re
looking for charcoal and firewood suppliers to join our network
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Due to increased demand BioRegional
Charcoal Company is looking for additional UK suppliers of
charcoal, firewood and kindling to join its producer network.
If you are interested in finding out more, please visit www.bioregionalhomegrown.co.uk
and/or email brcc@bioregional.com. |
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Want
to hear more? BioRegional training and talks coming up... |
Starting
September 09
Halving waste to landfill
Locations around the UK
BioRegional is working with CIRIA
to roll out 35 training events events to the construction
industry - presenting the case for the halving waste to landfill
commitment and action and equipping attendees with the knowledge
and tools needed to deliver against the commitment.
We will be contacting organisations soon, however if you’d
like to register your interest in advance of this please contact
matt.sullivan
@bioregional.com
Find out more about the Halving Waste to Landfill initiative:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction/halving_waste_to_landfill
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15th September 09
Greencoat Forum
24 Greencoat Place, London, UK
Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai, BioRegional’s co-founders,
will speak on 'one planet living' as part of this year’s
Greencoat forum run by Initiatives of Change UK.
http://www.uk.iofc.org/forums
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| 20th September
2009
BedZED eco-village open to the public for Open House
London weekend
BedZED, south London, UK
Free mini tours of the site and show home. The BedZED Viistor
Centre is usually closed on the weekend but we open each year
for Open House to give poeple who can't visit on weekdays
the opportunity to find out about the pioneering estate.
For more details please visit
http://www.openhouse.org.uk/public/london/event.html closer
to the date to find out more.
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| 3rd - 9th October
Positive Energy 2 conference
The Findhorn Foundation, Scotland, UK
Pooran Desai (BioRegional's co-founder) will be presenting
at this week long conference which will look at how we can
build bioregional resilience.
http://www.findhorn.org/programmes/programme349.php
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