Finding a definition…
Defining ‘sustainability’ is not straightforward – especially as it’s often confused with ‘sustainable development’:
The most often quoted definition comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
What is Sustainability? | UCLA Sustainability
However, the idea of looking to what sort of world we’ll leave to our grandchildren is perhaps one to get us thinking about what we are doing to the world now:
Looking to the well-being of future generations – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Going Green
Perhaps, though, for most of us ‘going green’ is something easier to get hold of as a definition of ‘being sustainable’ in whatever we do:
“Going green” means to pursue knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, which can help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.
Sustainable Sidmouth Champions Awards
There are some examples of what ‘sustainability’ might mean for the Sid Valley:
Sustainability Award – Sustainable Sidmouth Champion Awards
And the news pages on the Awards social media has more:
To nominate a sustainability Award, fill in the form:
How to nominate – Sustainable Sidmouth Champion Awards
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Here is a little more in the way of concrete examples of what we mean by ‘sustainability’:
Fast Fashion – or love your clothes
“During the lockdown periods, people couldn’t actually get rid of anything,” says Dr Tracy Cassidy, a reader in fashion and textiles at the University of Huddersfield.“The charity shops were closed, the local tips were closed. I think it was a bit of a wake-up call in how much we’re actually throwing away. People have been aware of sustainability for a long time but not blaming themselves for being part of that [throwaway culture]… so I think that’s starting to change.”
Fast fashion – and the mindsets of consumers – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Dealing with waste:
Dare to repair: the fightback against e-waste – Vision Group for Sidmouth
What’s your plastic footprint? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Broad reaching and bold thinking to deal with plastic waste – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Reducing ‘the mountain of food thrown away’ – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Getting our food right
Whichever way we look at it, the food that we eat is going to have an impact on the environment it is produced in. Unless we all return to being hunter-gatherers (which frankly isn’t sustainable either!) our food will have to be farmed.
The challenge for society is to work out what we should eat, and how it should be grown, in order to be sustainable. But what do we mean by sustainable? There are a whole bunch of different ways to describe sustainable, it can be:
Low climate impact
Low water use
High biodiversity
Low input (pesticides / artificial fertilisers)
High welfare
However, just because a food ticks one of these boxes, does not mean it ticks them all…
What is ‘sustainable food’? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
The greenest building is the one that already exists
A new short film about the AJ’s RetroFirst campaign is voiced by architect and TV presenter George Clarke. In it, the well-known Channel 4 presenter explains how replacing the 50,000 buildings lost to demolition in the UK every year with new structures made of concrete and steel increases CO2, with construction responsible for 10 per cent of UK emissions and almost two-thirds of all UK waste.
Despite this, the film points out, our planning system has yet to get to grips with this issue and our tax system perversely rewards the most wasteful type of construction while penalising the most sustainable. New-build housing is taxed at 0 per cent VAT, while most refurbishment work attracts the standard 20 per cent rate.
RetroFirst: “the greenest building is the one that already exists” – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Green homes
Exeter city council, for example, has been quietly building zero-carbon homes for the last decade, with more than 200 council houses built so far to the exacting Passivhaus low-energy standard, and 1,000 more in the pipeline.
“We were originally driven by trying to address fuel poverty,” says Emma Osmundsen, director of the council’s housing company, Exeter City Living. “Not many people were talking about climate change in 2009, when we built our first three Passivhaus homes, so we became a kind of accidental pioneer.” The council is now on the seventh generation of its low-energy house design, which it has honed over the years to make it as “idiot-proof” as possible, says Osmundsen. Rather than timber frame, they use clay blocks that slot together like Lego bricks and contain a honeycomb of air pockets, negating the need for additional insulation. The homes are so thermally efficient that 60% of the tenants haven’t had to switch on their heating at all – some for more than 12 years.
Exeter the ‘accidental pioneer’ in eco-housing – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Green energy
Small-scale renewables, which provide heat and power through solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, and biomass systems like log burning stoves, are being used more in rural areas. The highest uptake of small-scale renewables was mostly in rural areas such as areas of east and southwest England. Cornwall is a leader for solar energy, with almost 20,000 solar PV installations to date. The county generates 37 per cent of its electricity from renewables
The slow uptake of small-scale renewable energy in housing – Vision Group for Sidmouth
The 15-minute neighbourhood
The concept is part of the sustainable urban design thinking and implies having all necessary amenities within a short walk, bike-ride or public transit trip. The strategy decentralizes the local economy, with each neighbourhood featuring all the aspects of urban living, from workspaces, businesses, to recreation, green areas, and housing. The concept, dating back to 1900s, made a comeback in 2019, as the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, became a prominent supporter of the 15-minute city or la ville du quart d’heure. Now several cities around the world included the idea in their post-pandemic recovery strategies.
15-minute neighbourhoods for Sidmouth – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Green corridors
Biodiversity exists everywhere, even the smallest urban green spaces provide essential habitats for the most minute of species. If we manage to link those small spaces together, then the potential increases. Fortunately, we are seeing projects emerging in cities around the world that demonstrate the possibilities.
Our green corridors – connecting with nature – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Building up biodiversity
Biodiversity Week in the Sid Valley – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Ideas on how the Sid Valley can enhance its biodiversity – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Climate change and biodiversity in the South West – Vision Group for SidmouthBiodiversity on the roadside – Vision Group for Sidmouth
How can the Sid Valley enhance its biodiversity over the next decade? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Recognising sustainability in the Sid Valley
To nominate someone for a sustainability award, go to the form and fill it in!