Award winning pioneers of sustainable living highlight their zero carbon housing
Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai, co-founders of the multi-award winning charity BioRegional Development spoke passionately of the need to reduce unnecessary consumption and live more sustainably when they addressed a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 16 September 2009.
The husband and wife team spoke about climate change as a moral issue and of their mission to create real life working solutions, as a response to the growing problem of environmental degradation caused by over-consumption of resources. In their research, the couple came to the astonishing conclusion that ‘if everyone lived in the way we do in the UK, we would need three planets so support us. And if we all consumed as much as the average North American, we would need five planets.’
They highlighted that the situation is more serious than previously thought, making action an urgent priority. They emphasized the universal nature of climate change: ‘We can’t have pockets of sustainability.’ Meeting the challenge of climate change, they said, ‘will only work if everybody does their bit to reduce their ecological footprint.’ In what is being termed as ‘climate trauma’, Sue drew attention to the growing sense of anxiety people feel that not enough is being done to stave off the effects of climate change.
As part of BioRegional’s work towards sustainability, it has identified 10 principles of One Planet Living to enable everyone to enjoy a high quality of life within a fair share of the earth’s resources. The principles include the need to make buildings more energy efficient, reduce waste, protect natural habitats and source local, seasonal food. Sue underlined that BioRegional takes a business approach to its activities by working in partnerships. She highlighted the ‘economic opportunities’ for companies serious about delivering sustainable solutions.
As part of its One Planet Initiative, BioRegional has launched a number of high profile projects. The award-winning One Planet Communities programme, for which BioRegional is probably the best known, provides the Earth’s greenest neighbourhoods. BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development ) in south London is the UK's largest mixed-use sustainable community and was BioRegional’s first venture into property development.
Pooran noted that, aside from its many environmental benefits, one of the outcomes of the project has been the creation of an active, sociable, healthy community atmosphere. ‘On average people know three neighbours by their first name in their local community. In BedZED, the average person knows 20 of their neighbours by name.’ The area of the development, in Hackbridge, had been neglected and crime was on the rise but this has now halted since the BedZED development. As a result of BedZED’s success, many more BioRegional sustainable communities are springing up in the UK, the US and other areas in the world.
In recognition of their pioneering work they were awarded a Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship at a ceremony in the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford last March.
OneBrighton, BioRegional’s latest sustainable living development in the south coast resort city, has opened this month with the first residents moving in. The developments have been made more affordable through avoiding costly provision for car space. Sue highlighted that BioRegional’s sustainable communities have also set a benchmark that government policy should emulate.
BioRegional’s work has also centred on sustainable manufacturing which aims to make use of renewable resources that are locally available. One of the examples Pooran mentioned was charcoal production in the UK. The UK imports 90 per cent of its charcoal, contributing to mangrove and forest destruction at a time when neglected UK forests could easily supply the demand and cut down on CO2 emissions in transporting the goods. The BioRegional Charcoal Company was launched in 1995 and supplies the retail chain B&Q.
While both Sue and Pooran acknowledged the importance of the UK’s Climate Change Act 2008, Pooran was critical of the government’s policy. ‘Quite often people who have no industry experience are writing policy,’ he said. ‘They do countless consultations and then they end up with a pig’s ear of a policy.’ He lamented that the government was too beholden to pressures from the Treasury to be able to make much of a difference. Sue also highlighted that the high turnover of employees in government can also be a problem. ‘People often change jobs in government and move to other departments,’ she said. ‘In this sense it can be frustrating when you’ve just got someone up to speed and then they move to another department taking their expertise with them.’
Sue argued that a creative response is needed to meet the challenges of climate change. ‘It’s a bit like being a detective; you have to find the answer.’ She also reiterated the need for people to work together. ‘We have all the tools to create a sustainable future but we don’t yet have the collective will. We are living in an overly globalised world and we have lost a sense of trust in those around us. We are richer than we were 40 years ago but we are not happier.’ However, both Sue and Pooran remain optimistic about the future and will make a call to world leaders when they attend the Copenhagen Climate Change summit in December.
Cheryl Gallagher
English