|
The Challenge of Sustainable Development
Effective
Communication and Promotion for Your Project Surviving
the daily bombardment of information is a necessary
skill for today’s individual. But this skill makes it
harder for us to inform and encourage change in the
context of sustainable development. Understanding the
issues and presenting them in relevant and concise ways
is the best approach to this challenge.
This
section gives you a brief outline of how to effectively
communicate the benefits of your CommunityCheck project
to both organisations and potential volunteers. The
tools included in this section apply these guidelines
and are mainly correspondence, promotional and marketing materials to
help you advertise your project and to reach out to
organisations and to potential volunteers. These tools are meant to be used as
examples and templates
adaptable to your particular needs.
Firstly
though, it is a
good idea to understand the issues behind the
CommunityCheck project as this will help you to
communicate the aims of the project more effectively.
Understanding
Sustainable Development
Often our attempts to build secure and successful lives
for ourselves seem to come at the expense of the natural
environment on which we depend so heavily. This
contradiction can appear outside our control especially
when all around us; economic, social and political
systems each seem to take on a life of their own. From
the cars we drive and the packaging of our food, to the
way we define success, many of the things we accept as
normal in our daily lives are having dire consequences
for our environment.
The
challenge to which sustainable development responds is
to fundamentally transform the understanding of
development and progress that these systems are based
on. In this context, sustainable development can be
understood as:
A
framework for the transformation of the ways in which
all people are able to understand and achieve a sense of
their own well being through a process that respects,
appreciates and improves upon the ecological systems
interlinked with all aspects of their lives.
The
transformation required means that new priorities must
be met with innovative approaches. Sustainable
development brings together perspectives grounded in
environmental, economic and social theories and practice
in order to promote this much needed ingenuity. Each of
these areas contributes to an understanding of what
sustainable development is and how it ought to be
pursued; but at its core, sustainable development
involves an integrated and holistic approach to the
problems of our complex and unpredictable world. An
important subset of sustainable development is
sustainable consumption the central message of which is
briefly examined below.
For more information on
Sustainable Development visit:
The
UK Government Sustainable Development Homepage
DEFRA's Sustainable Development Main Page
The
Sustainable Development Commission
Understanding Sustainable
Consumption
The main issue addressed
by sustainable consumption is the idea that we are using
more resources than the earth can sustainably produce
and producing more waste than the earth can assimilate.
The
simple truth is that if everyone in the world consumed
at the average rate we do in the UK, we would need three
planets.
We need to move from three-planet living to one-planet
living,
at home, at work or travelling around – and we’re
running out of time to make the changes needed to meet
that challenge. 1
But it is not just
enough to fall back on these familiar refrains when
reaching out to organisations or volunteers. It is
important to show what can be gained from the project
and to help inspire change.
For more information on Sustainable Consumption visit:
DEFRA page on Sustainable Consumption and Production
Every Action Counts: Sustainability at the Community
Level
Sustainable Development Commission's roundtable on
Sustainable Consumption
Sustainable Consumption and Production Network
Consumers International: Sustainable Consumption
1WWF/Bioregional
Key Selling Points for
Organisations
There
should be flexibility in the way you approach different
organisations. The priorities of a restaurant, for
example, will be different from those of a community
centre. However, there is some common ground on which
organisations with publicly accessible buildings can be
approached. These Key Selling Points are:
Saving Money:
Most organisations will find this to be the main
attraction of the CommunityCheck. You will make
suggestions on how to produce less waste, use less
energy and use less water thus saving the organisation
money.
Improved environmental
awareness and performance.
Organisations are becoming more aware of their impact on
the environment. Additionally, there are a growing
number of regulations and guidelines concerning
environmental performance that are affecting the way
organisations do business. Your CommunityCheck report
will guide organisations in the right direction for
compliance with these issues.
Gaining Good publicity.
Publicity gained from participation in your
CommunityCheck project will highlight organisations' attempts to minimise their
environmental impact and demonstrate to the community
that they take a responsible approach to their
communities and environment.
Reaching
out to Volunteers
Aside from encouraging
change within organisations and their buildings, the
CommunityCheck project is about reaching out to
volunteers. At StudentForce, the bulk of the fieldwork
of the project was carried out by volunteers. It is
important when trying to attract volunteers to highlight
the benefits to potential CommunityCheckers of volunteering. For
example,
Volunteers will have the
opportunity to:
-
Learn new skills, gain valuable work experience and
meet new people.
-
Make a difference to local organisations and people
wanting to know more about their environmental
impacts.
-
Take part in team meetings and team events such as
socials, learning visits and workshops.
|
