BioRegional gave an interview on One Planet Initiative during COP17
Pooran Desai, International Director of One Planet Communities and Sarah Aslen, BioRegional South Africa spoke about One Planet Initiatives and work in South Africa at an interview to ‘Responding to Climate Change‘ channel during COP17
Click below to watch the interview:
Planning Guidance on Food Growing and Development – Inspired by One Brighton
Brighton and Hove’s new planning guidance on Food Growing and Development was inspired by One Brighton .
The purpose of the new Planning Advice Note is to provide some basic technical considerations, as well as offer inspiration, on how food growing can be incorporated into proposals for new developments. Brighton & Hove City Council supports the provision of food growing opportunities within the city as part of its commitment to sustainable development. Click here to download the full document.
One Brighton was one of the case studies mentioned in this new planning guidance. Its rooftop allotments were also featured on Meridian TV.
BioRegional wins Social Entrepreneur of the Year
Today, BioRegional’s co-founders are two of five social entrepreneurs being awarded the title of Social Entrepreneur of the Year during the 2011 World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia in Vienna, Austria, taking place on 8-9 June. The Social Entrepreneur of the Year awards are being led by Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, following the opening plenary of the forum.
BioRegional’s co-founders Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai will join a group of leading social entrepreneurs from across Europe and will be active participants providing insights on sustainability and social innovation in the discussions under the meeting’s theme Expanding the Frontiers of Innovation. A dedicated session “Ecosystems for Social Innovation” will bring together civil society and the public and private sectors to share experiences and explore potential opportunities to strengthen and replicate successful models throughout Europe and Central Asia.
“Social entrepreneurs are the driving force behind the innovations that improve the quality of life of individuals around the world,” explained Mirjam Schoening, Head of the Schwab Foundation. “While the primary focus of social entrepreneurs is to make a specific change in one area, such as access to education, affordable housing or unemployment, social entrepreneurs’ approach to delivering a social impact, which uses innovative and effective business models and cross-sector collaborations, has inspired change among governments and in the private sector alike. In effect, social entrepreneurs are not only delivering change to their constituents, they are also transforming the way governments and companies serve their constituents.”
Winners working in France, Germany and the United Kingdom are among 19 Social Entrepreneurs taking part in the meeting, providing an on-the-ground perspective to sustainability and social innovation.
The following five winners have been selected as 2011 Social Entrepreneurs in Europe:
Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai – BioRegional – United Kingdom
BioRegional invents and delivers real-life sustainable communities and businesses. This includes partnering in Peabody’s multi-award-winning BedZED eco-village in London where BioRegional has its main base and seven companies including clean tech for the paper industry and local charcoal supplies to national retailers. BioRegional developed the “one planet living” sustainability design and delivery framework out of their practical experience which is now being used by manufacturers, retailers, local authorities and events such as the London 2012 Olympics and in fifty countries around the world. BioRegional has sister organisations or representative offices in North America, China, Greece, Mexico, Australia and South Africa.
Juergen Griesbeck – Streetfootballworld – Germany
Millions of young people around the world are born into a cycle of social injustice with little opportunity to break out. Through the love of football, streetfootballworld brings individuals and organizations together behind a common goal: empowering young people to rise above their circumstances.
Norbert Kunz – iq consult – Germany
Iq consult seeks to lower unemployment, especially in the eastern parts of Germany, by training, mentoring and funding unemployed and disadvantaged people who are looking to become self-employed.
Laurent Laïk – Groupe La Varappe – France
Groupe La Varappe creates jobs in the south of France for people who have been excluded from society. Groupe La Varappe is composed of two main organizations. One is focused on finding temporary employment for people with minimal qualifications. The other organization focuses on three environmental areas: construction and gardening, waste and renewable energies.
About the Schwab Foundation
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was co-founded by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and his wife, Hilde. Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation has been identifying the world’s leading social entrepreneurs in over 50 countries around the globe. Selected social entrepreneurs of the Schwab Foundation network participate in World Economic Forum events, thus providing unique opportunities for them to connect with business, political and media leaders.
www.schwabfound.org
Speaking at Tedx Oxbridge – Business as unusual
4th June 2011, Oxford
BioRegional’s co-founders are speaking at TEDxOxbridge – an event bringing together over 20 notable activists, business mavericks, designers, engineers, musicians, politicians, and scientists to share their ideas worth spreading. Over 250 carefully-chosen attendees will be coming from both Oxford and Cambridge universities and their networks to explore how commerce, science, technology, and the humanities can collaborate to redraw the lines of business.
The event will take place all day Saturday, June 4th, 2011 at Said Business School in Oxford. Presentations and performances will range from 4 to 18 minutes in length, leaving plenty of space for networking and overflow conversations with fellow attendees and speakers. Afterward, there will be a drinks reception followed by self-organized topical dinners with speakers, and a late-night after-party featuring two DJ guests.
In person tickets for the event are now sold out but you can watch the talks on a big screen for free at the nearby Jamfactory and get tickets for the after party.
http://tedxoxbridge.com/guest-registration
UNEP climate campaign features One Planet Communities
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has featured One Planet Communities in their new 30WAYSin30DAYS climate change campaign. The campaign states: “UNEP’s 30 case studies prove that solutions to combat Climate Change are available, accessible and replicable”
Click here for more details
BioRegional Mexico featured in Reforma
As part of the UK Trade & Investment [Construction Sector] Mission to Mexico, Daniel Viliesid, BioRegional Mexico Representative, gave a presentation at the St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City on 20 September 2010.
Reforma, one of the most circulated national papers in Mexico, interviewed Daniel about the One Planet Communities network and what BioRegional Mexico hopes to achieve in the near future. To read the full article in Spanish, please click the following link:
2010.09.24 – Reforma – BioRegional Mexico, UKTI trade mission
Watch the CNBC One Planet Communities Film here!
Crest Nicholson BioRegional Quintain’s OneBrighton, UK and Codding Enterprises’ Sonoma Mountain Village, USA, two of our fully endorsed One Planet Communities, were featured in last week’s CNBC Responsible Business Television series.
Pooran Desai OBE, the International Director for the OPC programme and Co-founder of BioRegional gave his views in the film on how to make sustainable living easy, attractive and affordable.
Geof Syphers from Codding Enterprises, the developer of Sonoma Mountain Village, USA, also shared his experience on creating a sustainable community.
Here is another chance to see what they said about these ground breaking sustainable projects around the world.
More Videos about One Planet Communities can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/1planetcommunities.
One Planet Communities film to be broadcast on CNBC this weekend
One Planet Communities is the focus of the next episode of the Responsible Business Television series, broadcasting on CNBC around the world this weekend.
Tune into your region’s CNBC channel at the following times to see several of the ground-breaking projects showcased and an interview with International Director, Pooran Desai OBE:
CNBC Asia
1st Broadcast: 30 October 17:30 SIN/HK Time
2nd Broadcast: 31 October 09:30 SIN/HK Time
CNBC Europe
1st Broadcast: 30 October 08:30 CET
2nd Broadcast: 30 October 13:30 CET
CNBC USA
Single Broadcast: 30 October 16:00 EST
If you miss the broadcast the film will go up on www.oneplanetcommunities.org early next week.
SOMO developer named best place to work
Santa Rosa. The North Bay Business Journal has recognized Codding Enterprises, the real estate developer behind Sonoma Mountain Village, as one of the best places to work in California’s North Bay region. An excerpt: Codding has transformed into an investment holding company with interests spanning construction, green building, clean energy and mixed-use community development…
The company provides the full spectrum of employee benefits, along with telecommuting, flextime and social events. “Wine and Worms” had the employees making composting worm bins, while enjoying local wines. Another event had them volunteering to plant native grasses along Cotati Creek. Read the full article in the North Bay Business Journal.
New York Times on Masdar City: “technical brilliance”, exclusivity
Abu Dbhabi. An excerpt: It’s only as people arrive at their destination that they will become aware of the degree to which everything has been engineered for high-function, low-consumption performance. The station’s elevators have been tucked discreetly out of sight to encourage use of a concrete staircase that corkscrews to the surface. And on reaching the streets — which were pretty breezy the day I visited — the only way to get around is on foot. (This is not only a matter of sustainability; Mr. Foster’s on-site partner, Austin Relton, told me that obesity has become a significant health issue in this part of the Arab world, largely because almost everyone drives to avoid the heat.) Read the full article in the NY Times.
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"One Planet Communities offers us a very simple choice: The next time we choose a place to live, we can choose one that invests in the sustainability of our planet. This will allow us to make a difference on a scale - and with the urgency - that all of us now know is absolutely necessary."
Achim Steiner
Executive Director
UN Environment Program