One Planet partners to get support from world experts
BioRegional is launching an Expert Panel for the One Planet initiative, which will draw on the knowledge and experience of leading names in international sustainability to help keep the One Planet initiative and its endorsed partners and projects at the cutting edge of green thinking and technology.
With an initial focus on the One Planet Communities programme, panel members have been selected for their expertise in areas including urban planning, green building, ecological footprinting, policy, and campaigning.
Its six independent members are: Susan Burns, CEO of ecological footprinting think tank, Global Footprint Network; Jim Heid, President and co-founder of US based sustainable development advisory company, UrbanGreen; Kevin Hydes, CEO of deep green building services engineering company, Integral Group and former Chair of the World Green Building Council; Tony Juniper, UK based author and environmental campaigner; Professor Li Shirong, Professor of construction management at Chongqing University and Deputy Director General of Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission, China; and Raf Tuts, Chief of the Urban Environment and Planning Branch, UN-HABITAT.
They are joined by representatives from BioRegional’s endorsed One Planet Communities partner organisations, with their experience of practical delivery of the One Planet Communities programme: Pete Halsall, BioRegional Quintain Ltd; Geof Syphers, Codding Enterprises and Paulo Reis Silva, Pelicano.
The role of the Expert Panel is to ensure that the ‘planet with a heart’ logo remains, and is increasingly recognised as, a symbol of truly exemplary commitment to, and leadership in, sustainability.
The One Planet Communities programme is using the concepts of One Planet Living and sustainable ecological footprint to create a network of the earth’s greenest neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods will be showcased at the Rio+20 World Summit in 2012 to demonstrate to policy makers, business leaders and civil society that it can be easy, attractive and affordable for people to live happy and healthy lives within a fair share of the earth’s resources. BioRegional are excited and pleased to have the support of the Expert Panel in making this happen.
The Panel will be run using a virtual network, with three group sessions each year – the first is scheduled for 17th March.
To read more visit the role of the panel and member profile pages of this site.
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
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.
United Nations report highlights One Planet Communities
A new United Nations report, TRENDS IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION, identifies 8 case studies of sustainable communities around the world – and 6 of the 8 are One Planet Communities! Sonoma Mountain Village, Mata de Sesimbra, Masdar City, Barangaroo, Panyu Jinshan, and BedZED all earn mention.The report was produced by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat.
Download Report (13MB)
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.
BioRegional win Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
Oxford. Labelled “the Davos of social entrepreneurship” by the Observer, the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the gathering of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. At this year’s Forum, One Planet Communities co-founders Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai were presented with the Skoll Award by Ebay founderJeff Skoll and Dr R K Pachauri, Nobel prize-winning chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). BioRegional was selected as one of seven organizations leading in the areas of tolerance and human rights, health, environmental sustainability, peace and security, and economic and social equity.
Head of UNEP addresses first-ever “One Planet Conference”
London. Today, Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Environment Programme, addressed a sold-out crowd in London, UK at BioRegional’s One Planet One Day convergence. Watch the Youtube video as Achim describes the One Planet program as the vanguard of a global movement towards a green economy, and calls for our partners to work with UNEP to provide the solutions that will drive this transition forward.
We invite you to learn more about the conference… The Sustainability Action Plan for the event is also available.
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"It's time to stop planning for energy efficiency and start planning for zero impact. It's time to move past 'green' and embrace truly sustainable development. One Planet Communities has given us the framework to do just that."
Geof Syphers
Chief Sustainability Officer
Codding Enterprises