Sustainable Development
Sustainable development can be achieved by creating balance between the social, economic and environmental needs of a community. In many parts of the world, major issues must be resolved to make sustainable development work, including: access to clean water, fair trade, and conservation of resources and the environment.
Sustainable use of natural resources can enhance people's livelihoods and protect against the impacts of climate change, pollution and over-consumption while addressing the development needs of communities and eliminating poverty. Through environmental education and development of appropriate technology, communities can learn to adapt to a changing world, and establish sustainable fisheries, industries, fresh water and forestry while protecting conservation areas and wildlife.
Fair trade puts people at the centre of world trade. Trade is our source of wealth. Yet the benefits are not being shared: millions of people are being left behind. Unfair trade rules are one of the biggest obstacles to development -- for every dollar given to poor countries in aid, they lose two dollars to rich countries because of unfair trade.
Clean water and sanitation are basic human rights. Without safe water and sanitation nearby, people can't escape the downward spiral of poverty and disease. There are 1.1 billion people in the world living without safe water. When water and sanitation is provided to poor communities, they can begin to spend their insufficient incomes on other needs such as food, health care and education.
Your urgent support is needed
Urban Living Guide
The Wellington-based 42Collective's website features a great guide to sustainable city living. With so much information about sustainable living out there it can be difficult to know how to start making changes to your lifestyle. That’s why the authors have gone out and about to find information so you can make more informed decisions. This guide is the result.
Whether it’s how to heat your home cheaply, party the sustainable way or buy food that’s good for you and your community, it’s all there. (the guide)
intersect
Are you a young professional who care about sustainability?
Check out Intersect - a diverse bunch, including accountants, artists, designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, health practitioners, IT gurus, journalists, lawyers, policy advisers, researchers, and many more. This is a place where you can meet some like-minded (and not-so-like-minded!) folks, learn, inspire, seek assistance, share events and develop opportunities.. (more)
What price recycling?
For most people - out of sight is out of mind - once waste leaves their property in a rubbish bag or a recycle bin, they no longer think it is their problem.
The intentions behind recycling are good - responsible recycling (including e-waste) should be encouraged to make better use of increasingly scarce resources and to reduce pollution. The problems arise when the waste is shipped overseas for processing where it creates toxic byproducts or only re-uses some components and the rest is dumped. In addition, the conditions the people who process the waste have to work in are often very dangerous to their health. They are usually poorly paid and their basic rights are ignored. Often whole families or villages work on recycling waste, without any of the protective clothing they need. The pollution from the discarded waste is seriously damaging the environment, particularly water sources. Our waste must be processed in a controlled sustainable fashion that does not cause damage to the environment or the health of the workers who handle it
Find out more
Check out the Basel Action Network (BAN), an organization focused on confronting the global environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade (toxic wastes, products and technologies) and its devastating impacts. more
clean up the world
Clean Up The World is a global campaign that inspires communities to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment. Held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, it mobilises an estimated 35 million people across 120 countries.
Want to join Clean Up the World and help save the environment? Get involved by registering your group or organisation and its activity and you will appear on the global Clean Up the World map. Join here!
Useful Links
