News: 12 May 2008

Richard Powell, Sustainability East Chair and Adam Dyster East of England Youth Climate Change Champion issue a yellow card to the region for its sustainability performance, warning that urgent action is needed.

Our Region is Living Beyond Its Means...

Sustainability East, formerly the Sustainable Development Round Table (SDRT) for the East of England, celebrated its 10 year anniversary and launched its new plans for the future today (12 May) by identifying the key threats to the long term sustainability of the region and proposing how they intend to tackle them.

Barbara Follett, Minister for the East of England, helped launch the plan at an event in Letchworth which was chaired by Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency. Other speakers included fifteen year old Youth Climate Change Champion, Adam Dyster, who spoke of his vision for getting future generations involved in the fight against climate change.

Speakers at the event included (L-R) Baroness Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency; Barbara Follett, Regional Minister; Richard Powell, Sustainability East Chair; Jo Hefford, Founder member of Sustainability East; Brian Stewart, Chief Executive of EERA; Adam Dyster, Youth Climate Change Champion; Fiona Bryant, EEDA and Catherine Mealing-Jones, GO-East

Sustainability East aims to deliver a long term sustainability strategy for the East of England. By providing advice and advocacy to regional bodies, policy makers and opinion formers, Sustainability East aims to further promote the region as a leader of sustainable development and to provide a high quality of life and environment for everyone, now and in the future. It will do this by:

Helping to put sustainable development at the heart of all decision making
Challenging and informing current assumptions to create the right growth in the right way
Promoting the effective management of resources
Championing the rights of all communities to have a voice in their sustainable future.

East of England Minister Barbara Follett leads Sustainability East 10th Year birthday celebrations.

Activities Sustainability East will undertake to help meet these aims include, amongst other things:

Developing proposals for practical implementation of the Sub National Review (SNR) in the region to ensure that fullest account is taken of sustainable development principles
Challenging current transport trends and promoting alternatives
Stimulating a more open debate on the future of biofuels in the region
Organising workshops to explore attitudes of different communities (including detached people and communities) to sustainable development
Supporting and being a candid friend to regional sustainable development initiatives
Establishing a Young Sustainability East to give younger people a voice in our sustainable future

More Information

Please see the links below for further information:

Website by Top-Cat