Sustainable Living

People have come to realise that many problems will not be solved without thinking about environmental, social and economic activity. Considering these when solving problems and developing policies is known as sustainable development.

The main principles of sustainability are:

• Environment - we have to protect the environment and reduce our consumption of natural resources so future generations can enjoy the same standard of living as we do
  
• Quality of life - we have to consider the social, moral and cultural aspects of our lives
  
• Equity - things should be equally shared fairly between nations and within countries and communities. This includes wealth, opportunity and responsibility. Communities should be inclusive.
  
• The future - we have to think about the effect our actions today will have on future generations
  
• The precautionary principle - if we are not sure what effect our actions will have on the environment or future generations we should not do it
  

You can do your bit at home, school and work. Click on the links below to find out more.

At home

At work

In the community

For more information on how to help at school see the sustainable schools page.

How many worlds do you need to support your lifestyle? Click on the globe to find out.

What is Local Agenda 21?

In 1992 world leaders met at the Earth Summit in Rio. There they made a global plan for sustainable development called Agenda 21. They decided that global problems such as climate change would be best solved at a local level so local governments were asked to produce Local Agenda 21 (LA21) plans for their local areas.

LA21 asks local communities to work together to:

• Protect the local environment
  
• Use local resources and services
  
• Use natural resources such as gas and oil more efficiently
  

In working towards LA21 communities can give themselves and future generations a better quality of life.There are many other things LA21 asks communities to do. See the MKLA21 Priority Objectives or the full MKLA21 Strategy for more information. The MKLA21 Strategy is currently under review. An updated version will be available on the website when it is ready.

2005 saw the start of the International Decade of Education for Sustainability. The Milton Keynes Sustainable Schools Project and Eco Schools Programme support education for sustainable development. More information on the schemes and other resources.

A sustainable community is a place where people want to live and work now and will want to live and work in future.

Sustainable communities are:

• Active, inclusive and safe
  
• Well run
  
• Environmentally sensitive
  
• Well designed and built
  
• Well connected
  
• Thriving
  
• Well served
  
• Fair for everyone
  

Developing sustainable communities involves input for a range of organisations and departments within the council. Look at growth, countryside, planning, waste and recycling and the safer community partnership.

The Local Strategic Partnership and Community Strategy also work towards creating sustainable communities in Milton Keynes. The Government see local authorities and their partners as pivotal to delivering sustainable communities. You can find out about the role of local authorities and their partners in delivering sustainable communities.

Also see the Department for Communities and Local Government sustainable community pages