We don’t take from the environment more than it can sustain
- the focus of society is on maintaining and increasing human health and happiness, rather than chasing the myth of ever-increasing material possessions
- The global environmental impact of all goods and services purchased by public bodies is assessed and reduced to a minimum
- All businesses over a minimum size assess, and make publicly available, their global environmental impact and are encouraged to reduce it to a minimum
- All businesses, and private individuals, are encouraged to purchase locally and sustainably-produced goods and services
Energy
- there is no fossil fuel extraction – all energy is produced from renewable sources wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and other sources
- communities generate their own electricity and heat, eliminating fuel poverty and providing a source of income for their own area
Transport
- demand for travel is much reduced by locating workplaces and community facilities close to homes and by encouraging the use of locally produced goods and services
- more people choose to walk and cycle on a regular basis because safe and pollution-free walking and cycle-ways are provided that go where people want, and need, to go.
- public transport provision has been expanded and spending on new roads reduced
Looking after the planet for this and future generations
- carbon emissions have been reduced to a level that ensures that future generations do not face catastrophic climate change
- many more trees are planted, both in towns and cities and in rural areas, to absorb pollution, reduce flooding risk and enhance biodiversity
- pollution of water courses by chemicals has been reduced by transforming agriculture to low-carbon and low-input systems
- soil and land quality are protected so that we can provide nutritious and healthy food for this and future generations
- air pollution is reduced to levels where it does not harm human health or the environment
- green spaces, both large and small-scale, are protected from development and degradation and, where possible and appropriate, enhanced for recreation and biodiversity.
- agricultural land will be protected from development and degradation, to ensure food security
- farming is organic, low input and low-carbon, so improving the productive potential of agricultural land, improving environmental quality and biodiversity and keeping food free from pesticides
- local farms will serve local markets, replacing the current industrial food system in which standardised foods are imported, often from hundreds or thousands of miles away