Agenda 21 – Sustainable development for the 21st century

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.

Agenda 21 and eco-labels have a strong connection. Implementing eco-label schemes is one direct way that communities and organisations can contribute to Agenda 21. Although implementation of Agenda 21 is essentially voluntary at country level, some national and regional governments have passed laws or given advice that local authorities implement the plan locally, in programmes which have come to be known as Local Agenda 21 (or LA21).

As residents, consumers or tax payers, we can ask organisations and local authorities what they are doing towards Agenda 21.

Eco-Schools teach eco-citizenship

Eco-Schools is an international programme for schools, for environmental management and certification, and sustainable development education. It started as a European programme in 1994 to involve young people in finding solutions to environmental and sustainable development challenges at the local level, as identified at the UN Conference on Environment and Development – Earth Summit – of 1992. Apparently some 40,000 schools are now involved internationally!

Green Flag Awards Green Spaces

The Green Flag Awards scheme is the national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The Green Flag Award is open to any freely accessible green space, urban or rural.

On an armchair walk around winning sites and pictures of people involved, this looks likes it been enthusiastically embraced by many local communities.