What does a sustainable society look like?

Last week we talked about a great website that addresses the question “What does a sustainable society look like?”. The website is http://www.reliableprosperity.net; and with the permission of the founding body Ecotrust we will share with you over the coming weeks the 57 elements for greater economic, social and environmental well-being and a sustainable future. “Together, these elements form a visual and conceptual framework that can be used by individuals, businesses, governments, and nonprofits to seed innovation and inspiration. Ecotrust developed this framework over nearly 20 years of practical work in the coastal temperate rainforests of the West (from Alaska to California) and they believe that reliable prosperity inherently serves the self-interest of individuals, communities, and nature.”  It is the goal of Ecotrust to seek to help people create their own reliable prosperity.

Reliable Prosperity

“When the health of ecosystems and communities is not integrated into economic activities, all three suffer. In turn, economic dependence on destructive activities creates apparent conflicts between work, nature, and community. How can we create an economy that effectively meets human needs while regenerating natural systems? An economy which grows organically — and fills new niches — by working with nature and enriching human capacities.  The following is a Pattern Map for “Reliable Prosperity”.

Potential and Possibilities - It's Our Future - Let's Create it!

It is hard to believe that it is three years since Sustainable Norfolk “was born” and the experiences gained along the way since then have been amazing.  In May this year we matured into a fully fledged not-for-profit Association incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act and we are looking forward to a future of growing and going from strength to strength in pursuing our goals and working with the community towards achieving greater self sustainability for our wonderful Island.  It might be helpful to again share with readers the aims of SustainableNorfolk.Com Inc as set out in our “constitution”. Those aims are –

(i)       To work with the Norfolk Island community towards achieving greater self sustainability;

(ii)  To maximise Norfolk’s potential to become a biological showpiece, producing nutrient-dense medicinal food with forgotten flavours and extended shelf-life for locals and visitors alike;

(iii)     To participate in and further the objectives and outcomes of the program titled "Norfolk Island Carbon and Health Evaluation" (NICHE) program being promoted by the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly, the Association and a consortium of Universities (presently being Southern Cross, Deakin and University of South Australia); and to assist in initiatives associated with this such as the proposed Community Economic Development (CED) and associated Business and Community OpportUnities Program (BACUP) funded by Industries and Investment (NSW).

 (iv) To promote visitation to Norfolk Island of persons from outside Norfolk Island to further the Association's objectives to and for the mutual benefit of the community and businesses.

It is such very good news that the NICHE project is now ready to get underway under the leadership of the NICHE project team of PJ Wilson and Tarn Christian assisted by Gary Webb – congratulations yorlye for getting the show on the road.

SustainableNorfolk was awarded a financial grant by NSW Government Industry & Investment to undertake a project which has the following objectives:

1.     To involve the community in determining a commercial and marketable future in sustainability on Norfolk Island;

2.     To identify potential commercial and tourism opportunities arising from the NICHE (Norfolk Island Carbon and Health Evaluation) program;

3.     To establish a plan for tapping into these opportunities during the course of the NICHE program; and

4.     To conduct a small “sustainable lifestyle network” field day as a prelude to a larger sustainable energy expo to be conducted at a later date.

As part of the project we have held two Community Workshops which were well attended.  At the first workshop, with the assistance of facilitator Mr Ian Mackey from Cre8ting Growth, community members discussed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats currently affecting our community and explored opportunities in business development, tourism, agriculture, waste management and energy. The ideas and report prepared after the first meeting were considered at the second Community Workshop; and the final report will be out soon.

We are now preparing for the small “sustainable lifestyle network” field day to be held in the grounds of Rawson Hall on Show Day on Monday 10 October 2011.  Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we share with you how the field day is shaping up.  The field day will focus on sustainable practices and businesses and healthy living, Mitchell Graham will be contacting people soon to discuss opportunities to be part of the day, if you feel you have current or new initiatives to showcase, please also contact him on 50660!

Sustainable Norfolk from the outset had the enthusiastic support of Mr Terry Watson, General Manager of the Tourist Bureau a few years ago who headed up the initiative for branding Norfolk Island under the banner “The World of Norfolk”. We remain thankful to Terry for his positive support for helping with the setting up our Farmer’s Markets and funding the initial advertising to get the word out to the community. We are particularly thankful to Terry for sharing with us a website titled “What does a sustainable society look like?” which offers a Pattern Map as a visual guide to the building blocks – or “patterns” – that provide a framework for the evolving language of sustainability.  The website founders call it a Conservation Economy and over the weeks to come it is our plan to share with you from the website how “A Conservation Economy” works.  We will give you a clue – it has three prongs – “EQUITY – ECOLOGY – ECONOMY”

See you at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday outside Rawson Hall 8 am to 11 am

and remember the early bird catches the worm!!