Community Sustainability
From LearningHearts
An increasingly important issue for rural communities is that of sustainability. Whilst traditionally thought of as linked to environmental issues sustainability is now seen in a wider context. Usually these include the combination of social, economic and environmental factors although models such as the Egan wheel look at eight strands of sustainability.
For communities this can include a wide range of specific issues including
- Attitudes towards housing growth and development.
- Ageing populations
- The location of jobs and changing is the economic landscape
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Service access and location
Contents |
Case Studies
The Egan Wheel (English/England)
For more information on the Egan Wheel, including how to use it please refer to the following publication by Cumbria Action. Sustainable Communities Workbook
Peliti Alternatice Community (Greece/English)
Peliti is an non for profit NGO ,for the preservation and exchange of indigenous seeds and animals with out the involvement of money, the exchange of services and products without money, a community. The main activities of Peliti are the running of the national seed exchange network and a seed bank, national promotion of the preservation of indigenous seeds and animal, educational seminars to schools and groups, organizing music events for the promotion of the above and of course the national seed exchange meeting that takes place in early April every year where more than two thousand people from all over Greece and many other countries attend. All work is done by volunteers with Panagiotis Sainatoudis (the founder) been the most committed volunteer of Peliti. We are based in Mesoxori next to the head village of Paranesti in the region of Drama, East Macedonia. The office is based in the grounds of the main family house with a large garden. We are vegetarians, we cook traditional Greek cuisine and eat together in the kitchen which is the heart of the house, we bake bread, make cheese and yoghurt from local milk, we make sweets and cakes and depends on the season we make preserves and other farm foods. We have a large network of local national and international friends and volunteers who visit us regularly. Click here for more information
This is an example of a cross-issue approach focusing on moving a traditional community that faced both envrionmental, economic and social pressure and devloping a range of solutions. Click here for more information
