Sustainable Development

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Report).

We often talk about sustainable development as a solution to many of our problems, especially the environmental related ones; it is a solution that could help us to improve and "clean up" our environment in a concrete way.

But what is sustainable development?

It is a form of development, ranging from the economic to the social sphere, which aims at preserving humanity from a rampant use of natural resources.
We increasingly hear that natural resources are scarce, that they will soon run out if men do not start to use them in a better and more responsible way.

In fact the main cause of environmental problems is man, who, though he is part of the environment, does not preserve it; though he’s worried about his own health, does not really bother about it.

Man is aware of the environmental problems and the strong impact they might have on him. He knows that, sooner or later, he will have to deal with these problems, but for the present he makes do with "apparent" remedies, which can be worse than the problems themselves since they can cover up the larger issues at hand. A few measure have already been devised to preserve nature, but they’re still insufficient.

One of these measures is The Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty on global warming and pollution which remains a giant step forward in the protection of nature and of man himself, even though it has not been ratified by the United States, one of the world's largest consumer of energy.

Man depends on the environment, he is linked to it by a much deeper bond than he believes. If this bond were dissolved, he could suffer greatly.

The goal of sustainable development, after all, is this: to maintain and to forge an even stronger bond with Nature in order not to break up our friendship with stupid and reckless actions. Many people are unaware of the indissoluble bond we have with nature, and if they ignore its existence they live as if it did not exist.

The fact is that it will not always be possible to ignore the problems looming on the horizon, so much so that many companies have already proposed energy saving programs. It is up to us, the ones who are environmentally friendly, to reach out to people who still are not.

It is precisely for this reason that our school has joined a Comenius Project the main purpose of which is to better understand environmental problems and their causes. It 's good that young people, the future of the world, understand what is weakening Nature and try to find a cure for it. Nature will be grateful for an act of courage and love. So, who is more suitable than us to help the environment? We are a courageous and responsible generation and we know that the best medicine is called "sustainable development"?

Sustainable development, in short, is not a far away and abstruse issue, which can only be dealt with learning the Kyoto Protocol or the Brundtland Report by heart,. It is quite close to our daily life. It speaks the language of energy. It feeds on ecology and breathes with the environment. It is so similar to a living being. In fact isn’t Nature as much of a living being as our cat? As such, we owe Nature the unconditional. respect we have always been given by her.

Vehicle emissions

Presentaion on vehicle emissions by Norman Bambridge

EMISSION NOTES

The Safety First Organisation in partnership with Thurrock and Basildon College

EMISSION NOTES FOR THE PRESENTATION MADE AT CASTLE POINT BOROUGH COUNCIL ON MONDAY 19 JANUARY 2009.

Background.

Castle Point Borough Council has in place and applied the principle of sustainability in everything we do in the Borough. These objectives can be read in their Air Quality action Plan.

Part of that policy is to reduce emissions targets agreed by Central Government as set out in the UK Climate Change programme.

Overall, the objectives target a reduction of 500 tonnes annually through the declared action plans between 2007 and 2010 and the means of applying those targets for the Road Passenger Transport through a restructured Road Vehicle Tax, were presented in the chamber.

The current situation.

The European Union legislation proposes a reduction of CO2 emissions of new passenger cars to 120 grams per kilometre (g/km) by 2012. The current average emissions is around 160 grams per kilometre.

This strategy forms the cornerstone of delivery of the Kyoto Protocol on reduction of greenhouse gases.

It requires operators of licensed vehicles to modify their vehicles to meet existing and future EU directives. The emissions targets are contained in Directive 70/220/EC.

Many councils are not expected to achieve these targets when they become mandatory in 2010.

A Road Passenger Transport Action plan.

Councils may require operators to reduce their carbon emissions by specific dates by:

• Purchasing new vehicles.
• Modifying existing vehicles.
• Encouraging the use of alternative fuels.

Emissions standards timescales.

The 1993 Exhaust emissions limits introduced (Euro 1) in 1993 for new cars included systems development including Catalytic converters etc.

The Euro 4 target covering all new cars (except those above 2500 kgs, or with more than six seat applied from 1997. From September 2009,

Euro 5 starts in September 2009 and applies to all new cars with light commercial and
special needs cars. Euro 6 starts from 2014.

The current benchmark is Euro 4 (whilst most Councils are still reacting to Euro 3).

All Public Carriage Office (London) required all licensed vehicles to be of Euro 3 standard or better by 30 June 2008.

Emissions standards premiums.

An excess emissions premium will be based on the number of grams per kilometre (g/km) that an ‘average’ vehicle sold by a manufacturer is above the 120 g/km curve.

The proposal is that 20 Euros per g/km for the first year of 2012 gradually rising to 35 Euros in 2013, 60 Euros in 2014 and 95 Euros in 2015.

Band CO2 emissions g/km 12 month rate 6 month rate
A Up to 100 g/km. Not applicable Not applicable
B From 101 to 120 g/km. £35 Not applicable
C From 121 to 150 g/km. £120 £66
D From 151 to 165 g/km. £145 £79.75
E From 166 to 185 g/km. £170 £93.50
F Over 185 g/km. £210 £115.50
G Over 225 g/km.
Cars registered after 23 February 2006 £400 £220
The Vehicle Tax changes applied these principles from 1 March 2008 with new tax bandings being:

A way forward.

In order to document and achieve declared targets, Council Officers together with the trade representatives such as this forum are in a position to produce a plan that arguably could be the first in the country to have such discussions and agreed outcomes.

Some of the considerations could be:

The agreed age of licensed vehicles (Manufactures are required to produce emission standards to meet the agreed timescales but of course this is relative to the choice of vehicle.

It could be that in order to determine an agreed standard, an annual licensed mileage be agreed, linked also to an agreed number of licensed vehicles.

For example, if the discussions agreed a maximum number of vehicles that would be licensed for the next five years (taking the 2010 to 2015 algorithm) that would determine a formula for agreeing licensed mileage.

Thus number of cars x mileage = annual licensed kilometres per annum. (this may look something like (say) 400 licensed vehicles x (say) 45,000 kms. per annum = 18 million kms. per annum). (say 28,000 miles pa).

Factoring that figure of 18m g/km at the average of 40 g/km above the benchmark could produce a (paper) total of 72 tonnes in 2010 as a starting point. Thus producing a measure to plan following annual agreements and thereby quantified or measured tonnes reduction which is an unknown factor currently.

This could assist the trade by having an agreed limitation on the number of licensed vehicles for five years, or could enable councils to reduce licensing costs for vehicles whose emissions standards fall within lower categories. That could also produce flexibility in numbers if more vehicles met lower emissions standards.


Richard Robinson and Norman Bambridge
Safety First Organisation.
January 2009

Sustainable energy

A presentation on waste or misuse of energy by Eleonora Lombardi and Andrea Costumato

How can ve achieve a sustainable school?

Presentation by Giorgia Bova, Valentina Boresta

Alternative economy

Presentation by fiorell Angerame

Presentation by Eleonora Leopardi and Silvia Valentini

Fair Trade in Italy

Presentation by Alessia Guarnera and Flavia Torella

Waste management

Presentation by Furtherwick Park School Students delivered at Comenius Gaia Conference in Berlin 20-23 May 2008

Illegal Dumps

Presentation by Laura Lucantoni

Illegal disposal f waste in Italy

ILLLEGAL DUMPS

Dumps are the cheapest system of rubbish disposal which can guarantee big profits. Most of the waste in Italy goes to “dumps”(discariche a cielo aperto), that are now almost full.

Waste should be burnt or recycled, not accumulated. Why not diversify the “collection of waste” and increase the number of incinerators?

From a technological point of view there are many possible solutions for waste disposal. Public administrations could build big modern incinerators or organize a diversified collection of waste and everyone should dispose different types of rubbish separately in special “containers”.

However, there are plenty of unauthorized, polluting and dangerous dumps connected with illegal activities, such as the racket for the lucrative illegal traffic of waste (ecomafie). A case in point is that of Campania which, thanks to the so-called "waste emergency", has exported hundreds of thousand of waste tons in other regions for many years.

The Italian law punishes unauthorized dumps, or "unauthorised collection, transport, recovery, disposal, trade and intermediation of waste". For this crime one could be punished with up to a six months prison sentence.

According to the prevailing jurisprudence, the difference between simple abandonment of waste and an unauthorized dump is that the first one is absolutely occasional, the second one is repeated and usual.

Laura Lucantoni

Fair Trade in Italy

The Italian charter of fair trade criteria

The Italian charter of fair trade criteria is a document which defines the shared values and principles of all the Italian fair trade organizations. This charter has been re-drafted many times, introducing changes which have preserved the basic principles without changing the charter founding spirit and values.

The last changes were approved in the Assembly of Associates AGICES in Chioggia (April 2005) in close continuity with the previous ones.

The charter of fair trade criteria is made up of 6 main articles, each of these article is subdivided into many points. Just the most important ones will be analysed.

1^st article

Definition

Fair trade is an alternative approach to conventional trade; it promotes social and economic justice, sustainable development, respect for people and the environment. It is meant to raise consumer awareness, through information campaigns and political action. Fair trade aims at achieving equity for all the actors involved in the chain of distribution, from producers to consumers.

2^nd article

Goals of Fair Trade

· To improve the livelihoods and well-being of producers by improving market access, strengthening producer organizations, paying a better price and providing continuity in the trading relationship.

· To promote development opportunities for disadvantaged producers, especially women and indigenous people, and to protect children from exploitation in the production process.

· To protect human rights by promoting social justice, sound environmental practices and economic security.

3^rd article

General criteria adopted by fair trade organizations

· To avoid employing and exploiting child’s labour, in compliance with the International Convention on the Right of the Child

· To guarantee workers fair wages for their labour and to provide equal working opportunities with no gender, age, social, religious or political discrimination.

• To respect the environment and promote sustainable development in all production and distribution processes, favouring organic production, use of recyclable materials, and low environmental impact production and distributive processes.

4^th article

Producers and Exporters

Producers are production and distribution organizations which share the goals of fair trade and respect fair trade criteria, They have

• To guarantee product quality

Exporters are organizations which mainly purchase from fair trade producers and mostly sell to fair trade organizations: they share fair trade goals and respect its criteria and have:

• To give information on products and producers and on the prices paid to producers

5^th article

Italian fair trade organizations

Italian fair trade organizations mostly sell fair trade products and/or export to fair trade organizations and have:

• To be non-profit

In import and export activities Italian fair trade organizations have:

• To endorse, through their own mission and values statements, publicity material and actions, the definition and principles of Fair Trade.
• To give other fair trade organizations the possibility to become aware of travel opportunities to fair trade production resorts, respecting responsible tourism criteria.

In their selling activity Italian fair trade organizations have:

· To provide costumers all the available information material, including transparent price labels.

· To inform the public about their aims, the origin of the products, the producers and about world trade.

6^th article

Transformed products

Products which cannot be traced back to only one raw material such as: cookies, chocolate, sweets...

• Transformations must be carried out by people involved in fair trade or by cooperatives or enterprises which are not in contrast with fair trade values.
• Transformed products must quote the wording: “fair trade ingredients total: x٪” in their labels.

Alessia Guarnera, Flavia Torella