Public Servant's Sustainable Development 06 conference and exhibition Think Sustainable, Think Change, presented a challenging view of the priorities facing public sector leaders and stakeholders in delivering the Government’s sustainable development strategy. The conference hall at ExCel, London, was packed on 1st March to hear Dr Alan Knight, a commissioner with the Sustainable Development Commission, urge Ministers not to wait for the green light from consumers to transform behaviour.

Here is what our delegates thought of Sustainable Development 06:

• ‘All very good - well mixed’
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• ‘Well delivered - a good variety of speakers and thought provoking’
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• ‘A very interesting day and quite thought provoking’
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• ‘Would it be possible for you to send electronic copies of speakers' presentation; as a delegate, I found them very informative and interesting? Thank you’
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• ‘I would like to compliment the organisers on the choice of speakers; they were interesting to listen to and what they said was thought provoking’
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Description of Event

In March 2005, the UK Government launched its new strategy for sustainable development.

‘Changing Behaviour’ will be the key event focus that has been driven following the new strategy for sustainable development.

Our way of life is placing an increasing burden on the planet, which cannot be sustained.

The UK Government have agreed upon a set of shared UK principles that provide the basis for sustainable, development policy in the UK:

• Living Within Environmental Limits
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• Ensuring a Strong, Healthy & Just Society
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• Achieving a Sustainable Economy
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• Using Sound Science Responsibly
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• Promoting Good Governance
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For the policy to be sustainable it must reflect all five principles. This joint framework represents a decisive move towards more sustainable development - a move we are making not merely because it is the right thing to do, but because it is in our own long-term interests.

“Make the wrong choices now and future generations will live with a changed climate, depleted resources, and without the green space and biodiversity that contribute both to our standard of living and our quality of life. Each of us needs to make the right choices to secure a future that is fairer, where we can all live within our environmental limits. That means sustainable development.”

“This is the agenda for the long term. There is no magic wand that government or any one else can wave to make sustainable behaviour and activity the norm overnight. We will only succeed if we go with the grain of what individuals and businesses want, and channel their creativity to confront the environmental challenges we face. Development, growth and prosperity need not and should not be in conflict with sustainability.”

“Government will lead by example. The UK government buys £13bn worth of goods and services each year. For the wider public sector this figure is £125bn. We want to ensure we spend our money sustainably”.

“I want every government department to produce its own action plan by the end of the year so we can ensure delivery”

“To show we are serious about delivery, we will stop reporting our own progress and hand that task over to a strengthened Sustainable Development Commission, which will act as the independent ‘Watchdog’ of government progress.”

Rt Hon Tony Blair PM, March 2005, Securing the Future

Event Objective:

• To enable industry and the public sector to work together more effectively in promoting sustainable development and the necessary changes in thought process and behaviour
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Event Aims

• Increasing awareness to the public sector of services and solutions available from industry (eg United Utilities case study)
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• Creating a better understanding from within the public sector of the many key responsibilities, targets and agreement that all government bodies now face in the ‘Securing the Future’ strategy
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