What do we mean by 'sustainability'?

Sustainability is a long word for something very simple. It is about taking responsibility for our own actions, and using common sense.

Scientists and leaders the world over now acknowledge facts which might sound straightforward to many of us   - if we continue to use up the Earth's resources as we are doing today there will not be much left in the future and for our descendents.

Energy is hard to see, and yet easily available. Wasting energy is easy to do, even when you are aware of it and its consequences.

What can we do to change this situation? This question is simple to answer and the answer we already know. We need to use less energy and behave more responsibly   - live sustainably.

The answer is not to stop using energy altogether but to use energy more wisely (energy efficiency), and to generate what we need to use in a better way (micro-generation).

This doesn't just apply to the energy we use in our homes but that which we use everywhere. We recognise the key role that community groups and buildings play in a lot of people's lives and therefore the importance of integrating sustainability into community life.

Climate Change   - can we make a difference?

Scientists, world leaders, MPs, you and us are all aware that our energy use is having an impact on the planet   - climate change.

Greenhouse gases are released as a result of the vast quantities of energy we use in our buildings, work and in travel. Most of this energy comes from fossil fuels such as coal, gas, or oil. These fuels contain carbon which has been locked up beneath the Earth's surface for millions of years. When this carbon is burnt, it is emitted into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

These gases collect in the atmosphere to form a blanket which behaves in the same way as a blanket on our bed   - keeping the heat in and the Earth warm. But too warm! The more greenhouse gases we produce the more effective the blanket becomes and therefore the greater the increase in temperature. This will lead to ice caps and glaciers melting, sea levels rising, weather systems changing and becoming more severe and a distinct change of life on the planet.

This is not part of a natural blip, it is an effect that humans have caused   - and it is an effect that we can also help to halt.

The technology and knowledge exists to reduce the possibility of these things happening. We all know that we should do something, and we can, if only we knew how. This website should help you understand more about your energy use and how you can make a difference in your own community building.