The
team are seeking partners for a large flagship development in China
which would form part of a global network of “One Planet Living”
communities in USA, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Each community
will accommodate around 5,000 people and include homes, schools,
offices, factories, transport networks and health and leisure facilities
as required locally. Communities will be based on a set of 10 measurable
principles which will ensure sustainability as well as happy and
healthy places to live and work. The communities will be water and
energy efficient and powered by renewable energy. These exemplar
communities will act as centres for training for development industries
and will also show the general public how sustainable living is
both attractive and simple.
Environmental
research shows that, on average, Chinese citizens are using their
fair share of the earth’s resources and are therefore leading
a One Planet lifestyle. However, with China’s rapid growth
and increasing prosperity this may not remain the case for long.
Countries such as the UK and the USA suffer from unsustainable resource
use, with UK residents having three times the impact of a Chinese
citizen and Americans having five times the impact and so leading
a “five planet” lifestyle. These high consumption levels
contribute towards global problems such as climate change and deforestation.
New resource efficient technologies and ideas developed in the UK,
China and other countries can overcome these issues in a cost-effective
way.
‘One
Planet Living’ is a new joint initiative set up by the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the international conservation organisation
and BioRegional Development Group. BioRegional have 10 years experience
of implementing solutions for sustainable development working with
government and business, including the BedZED village. WWF is a
global network with a strong presence in China.
There
are a wide range of benefits to developers making the One Planet
Living commitment. They will gain worldwide recognition as founding
partners of a One Planet Living community and have use of the One
Planet Living brand. Developers will have access to the team’s
sustainable development expertise and will become market leaders
in an industry that is increasingly favouring sustainability. By
following One Planet Living principles developers will have an increased
chance of winning land bids that involve environmental targets and
will have guidance throughout the projects’ duration from
a designated One Planet Living manager.
Work has
already begun on the first One Planet Living community a 6,000 home,
One billion Euro development in Portugal in partnership with the
developers Pelicano. The project covers an area of 5,300 hectares
and brings together sustainable housing, nature conservation, reforestation
and eco-friendly transport. Plans for a 2,000 home community in
London, UK are also underway.
"Our practical experience
has shown us that sustainable communities need not cost more than
unsustainable communities, especially in development areas where
new infrastructure is needed as part of the development” said
Sue Riddlestone, Director of BioRegional "One Planet Living
is a simple design approach which industry professionals have found
inspiring and easy to apply."
The One Planet Living team are
very interested to hear from developers and agencies interested
in partnering to set up the One Planet Living community in China.
Please contact Sue Riddlestone 0044 (0)20 8404 4885 sr@bioregional.com
or Wei De Yi (+86) 133 1165 2360
For
more information on One Planet Living follow this link |
