Official statement: ‘The Preserve’, Stockton, California, USA

Published 18.09.09

We are aware that some recent online news coverage has incorrectly reported that a planned development by AG Spanos in Stockton CA, known as ‘The Preserve’, has been endorsed as an official One Planet Community. The correct position is that ‘The Preserve’ is currently a candidate One Planet Community. BioRegional Development Group is in the process of reviewing the proposed development in order to decide whether it meets the stringent environmental sustainability requirements of an endorsed One Planet Community.

One Planet Communities are subject to a rigorous endorsement and annual review process to ensure that they meet ambitious targets that not only stretch beyond the highest green building standards for materials, water, and renewable energy, but also promote wider sustainability measures that make it easier for residents to adopt healthy, green lifestyles.

Ensuring that One Planet Community status is not misrepresented or misreported is essential to protect the integrity of the programme and the credibility of the officially endorsed projects. Only officially-endorsed developments may be described as such, and where developments are erroneously reported as endorsed One Planet Communities it is our duty to put the record straight, as well as ensuring that the publishers correct any inaccurate information.
 

Background information on the One Planet Communities endorsement process

For a project to become an endorsed One Planet Community the following conditions must be met:

1. The project must develop an Action Plan which uses the ten One Planet Living Principles
2. The project must commit to meeting the ambitious Common International Targets
3. The Action Plan must use a range of indicators, including Ecological Footprint Analysis, to demonstrate they are truly sustainable
4. The Action Plan must encourage healthy and sustainable lifestyles
5. The project must have made a commitment to manage and monitor performance until at least 2020
6. The project must have been through the formal endorsement process and have a Memorandum of Understanding with BioRegional

The Action Plan is submitted to the One Planet Steering Group and Expert Review Board, which work together to make a decision over endorsement, taking on board the recommendations of the Core Programme Staff.