Sustainable Development aims to enable all people to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations. It is a key government policy at both national and regional level and is an issue that affects every business, organisation and individual.
More information on the national picture
Regional Sustainable Development Framework (RSDF)
The RSDF seeks to make connections between social, economic and environmental priorities and provide better co-ordination of regional and local strategies to improve the quality of life in the region. The RSDF is available as the 'Sustainability Shaper' (see link below), and provides information, ideas, contacts and enables you to share your experiences of learning to be more sustainable.
The Shaper website, developed by Sustainability South West, is supported by agencies including The Regional Development Agency, Regional Assembly and GOSW, and other partners who have contributed to the partnership working group.
GOSW activity
GOSW has a key role in ensuring that sustainable development is at the heart of regional policy-making and that policies are delivered which make a sustainable difference to the quality of life in the region. This is reflected in the Government's ‘Securing the Regions’ Futures – Strengthening delivery of sustainable development in the English regions' report which was published in April 2006.
GOSW provides the management and ongoing development of the Our South West website, the region’s focus on sustainability issues. We also liaise with the region’s independent champion of sustainable development, Sustainability South West (SSW) and work closely with other relevant organisations.
GOSW has published 'Greener Events' - a national guide to reducing the environmental impacts of conferences and seminars. This practical guide helps event managers and venues address issues such as reducing and offsetting carbon dioxide emissions, the use of locally produced food and the reduction of waste associated with the running and management of events. It includes a 'Greener Events Checklist' to aid discussions between event managers and venue management. It is available online on the Our South West website. This guide complements other groundbreaking management guides GOSW has produced (see links below).
