‘One Planet’ living in action in Brighton

A Brighton neighbourhood has created a ‘One Planet’ action plan, to help it move towards sustainable living. Paul Norman talks through the process.

Founded in 2009, Hanover Action promotes sustainability in our local neighbourhood in Brighton.

Brighton & Hove is a One Planet City and we used the One Planet framework to develop and define our mission by asking ‘what kind of community do we want to create?’ It helps extend beyond a narrow definition of environmental sustainability (e.g. reducing carbon) into a wider conversation that explores community, equity and health and happiness.

Over the last 16 months, we have been developing our One Planet Action Plan through a series of workshops, discussions, visits, talks and research. We’ve reflected on what the ten One Planet principles mean to us in terms of our local community and thought about what actions we can take that will make a difference.

Local discussions on transport and green infrastructure
We have engaged with the council and others in discussions about local transport policy – moving the conversation away from cars towards a wider discussion about car-sharing, cycling infrastructure provision and air pollution. This resulted in more cycle parking provision and considering the need for electric and plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure to enable residents to shift to more sustainable transport modes.

Our ‘green infrastructure audit’ of the community has already spurred action that has resulted in street planters being adopted by residents, a packed public meeting considering green walls and roofs, and current work developing funding bids for covered cycle storage.

We made contact with a local woman who was very knowledgeable about trees and biodiversity. Due to a disability, she had not been able to put these skills into practice recently and we worked with her to develop a local neglected green space planting local tree stock including crab apple and spindle trees.

We’ve been working to improve energy efficiency in the local area and secured over £15k to insulate the local community centre, install LED lighting and a new heating system. We tried to ensure that our learning from this process was shared with the wider community on information boards in the community centre as, without cavity walls, local houses are also ‘hard to insulate.’

Beyond narrow definitions of sustainability
We wanted to go beyond a narrow definition of sustainability and engage people with issues and topics that impact them every day such as community, social justice, water use or resources. The ten One Planet Principles enable us to do this. For example, Hanover is an area with high rents, so we have found the equity and local economy principle useful for exploring key issues like the ‘living wage’ and affordable housing in our city, and to support an understanding of the connections between these topics.

Resource use has also emerged as an important issue. A regular repair café has opened in an innovative social enterprise Old Tree which is a brewhouse café and community space. This has encouraged people to examine what they can fix, instead of throwing away. We have a high student turnover and often see household items like mattresses, furniture, pots and pans left in the streets so we would like to work with local universities to see if we can upcycle during tenancy changeovers and minimise this waste.

Our One Planet action plan
We launched our One Planet action plan in March 2017. The long version outlines the actions – under each One Planet Principle – that our group will be taking in the short, medium and long-term to move towards One Planet Living. It details resources, collaborative partners and the cost implications of taking forward specific actions.

There’s also a shorter version (online booklet) with a ‘call to action’ to local people to encourage them to support this process. We’ve included a list of ten manageable things that they can do to make change in their own lives within the space of a year. We have also linked to existing activities and resources in the local community, to change the script of ‘bad news stories’, which is how climate change is presented. Instead, we want to show the positive action people are doing to make the change we need.

Talking about One Planet Living reframes the discussion and breaks down the many elements of action that you can take into a manageable journey – in your home and as part of a community. It helps you see how to become part of the solution locally, so you can become part of wider positive change in your city and your country.

We would encourage people to look at our Action Plan for One Planet Living – you will see common connections with our own life and community, but also the differing responses needed depending on where you live, and what the priorities are in your own community. Having the conversation is a key first step. I hope what we are doing locally inspires others to act, as it’s too late to wait.

• Paul Norman is part of Hanover Action community group