The difference a day makes

If you want people to understand sustainability, show it to them in practice, writes the Earth Centre’s Joanna Yarrow.

How do you get 20 senior managers from a multi-national company talking about their belief in sustainability and their vision for the future of the world?

One way is to immerse them in a multi-media show portraying the earth in the balance, and then bombard them with facts. Show them concrete examples of sustainability in practice. Then, after an organic lunch, make them cycle round a 400-acre ecology park. Finally, sit them around a table and ask them to consider difficult issues before tea.

Such was the first ‘earth inspiration day’ with a group from AirBP, who visited Earth Centre for inspiration before tackling The Natural Step with Forum for the Future. According to Duncan Eggar, AirBP’s environmental leader, the day was a success. “We left fired with enthusiasm to pursue sustainable development for our business,” he said. “We will return to be refreshed when the going gets tough.”

So we are now offering tailored earth inspiration days to groups from any organisation that wants to take a fresh approach to understanding sustainability, team-building and seeking a vision for the future. The courses can be up to three days long.

This is one of the new services developed by Earth, a private company formed to work alongside the charitable trust that governs Earth Centre - the educational facility, experimental sustainable development, regeneration project and visitor attraction on a 400-acre former colliery site in South Yorkshire. The £40 million first phase, which opened in 1999, was awarded the National Tourism Project of the Year by the British Guild of Travel Writers. This year - while the £13 million second phase of investment has been adding new educational resources, attractions, new exhibitions and a canopy of the largest flat array of photovoltaic panels in Europe - the Earth team has been developing new educational programmes and businesses. These will be offered both on site and off, through activities and in joint ventures in Britain and abroad. As well as livening up Earth Centre, they will take it beyond being a ‘visitor attraction’ to achieve its wider purpose of carrying its thinking into households, communities, schools, universities, business and government.

Earth will also be offering consultancy services based on the knowledge the team has gathered over the last 10 years, combined with that of its partners. These will focus on organisational transformation (turning teams into effective agents of sustainable change) ‘Building on a Small Planet’ (how to design and build sustainably), and sustainable communities.

The most successful aspect of Earth Centre so far has been its educational offers. Earth will build on this capacity by developing day and residential programmes including summer schools for all educational levels, both on site in a planned 500-bed suite and elsewhere. Other educational services will include distance learning and teacher training.

Earth will also work with partners to communicate sustainability through different media. We are producing EarthForum.net, an internet portal for environmental and sustainability knowledge and services, and hope to provide programme content for television and radio.

You may well first encounter Earth’s media involvement through one of its conferences and events - to be held in Earth Centre’s new conference venue, designed by Bill Dunster, a green architect. Built into the side of a hill, it embodies the principles of green architecture: it is made from recycled materials, is designed to be energetically self-balancing, and incorporates many design innovations. It will be opened in February 2001, when it will be available for hire.

One of the first events to be held in the conference centre will be the World Sustainable Development Forum on 20-22 June 2001. This annual business-led international event will bring together 150 business, political and media leaders. Each year, with the help of partner organisations, it will build up a picture of the state of the world and sustainability trends and challenges. Delegates will present solutions to such challenges; participants will set targets and put together a plan for action, which will be undertaken and assessed throughout the year. The conference will be accompanied by ancillary events and receive broad media coverage.

We hope that Earth will make sustainability real, accessible and interesting for far more people than it is at present. We are continually on the lookout for exciting ways to achieve this. Ideas on a postcard, please!

Earth Centre’s new state-of-the-art conference venue, designed by Bill Dunster, an environmentally - friendly architect. Built into the side of a hill using many recycled materials, the building is a cutting-edge demonstration of energy-conscious sustainable architecture. Its design aims for net zero carbon emission through features such as solar heating backed up by wood-burning stoves, natural ventilation and gabian walls with high thermal mass. 

Joanna Yarrow is project director of the World Sustainable Development Forum

25 May 2001

Joanna Yarrow