A couple of weeks ago, Chris Huhne wrote in the Guardian about the need for ‘green growth’ – finding and supporting ways to grow the economy that prioritise sustainability of resources, not simply because it is a feel good thing to do, but because, increasingly, this will become the currency – there will be no other way to operate. This week, Nick Clegg is at Rio +20, pushing for international agreement on this very sort of sustainable world economy.

On a local scale, we have the 10:10 group and now Freegle in Steyning, and are proud of our district-wide recycling, yet I need to argue that so much more needs to be done.

We need to embrace new forms of energy production and housing… yes, perhaps even if it means new construction in our backyard. Doing nothing or cutting back at the small scale and hoping everything else can go on as it was, is not what sustainability is about. We need to see, use and value the resources that we have, for a long term future, and if that means wind farms, affordable housing made from green materials, recycling plants, let’s have the argument and make the case. Whatever it means, we owe it to our children and theirs to embrace the lot, or, if we cannot, to make a reasoned and coherent case for why…. that can be justified in 200 years time.

Please comment – start a debate.

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