Michelle Brown looks at favourite
politico buzz phrase ‘sustainable development’ and asks
what does it actually mean for real communities.
Sustainable Development: A Scottish
Fairytale?
Once upon a time in a place blessed with
braw bens, bonnie glens and kind people, the rulers of the land
proclaimed that the world was in grave danger.
“Ah Naw.” said the people,
”that’s a coupon buster.”
“Mind you, nae real surprise. Wur ye
no listening to yon men and women aw dressed in green?
They’ve been bangin’ on aboot this for ages. Anyhoo
something needs to be done, pronto.”
“Do not worry,” said the
rulers, “We shall come up with a plan.”
“Hurrah!” said the people, “Maybe
we can help.”
“No No No” said the
leaders, “We shall consult with you once we have decided
what needs to be done.” And so the rulers worked
long into the night and for many days until finally they had
found the answer to their pressing problem.
The day of the great announcement arrived.
Many of the great and good of the land had gathered to hear the
words of the wise leaders and held their breath in anticipation
as one of the leaders stepped forward. “The
answer to our pressing problem…. is…..Sustainable
Development”.
The other leaders, sat with sagely
demeanour, nodded wisely and applauded their fellow statesman.
Now many of the great and the good of the land, who were in
charge of most things if truth be told, looked at each other but
not wanting to appear foolish, replied, “Of course!
Sustainable Development - we can see it too!”
Introducing this article with a beginning
more akin to a children’s fairy tale rather than a
discursive essay aimed at prompting debate amongst community
activists & practitioners is wholly intentional, as is the
thinly veiled reference to the Emperor’s New Clothes as an
analogy for the concept of sustainable development.
In 2005, the Scottish Government set out its
commitment to sustainable development in its strategy document
‘Choosing our Future’ which shares its framework with
the UK principles for sustainable development, ‘Our
Future-different paths’. Three of the four
priorities, are clearly linked to the green agenda, that of
climate change & energy, sustainable consumption, and
production and protection and enhancement of the environment.
However it is the fourth priority that arguably has the most
resonance and pertinence for local communities namely
‘creating communities that embody the principles of
sustainable development locally’.
The challenge for anyone working in the
field is how do we help communities to unpack the meaning of
sustainable development? The starting point is simply talking to
each other as human beings and through discussion & learning
can help drive towards a more a sustainable world while this
management speak has simply hindered the process.
Damien Killeen, current Sus It Out
Co-ordinator, offered an answer in his presentation to the
“Is Scotland A Developing Country?” Conference in
December 2007. He contends that sustainable development is a far
more holistic concept and is at its core concerned with social
justice specifically in terms of human rights.
Moreover he suggests that the process of
development i.e. participation, learning and reflection are the
bedrock of the progressive changes that the sustainable
development strategy aims to achieve. The Scottish Government
strategy clearly stresses the importance of a people centred
approach but for many it would seem that decision making relating
to sustainable development is the domain of those involved in the
environmental sector. Couple this with the fact that those in
most need believe they can least influence decisions, then
clearly too many voices are going unheard.
you
will be hard pressed to find anyone on the street who could tell
you anything about Scotland’s commitment to sustainable
development……. they are not very likely to include a
reference to policies on health, education, productive
livelihoods, poverty reduction, community development and safety,
culture etc. in their idea of sustainable development.
The Future Scotland Partnership set up Sus
It Out in 2006 to help communities explore the concept of
sustainable development, its core principles and ultimately how
decision making is sustainable. In addition it offers facilitator
training for anyone working with community groups so that the
concept can be incorporated in to their current role.
When
we involve people in Sus It Out sessions we are often talking to
people who are passionate and committed about making some kind of
improvement to their community, now and for the future….they
are regularly amazed to find that their activities of tackling
poverty, promoting culture or building community cohesion, are a
credible contribution to sustainable development.
While experts strive for a sustainable
future through science and economics, it could be argued that
community development is the vanguard with its skills in working
at grassroots to deliver a bottom up approach to sustainable
development as opposed to top down. As a profession we encourage,
support and promote transformation through learning,
participation and collective action so should we be the ones to
take the lead and point out the king is in the altogether?
Bibliography (Associated Reading) for
Sustainable Development: A Scottish Fairytale
Killean, D (2006). Is Scotland A
Developing Country? Retrieved 1 March from http://www.susitout.org.uk/index.php.
Sus It Out. Retrieved 1 March, 2008
from http://www.susitout.org.uk/index.php.