Sustainable solutions to the big five
51
SECTIOn 6 SUSTaInaBLE SOLUTIOnS TO THE
BIG FIVE
This final section considers possible solutions to the big five primary
threats to a sustainable urban society: use of resources, energy,
transport, water and waste.
6.1 Use of resources
The best way to save resources is not to use them in the first place. As demonstrated
in the resource flow diagram back in Section 3.2, reducing the resources going into a
city (water, resources and fuel) corresponds directly to a reduction in the waste output
from the city. However, a dramatic reduction in resource use is required to tackle the
problem of sustainability effectively.
Materials selection
The construction industry is a large consumer (and waster) of materials, so the
potential for making reductions is significant. Another of One Planet Living’s ‘The
Ten Principles’ is shown in Figure 14. It indicates the guiding principles upon which
materials selection should be founded.
Figure 14 - adapted from ‘The Ten Principles’ of One Planet Living
Global challenge OPL principle OPL goal and
strategy
Destructive patterns of Transform materials
resource exploitation supply to the point
and use of non- where it has a net
local materials in positive impact on the
construction and environment and local
manufacture increase
Local and sustainable
economy.
environmental harm
materials
and reduce gains to the
Where possible, use
local economy.
local, reclaimed,
renewable and recycled
materials in construction
and products, which
minimises transport
emissions, spurs
investment in local natural
resource stocks and
boosts the local economy.
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76