Local Matters - Communities for sustainability
Communities sit at the very heart of local living. Local Matters is a dedicated website for UK communities and offers insight into sustainability issues and how they affect the work of local authorities in the UK.
With a spend of some £80 billion a year, local authorities have a vital role to play in the social, economic and environmental well-being of their respective regions. And as the level of governance closest to the people, they are also a key agent for change.
Launched by WWF, Local Matters is a dedicated website designed for anyone working in or with communities who has an interest in the health, well-being and sustainability of their local region. Local Matters provides news, resources and networking facilities. It also provides a gateway for local authorities to a wide range of technical information from WWF's project and programmatic work in areas such as forests, climate change, freshwater, and chemicals and health.
WWF and the role of LSU
Within the WWF global network, WWF-UK has played a leading role in pioneering the development of social change initiatives that puts learning at the heart of change for sustainabilty. WWF work with three key communities; education, local communities and business.
WWF has been working with people for over 40 years, offering resources, support and organisational development programmes to help local authorities engage with their communities in planning for a sustainable future. The Local Sustainability Unit (LSU) engage with both local authorities and communities to achieve long-term social change and play a leading role in pioneering the development of social change initiatives that support both the environment and promote sustainable community development. Read more
News & Views
Community learning and action for sustainable living
Community Learning and Action for Sustainable Living (CLASL) is a hands-on pilot project to support communities in activities to alter their consumption patterns, encourage sustainable behaviour at tthe micro-level and develop a method for defining and working towards sustainable living at a neighbourhood level in England. >>
Community engagement and sustainable development
WWF-UK and CAG are currently inviting organisations to take part in the wider research phase of the Community Engagement project to provide evidence that will enable us to evaluate the impact of community engagement on long term behaviour change. The Tool is designed for practitioners who aim to influence behaviour in relation to sustainable development. >>
Ecological Footprints: taking the next step
This case study based guide is the latest in an ongoing series published by WWF-UK to help local authorities and regional organisations implement ecological footprint reduction strategies in their areas.
This report is aimed at those who are responsible for developing ecological footprint reduction strategies (which we call generically ecological footprint practitioners or coordinators). It draws on eight ecological footprint projects in the UK that are at different stages of completion. The guidebook is based on interviews with officers involved in each of these projects.
Download the publication:
Ecological Footprints - taking the next-step (130 KB)
