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According to the Sustainable
Consumption Roundtable report – I
will if you will – Britain already boasts a select range of
sustainability success stories, which are down to a positive lead from business
and government. These include: sustainable wood products, fair trade coffee,
dolphin-friendly tuna, energy-efficient fridge freezers, washing machines and
dishwashers.
To make these work across the economy, Government and
business must get radical solutions into consumers’ lives. Instead
of waiting on consumers to make decisions on complicated environmental problems,
Government and business must do it for them.
The report specifies that Government should:
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Unite with business to get the most damaging products out of the shops, and
replace them with environmental products, e.g.
- TV and set-top boxes which use massively less power when on standby
- Affordable hybrid cars
- Alternative fish species to Britain’s much-loved, but hugely over-fished,
cod
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Give consumers up-to-date energy information, so they can manage their
energy use, by getting smart meters into every home by 2012
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Take the lead and make all schools and hospitals carbon-neutral by 2015
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Automatically give travellers the option to carbon offset their flights, to
demonstrate the environmental impact of flying
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Develop a working economic model to track the links between national income,
consumption growth and resources, by 2008
The
Sustainable Consumption Roundtable is a joint initiative from the National
Consumer Council and Sustainable Development
Commission.
The Sustainable Development Commission
is the Government’s independent watchdog on sustainable development.
Read
the report here
Have your say on consumption
here
Newsletter 4 contents page
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