This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Forum gets down to business
24/07/2002
The Sustainable Development Forum for Scotland held its
first meeting in Dundee today.
Following the meeting, Environment and Rural Development
Minister Ross Finnie welcomed the attendance of
participants from a wide range of sectors, including
business, public bodies, voluntary organisations and
interested members of the public.
He said that building a Scotland focussed on sustainable
development and environmental justice requires the
involvement of people from all walks of Scottish life.
Mr Finnie added:
"Sustainable development is not just about what the
Executive says or does. It is just as much about what the
rest of the public sector can do, about what business can
do and about what individuals can do.
"That is what this Forum is about, to bring people
together from all walks of life, to provide a focus for
Scottish thinking and action on sustainable
development.
Our vision for the future of Scotland is based on three
principles:
that we should have regard for others who do not have
access to the same resources and the wealth they
generate;
that we should minimise the impact of our actions on
future generations by radically reducing our use of
resources and minimising environmental impacts;
and, most crucially of all, that we should live within
the capacity of the planet to sustain our activities and to
replenish the resources that we use.
"The First Minister will attend the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August. At that
summit, poverty and equity will be the key topics.
"In Scotland, we are not insulated from those issues.
Too many still live in poor housing. There are people who
do not enjoy the same opportunities as the rest of us and
people whose lives are blighted by the legacy of our
industrial past.
"We believe that sustainable development is key to
remedying those injustices. I look forward to the
contribution of the Forum to this vital debate."
This Forum is a vital cog in our drive towards
sustainable development. In April 2002 with
Meeting the Needs… the Executive set out its
vision, priorities and the actions it is taking to promote
sustainable development.
In addition we have strengthened the Cabinet Committee
on Sustainable Scotland to drive forward the Executive's
work on sustainable development.
In a separate move, the Scottish Executive was today
awarded the Green Office Action Week award in the large
office category (out of 12 organisations) from Friends of
the Earth for the total amount of stationery recovered
which saved the Department just over £3,000. The purpose of
the initiative is to help the environment by saving
resources - using spare office supplies rather than
purchasing more. Staff from 27 areas in 14 Executive
buildings (approximately 1,100 SE staff) participated in
this initiative. The Executive will be participating in
next year`s event and we now have a baseline to work from
to gauge our future success.
The Forum was announced via a PQ on 9 October 2001, and
people were invited to apply to be on the Forum in early
June.