One Planet Living Pioneer Project

Paulo Reis Silva Project Director PELICANO Real Estate Investments

ABSTRACT:

The plan includes concentrating the proposed development area into one unit. The team plans to use the receipts from the development as a form of a ‘green tax’ to fund conservation measures throughout the area eg. forest replanting and restoration, creating closed-off protected areas for vulnerable nesting birds, recovering wetland and other important riverine and coastal habitats.

The plan also proposes to be innovative and ecological in it’s development e.g. use of sustainable building materials and solar power. WWF partners BioRegional are helping to integrate ef- fective energy and water efficient designs into the Portuguese plan.

THE MATA DE SESIMBRA / ONE PLANET LIVING PIONEER PROJECT

“The natural environment we treat with such unnecessary ignorance and recklessness was our cradle and nursery, our school, and remains our one and only home … . That is the essence of environmentalism. It is the guiding principle of those devoted to the health of the planet.” - Ed- ward O. Wilson, ‘The Future of Life’.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The development is part of an overall project that covers an area of 5,300 hectares and brings together sustainable housing, nature conservation, reforestation and ecofriendly transport. Work will begin on the 6,000-house, €1 billion scheme just south of Lisbon during the first quarter of 2006.

The development, which replaces a proposal to build a conventional tourist resort, will be completely powered by renewable energy, dramatically reduce waste to landfill – to just 5 per cent of the Portuguese national average – and use rainwater collection and waste water recycling systems to achieve huge cuts in domestic water consumption and irrigation.

More than half the food served in tourist facilities will come from local resources. The plans include creating a sustainable transport network – featuring for example shared and non-petrol vehicles, and a cycle route encompassing the entire site. The aim is to eliminate the need for private cars the area.

The project includes a 4,800-hectare nature reserve in which habitat corridors, linking surrounding protected areas will create safe havens for vulnerable nesting birds such as the Bonelli´s Eagle. The site will also be home to one of Europe’s biggest privately financed forest restoration projects which aims to recreate native indigenous woodland – mainly cork oak and umbrella pine – replacing the existing eucalyptus and non native pine forest.

Figures suggest that over the next 20 years, tourism in the Mediterranean will rise by 50 per cent to an estimated 350 million people visiting the region each year. Conventional, mass tourism has been identified as one of the major threats to the “natural capital” of the Mediterranean region, through high consumption and waste levels, and also direct destruction of natural areas. In a country where tourism represents 10 per cent of national GDP, the alternative model of sustainable tourism being developed as part of the Mata de Sesimbra OPL project if tourism is to go hand in hand with sustainable development.

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND “ONE PLANET LIVING”

WWF´s Living Planet Report suggests that if everyone on the planet were to consume natural resources and pollute the environment as we currently do in Europe and North America, we would need between 3 and 5 planets to support us¹.

The challenge that faces us all is: how can people everywhere enjoy a high quality of life, within the carrying capacity of one planet?

One Planet Living must be affordable, for both people and the planet, and it must be attractive to a wide range of people, with divergent cultural backgrounds, living in different parts of the world.

One Planet Living must address the “basket of human need’s including housing, clothing, food, healthcare, education, energy, mobility and leisure.

One Planet Living must also be simple. Currently it is too easy for people to make decisions that are unsustainable; One Planet Living means changing the “default” of our daily lifestyle decisions to ones which are sustainable.

WWF International and BioRegional are partners in the UK’s largest eco-village, the Bed- dington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) consisting of 100 homes and workspace for 100 people. BedZED’s design is multi-award winning and the site is frequently visited by Housing and Environment Ministers from around the world. BedZED is helping residents to lead a lifestyle which is kinder to the planet, without having to make lifestyle sacrifices.

The effectiveness of the ZED (Zero (fossil) Energy Development) design pioneered by Bio- Regional can be further increased as the scale of development is increased. This is because shared facilities and infrastructure can start to be addressed too.

The “Mata de Sesimbra” development in Portugal aims to go a significant step further than BedZED by having the 20 year target of having ‘zero waste’ – but reaching a massive 75% of landfill diversion in the first year. ‘Waste’ will be utilized for horticulture purposes. The type of recreational activities will be diversified e.g. horse-riding, cultural centres, whilst facilities such as the golf course will be fed only by treated waste water and low/no use of pesticides.

APPLYING THE ONE PLANET LIVING APPROACH

“One Planet Living” is an initiative designed to help people, businesses and local and national authorities live and work within the natural limits of our One Planet.

It presents an integrated strategy that helps make “sustainable development” a reality, by set- ting targets for the following 10 principles:

1. Zero Carbon 2. Zero Waste 3. Sustainable Transport 4. Local and Sustainable Materials 5. Local and Sustainable Food 6. Sustainable Water 7. Natural Habitats and Wildlife 8. Culture and Heritage 9. Quality and Fair Trade 10. Health and Happiness

PUTTING ONE PLANET LIVING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTO PRACTICE

In order to ensure the project meets the demanding aspirations and objectives of the One Planet Living initiative, a Sustainable Action Plan based on the 10 principles has been developed AND INDEPENDENTLY APPROVED. From this Plan, a series of Specific Sustainability Business Plans, and a Sustainability Action Review process, have been developed.

The Mata de Sesimbra OPL “Pioneer Project” sustainability action plan includes the following specific actions plans:

USE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MATERIALS • sustainable materials and construction methods • exclusion of toxic materials • highest possible use of reclaimed, recycled and certified materials (eg. FSC) and products (eg. Fair Trade)

ZERO CARBON PLAN • green transport system • renewable energy and energy efficiency • renaturalisation of surrounding environment • bio-climatic architecture and high thermal performance of buildings • installation and use of A-rated appliances only

ZERO WASTE PLAN • reduction, reuse and recycling strategies • composting of organic waste • reduce landfill • use of recycled goods

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY • energy conservation through design • use of solar energy

USE OF LOCAL RESOURCES • Cut food miles pollution, and revive traditional local industries and crafts • ensure minimum percentage of goods and services come from within 50 km range

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT PLAN • reduce car use in urbanized areas • promotion of cycling and walking • provision of public and shared transport options eg. Car club • promote alternative tourist transport eg. train • support WWF campaigns eg. Aviation taxes

CONSERVATION PLAN FOR FAUNA AND FLORA • natural habitat restoration eg. Replace exotic species with native woodland and shrubs • increase overall biodiversity • create new local habitat corridors, and link to regional corridors • conservation plans and funds for threatened species and protected areas in the region

WATER CONSERVATION PLAN • reduce domestic water consumption rates • achieve major savings in water use for leisure eg. garden irrigation, swimming pools and golf courses

QUALITY OF LIFE PLAN • Promoting social identity and community-building measures • Showing how it is possible for social and ecological development to support sustainable local economic growth

HERITAGE PLAN • preserve and promote the area’s cultural, natural and historical values and environmental assets • provide environmental awareness-raising, training, and promoting the philosophy of ‘One Planet Living’

These actions plans have been developed into a programme with specific set targets that must be met and independently verified.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS • Min. 50% use of recycled materials eg. Cement • Min. 90% elimination of toxic materials • Min. 50% of materials from 50km radius • Min. 30% reduction in embodied CO2 in construction, transport and use of materials

ZERO CARBON • Reduce energy use of lights and appliances by 40% by installation of A-rated appliances and designing buildings to maximise daylight • Reduce ventilation by 44% by use of natural wind-driven solutions • Reduce water heating energy use by 60% through use of flow restrictors, spray taps, efficient shower fittings, and use of solar water heating • Reduce space heat/cooling by 95% by use of passive solar heat, glazing and insu- lation, and south-facing facades and shading solutions

ZERO WASTE • Reduce waste production by 25% by elimination and reuse of food packaging, promoting reusable packaging and discriminate against disposable products • Ensure minimum 25% of waste is recycled, and 0% incinerated • Compost over 90% of organic waste • Reduce landfill to 5% of national average

RENEWABLE ENERGY/EFFICIENCY • Achieve 100% renewable, non-fossil energy production by including photo- voltaics in architectural design, include solar thermal design, use small-scale bio- mass heating, and water ponds for space cool system

LOCAL RESOURCES • Minimum 25% of food consumed within the development to have come from 50km radius, by organising network of local product and service suppliers • Minimum 15% of key services provided locally, by offering preferential con- tracts for purchasing and hiring of local services, and supporting the development of those not currently available • Employ 6,000 people from local area in order to reduce unemployment, and develop skills enhancement programmes • SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT • Reduce car use to 0% in urbanised areas through hard barriers and promoting al- ternatives such as walking and cycling • Implement €100 million public transport and road network • Increase average number of passengers per car to 3-per-vehicle through a car- sharing scheme

FAUNA & FLORA CONSERVATION • Convert existing degraded monoculture forest, consisting 90% of exotic eucalyptus and pine, to native oak woodlands • Implement €20 million conservation strategy • Create local habitat corridors, and connect to regional ones; and conserve and increase sensitive wetlands and dunes • Conserve and improve conservation status of target and vulnerable species, such as Bonelli’s Eagle; and protect and regenerate pockets of biodiversity eg. Cork forest and Mediterranean maquis, and important habitats (eg. Bird of prey nesting sites) from disturbance

WATER CONSERVATION • Reduce overall water consumption by 25% by use of greywater recycling, low- flush systems, low-flow taps, and rainwater catchment • Apply EGA Ecology Unit/Audobon Society rules to achieve major savings in sports and leisure-related water consumption

QUALITY OF LIFE PLAN • Apply environmental quality indicators, such as air and noise pollution • Enact €100 million programme of sports, leisure, cultural and educational facilities • Minimum area of social facilities, open spaces and green areas per capita • Achieve positive values for attitudes to facilities and the community, and nega- tive values for stress levels, through communication and participation programmes

HERITAGE PLAN • Preservation and educational programmes, and supported programmes to promote local heritage through strategy to promote natural, cultural and historic values • Advertising of local heritage, facilities, products eg. Crafts • Promote OPL awareness through One Planet Living Centre

HOW DOES ONE PLANET LIVING DEFINE SUSTAINABLE LIVING?

Ecological footprinting analysis is an accounting tool that represents the environment impacts of a process or person’s lifestyle in terms of the area required to produce a particular natural re- source or to absorb waste from consumption. It is a measure of the area of biologically productive land, sea and freshwater that is required to produce a good or service, or meet the needs of a person or population. It compares this area with the actual available area on earth and informs us whether we are living within the earth’s regenerative capacity.

A person’s ecological footprint is made up the footprints of all their activities, products consumed and waste produced. It includes the area of forest required to sequester the CO2 emissions attributed to that person, and a share of the area taken up by infrastructure and the production of goods and services. A person’s energy consumption has an ecological footprint, as do their food consumption, transport, work activities and leisure activities.

Ecological Footprinting figures in WWF´s Living Planet Report 2002, inform us that it takes a biologically productive area around 5.35 global hectares to support each person in Europe, whereas the actual available productive area on Earth is 1.9 global hectares per person³. Hence, it can be concluded that if everyone on the planet consumed as much as the average person in Europe, we would need tree planets to support us. This analysis suggests that Europe needs to reduce its consumption of fossil fuels and virgin materials by two-thirds to be environmentally sustainable within a concept of living within a fair share of the Earth’s resources. To achieve this reduction in consumption we need to develop sustainable ways of living.

The implications of not achieving this two-thirds reduction are substantial and bleak for the future of planet earth and its inhabitants. We will not be able to live sustainably on a small planet with divisions between rich and poor, where the rich are destroying the planet through over consumption and the poor through desperation. If we do not change the way we live, we will continue to cause environmental damage and store-up long term social, economic and health consequences.

HOW DOES ONE PLANET LIVING DEFINE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?

A wider definition of sustainability covers more than environment impact. It is frequently de- fined in terms of the “triple bottom line” comprising social, environmental and economic sustainability. For our future developments and communities to be truly sustainable, we must address social amenity, creating sustainable communities with spaces people want to live and work in.

Developments must also offer financially sustainable solutions that are viable within a market economy.

The environmental, social and financial issues surrounding sustainable development are par- ticularly closely inter-linked in the housing sector. Ensuring access to appropriate, efficient and safe homes plays an important role in community well-being and regeneration, as does ensuring that such homes are affordable to build, buy and run, in addition to being designed to tackle issues such as fuel poverty.

IMPORTANCE OF LIFESTYLES

Addressing the environmental sustainability of the construction and occupation of buildings is of great importance if we accepted that we need to meet a two-thirds ecological footprint reduction target. However, in creating sustainable homes we should not only to consider the houses themselves, but also their relationship to the infrastructure that supports them, e.g. transport, work, leisure, food supply and waste recycling.

Carbon Dioxide emissions have a major impact on our ecological footprints, and the area of forest required to sequester CO2 emissions is included in our total ecological footprint. As ap- proximately two-thirds of our individual CO2 emissions in Europe are attributable to our lifestyle more generally, including food and transport4, it is desirable that a future eco-rating label for homes should assess more than energy efficiency alone, if it is to represent a more accurate picture of sustainability. For example, is an energy efficient home that can only be accessed by a 20 mile car journey really sustainable?

Environmental analysis, including Ecological Footprint assessment, highlights the fact that the majority of our environmental impacts as consumers, and hence potential savings, are attributable to lifestyle decisions and not the materials used in the products themselves. This logic can be applied to homes as products, and although houses builders cannot control how the consumer uses their product and whether their use patterns are sustainable, the way a product is designed can certainly encourage a particular lifestyle or behavior.

CONCLUSION: THE CHALLENGE

The One Planet Living Communities program is abut choices - choices that allow us to close the loop. Choices and challenges we all face if we want to live a high quality of life within the resources of our planet. Everybody is committed to the need for change, but do they want to change?

One Planet Living is an opportunity to design developments that will enhance a sense of place for all that live there, and to promote social and economic interaction. The creation of these communities implies responsible leadership not only to deliver an attractive project, per- haps an outstanding one, but ensure that the management of the community is done in an integrated way.

The greatest impacts occur during the life cycle of the communities and it's during this time that we must offer the choices, making easier to make responsible and sustainable choices. We can establish goals to minimize the use of renewable resources, the production of waste and emissions, efficient use of energy, but we also have to ensure that will be social interaction, local economic activity and provide financial sustainability of all activities because if the "project" we create is too expensive it will not be a good example and we will not achieve a high quality of life within the resources of our planet.