2. At BioRegional we believe that we can create
thriving regional economies where we can live
and work within our fair share of the earth’s
resources. It’s what we call One Planet Living.
The way we think we can best make that happen is to:
• work with partners to put in place real life examples
of sustainable communities, organisations and
production systems in the UK and internationally
• measure the results and share the lessons we
learn, to bring about change among individuals,
governments and businesses.
Our 2009-10 annual report - Creating a green economy -
highlights our major achievements during the year.
Contents
Introduction 3
One Planet Regions 4
One Planet Communities 8
One Planet Companies 12
Enterprises to deliver sustainability 16
One Planet Production 18
Communicating One Planet Living 20
Our Finances in 2009-10 23
3. Introduction
Sue Riddlestone, Director
When you are working to implement real life
demonstration projects they naturally can take a bit of
time, but over the last year a number of our newer projects
have started to become a reality which is very exciting.
Amazing potential is becoming apparent from the
sustainable suburb project here in Hackbridge,
Sutton, where we are based and which has been
chosen as a “Big Society” vanguard; through to
the results that retail giant B&Q has started to see
from implementing One Planet Living. In July our
government told us “We like what you are doing and
want you to do more of it!”.
We are so grateful to our partners and supporters
for believing in our approach, and working with us to
create real-life examples of a green economy. As we
have already found, the influence of these examples
on government, industry and individuals really can
lead to lasting change for the better.
One Planet Living framework
One Planet Living is our vision of a sustainable world, in which people everywhere
can enjoy a high quality of life within the productive capacity of the planet. It uses
10 principles of sustainability as a framework. www.oneplanetvision.org
1 Zero carbon 6 Sustainable water
2 Zero waste 7 Land use and wildlife
3 Sustainable transport 8 Culture and heritage
4 Sustainable materials 9 Equity and local economy
5 Local and sustainable food 10 Health and happiness
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4. One Planet Regions
BioRegional works with local and municipal authorities
– those who can encourage and enable low carbon,
sustainable lifestyles on a large scale.
We are working intensively with the London Borough of Sutton to create a truly
sustainable region for 187,000 people by applying the 10 One Planet Living
principles. We are piloting the initiative in Sutton’s Hackbridge suburb, where the
BedZED eco-village and BioRegional are based. Drawing on the lessons learned
we are working with a lighter touch with other local authorities, giving ongoing
support to help them become One Planet Regions.
During 2009-10 we worked most closely with Sutton and Middlesbrough,
providing support so they can develop tailored Sustainability Action Plans and
effectively engage local residents and workers in sustainable living. We have
also linked up other local authorities that are interested in our approach via
knowledge-sharing and our first One Planet Regions conference.
In 2010 we joined the Bicester eco-town delivery team and are also working
across the eco-town programme developing monitoring protocols and running
training workshops. We will work with each eco-town to help them reach the
highest possible standards.
What next?
We want to retrofit One Planet Living into
five regions by 2012. We will continue to
work with Sutton Council to realise its
sustainability targets. We want to help enable
keen residents in the Hackbridge pilot area
to reduce their carbon and eco-footprints by
50% by 2012, with average reductions among
all residents of 20%.
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5. We want to help enable keen residents in the
Hackbridge pilot area to reduce their carbon
and eco-footprints by 50% by 2012.
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6. Recent highlights
One Planet Sutton
Sutton is the first local authority to commit to become a One Planet Region.
Sutton and the Hackbridge pilot project were chosen in July 2010 as one of four
“Big Society” vanguards.
BioRegional is working with the council to roll out its Sustainability Action Plan.
The plan will enable those working and living in the borough to achieve One
Planet Living by 2025. It also sets the same stretching targets for the council’s
own operations. The Hackbridge project grew from those of us in the local
community wanting to make the area a great place to live. With other local
organisations, we have kick started a number of initiatives to deliver One Planet
Living in Hackbridge and borough-wide.
There are now three home energy efficiency pilots running in the borough. This
includes a London Low Carbon Zone, and a government (DECC) funded “Pay As
You Save” or “Green Deal” trial with B&Q and the council where homeowners
receive interest free loans. The money that they repay is calculated to be less
than the amount saved on bills. The Technology Strategy Board is also funding
us to measure how home improvements and behaviour change programmes
can cut carbon emissions. We aim to retrofit one home with a full One Planet
Living makeover and achieve a reduction in carbon emissions of up to 80%. In
the coming year we will use the lessons learned from these projects to develop a
delivery model to make Hackbridge zero carbon.
Meanwhile, our One Planet Food project, which is
making local food widely available in the borough,
is proving popular with residents (see page 18). Key targets for Sutton
Council include:
BioRegional is also mentoring small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in Hackbridge to improve • All council buildings to
their environmental performance and save money. be zero carbon by 2017.
This two-year council-run scheme is financed by • The entire borough able
the European Regional Development Fund. to become zero carbon
www.oneplanetsutton.org enabled by 2025.
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8. One Planet Communities
BioRegional believes that people should be able to lead
healthy, happy, green lives in places that are attractive
and affordable.
Riverside One, UK
One Brighton, UK BioRegional Quintain
BioRegional Quintain
and Crest Nicholson
Petite Rivière, Canada
Groupe Pacific
Sonoma Mountain Village, USA
Codding Enterprises
Mata de Sesimbra, Portugal
Pelicano
These developments are fully-endorsed One Planet
Communities. Others are in the process of becoming
endorsed or have used the One Planet Living framework
in their design and construction.
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9. Our experience with the BedZED eco-village has shown us that One Planet
Communities need to go much further than just green buildings: they also need
to support and encourage green lifestyles. We work with partners to create and
manage these One Planet Communities worldwide.
We are currently working with developers building sustainable communities in
Australia, Canada, China, North America, Portugal, South Africa and the UAE.
www.oneplanetcommunities.org
BedZED, UK
Peabody
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
Mubadala
Jinshan, Guangzhou, China
China Merchants Property Development
Barangaroo, Australia
Barangaroo Delivery Authority /
Lend Lease
Ivory Park and Sibaya, South Africa
Johannesburg EcoCity Trust / Tongaat Hulett Developments
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10. Recent highlights
Sonoma, USA
BioRegional North America is
working with partners to develop
exemplary One Planet Communities
in key USA cities.
The One Planet Living principles
underpin the $1bn redevelopment One Brighton, UK
of an industrial site at Sonoma
Mountain Village (SOMO), The 10 One Planet Living principles
California. This endorsed One formed the framework for the green
Planet Community intends to emit design, construction and lifestyles
zero carbon, create zero waste and at One Brighton. This endorsed
use zero ground water. One Planet Community saw its first
residents move in during 2009.
The 81-hectare site – developed by The 172-apartment block – built by
Codding Enterprises – will provide developers BioRegional Quintain
4,400 jobs in 50,000m2 of office, and Crest Nicholson – is packed
retail and commercial space. Some with green features.
1,900 homes are also to be built.
By the time of completion in 2020, Construction materials include
each resident will be no more than the greenest concrete in the UK,
a five minute walk to groceries, natural clay blocks and wood
restaurants, day care and other fibre insulation. The building
amenities that will offer local, is run entirely on renewable
sustainable and Fairtrade products. energy. Residents can enjoy roof
top allotments and gardens, a
During 2010 41 companies moved car club and also have a green
into the first phase of development. caretaker. A café, training centre
The home building phase will begin and commercial space are also built
in 2011. into the development. Crucially, the
project was built within the normal
www.sonomamountainvillage.com range of build costs demonstrating
that One Planet Living can be
achieved cost effectively.
Sales at One Brighton are strong,
in spite of the current market: the
building will be fully occupied in
2010-11.
www.onebrighton.co.uk
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11. Jinshan and Chongqing, China
A strong environmental performance from China is
essential if we are to tackle the global environmental
crisis, so we are keen to work in this key country.
Our reputation in China is growing, after working
with China Merchants Property Development to
create a One Planet Action Plan for the 5,000 home
Jinshan development in Guangzhou. The completed
development has seen a 65% reduction in energy
consumption, solar hot water for 500 homes and
on-site waste water treatment to reduce water
consumption by 36,000m3 per year. Following the
success of this project, we have been asked to take
forward the next phase so it meets full One Planet
Community status.
In addition, BioRegional is now looking to develop a
One Planet Community in the region of Chongqing.
We have recently been allocated a site, signed a
memorandum of understanding with the regional
government, and hope to secure a commitment
from a developer to start building such a project
over the course of 2010-11. Securing work in
Chongqing gives BioRegional a real opportunity to
influence key decision-makers about the importance
of sustainable living: the city is just one of four under
control of central government in Beijing.
www.bioregional.cn
What next?
We are planning to set up new One Planet Communities on four continents
by March 2012. By doing this, we will show that One Planet Living can be
attractive, affordable and achievable anywhere in the world.
In London, we continue our search for a regeneration site where we can
create a flagship One Planet Community ideally connected with the 2012
Olympics site.
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12. One Planet Companies
BioRegional is working with businesses, charities and
other organisations to reduce carbon emissions and
become truly sustainable.
Many businesses now use our One Planet Living
framework to inform their business operations,
while others, such as our main retail partner B&Q,
have formally adopted the programme to become
endorsed One Planet Companies.
A number of smaller businesses are also keen to
adopt sustainable working practices, and we provide
online support so they can do this.
What next?
BioRegional aims to transform the
operations and customer offering of three
One Planet Companies. We also plan to be
working with one or more new retailers,
business to business organisations and SMEs.
In 2010-11 BioRegional will begin a follow-
on three-year environmental partnership
agreement with B&Q, with the aim of
enabling the business to become a truly
sustainable One Planet Company.
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14. Recent highlights
B&Q One Planet Home
We are very proud of our close products, accredited by
partnership with B&Q, which aims BioRegional, as well as an
to improve the sustainability of ecological footprint calculator
the company and its customers. that we developed. Around 6,000
B&Q staff have now completed
In terms of its own operations, the online One Planet Living
B&Q has achieved some training module, enabling them
impressive results to date. In 2009 to offer customers green advice.
B&Q recorded a 16% absolute We have also recently developed
reduction in carbon emissions a training pack for B&Q’s Eco
against its 2006 baseline. This Advisors: B&Q expects to have
sets it well on the way to its target 1,700 of these sustainability gurus
of a 90% reduction by 2023. in place by the end of 2010.
B&Q is also working to help its www.diy.com/oneplanethome
customers to achieve One Planet
Living through a range of more
than 4,000 One Planet Home
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15. One Planet Action Plan toolkit
In recent years a number of SMEs have asked us
to help them with their sustainability strategies.
In 2009-10 we road tested our toolkit designed to
support such businesses. Some 300 organisations
have downloaded the toolkit so far and in 2010-11
we aim for this to grow to more than 1,000.
www.oneplanetvision.org
“In the current financial climate any help or advice to
cut costs is very welcome. If this also results in reducing
energy usage it’s a win win situation”
Julio Evaristo Abajo, Hackbridge business owner
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16. Enterprises to deliver sus
BioRegional takes an entrepreneurial and business
approach to sustainability. Having envisaged and then
developed successful solutions, one way to see them thrive
and grow is to establish “spin out” enterprises. BioRegional
has established five associated companies.
The Laundry
The Laundry makes recycling cheap and easy
for SMEs in central London. Its local recycle-
and-buy-back loop reduces the eco-impact
of paper use by 92% .This year we sold the
business to BPR Group, where it will benefit
from the support of a larger company while
maintaining its bold branding and high
standard of service.
www.bprlaundry.co.uk
BioRegional Charcoal Company
Established in 1995, the BioRegional Charcoal Company (BRCC) began producing
locally sourced charcoal as an alternative to imported charcoal sold by national
retailers. As well as having the benefit of using traditional woodland management
techniques – which encourage biodiversity – our regional charcoal production
reduces carbon emissions by a massive 85% compared with imports.
In 2009 BRCC sold 48,000 bags of charcoal as
well as firewood and kindling to major British
retailers. The company is now exploring the idea of
establishing a regional scale charcoal production
plant producing 1,000-2,000 tonnes a year, helping
the business grow further.
www.bioregionalhomegrown.co.uk
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17. stainability
BioRegional MiniMills
BioRegional MiniMills was established in 1997 to develop
a clean, small-scale paper pulp mill capable of using local
and non-wood resources as part of a vision for sustainable
local paper production. This would reduce pressure on
world forests and ease water pollution.
Trials at the Manchester pilot plant in 2009-10 tested the
small-scale process we are developing to deal with the liquid waste produced by all
pulp mills. It operated for up to a whole shift, with energy and chemicals recovered
from the waste for re-use in the mill. During 2010-11 the team will focus on achieving
continuous operation. We aim to roll out the technology to small mills in the UK and
to Asia where water pollution from paper mills is a serious environmental issue.
BioRegional Quintain Ltd
BioRegional Quintain Ltd was established in 2005 to lead on building
sustainable communities using the One Planet Living principles. During 2009-
10 the team completed the multi-award winning 172 apartment One Brighton
community (see page 10) and began work on Riverside One, a 750 home,
mixed use development in Middlesbrough in the North East of England. Both
projects have inspired the local authorities concerned to use the One Planet
Living approach across their boroughs (see page 3).
www.bioregional-quintain.com
BioRegional Forestry
BioRegional Forestry grew out of BioRegional’s urban forestry work
and now provides a sustainable forestry service across South East
England. Customers include Richmond Park, The National Trust and
the London Borough of Croydon.
This year the team has focused on developing its firewood business - a
grant from the South East England Development Agency will enable
the company to supply more logs with greater efficiency.
www.logsforlondon.co.uk
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18. One Planet Production
BioRegional takes a deep green and visionary approach to
developing mainstream sustainable production systems
and supply chains. We are currently focusing on three
important sectors – food, energy and construction –
which together comprise just under half of a UK resident’s
carbon and eco footprint.
Recent highlights
One Planet Food
In 2009 BioRegional won funding for one of only
eight Beacon Big Lottery Local Food Projects. With
matched funding One Planet Food was launched.
The project aims to increase access to local food in
Sutton. We work with local residents, community
groups, suppliers and producers, encouraging them
to grow their own produce and to shop locally.
This major sustainable food project includes:
• a mobile food market – The Veg Van – which takes
fresh produce directly to customers
• a local network linking local food producers, and integrating fresh food into local
schools and hospitals
• a community farm producing fresh fruit and
vegetables for local delivery
• a wide-reaching sustainability education
programme, delivered by our project partner
EcoLocal, on food growing and healthy eating.
www.vegvan.org.uk
www.suttoncommunityfarm.org.uk
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19. Renewable energy supply chains
This year we gained government funding for a project
to stimulate London’s demand for good quality
woodfuel - in particular wood chip.
To this end, we have been supporting a company in
North London to develop a woodfuel processing and
supply hub and have been working with woodland
owners and tree surgeons as producers of wood. Our
team has also helped local authorities to develop plans
to install biomass boilers and purchase local woodfuel.
Reducing waste in construction
Construction materials make up one of our biggest waste streams.
Over the year, we worked with the Construction Industry Research
and Information Association (CIRIA) on a campaign to halve waste to
landfill by 2012. So far 250 construction firms have joined.
We also worked with the Waste and Resources Action Programme
(WRAP) to develop an online tool to help designers design out waste.
By providing an on-line toolkit, our newly christened Re:BUILD
initiative has helped organisations across the UK to set up new
projects selling reused construction materials to the trade and public.
The Re:BUILD team has also partnered with ARC, a furniture and appliance
reclamation organisation based in Croydon. Here we are working on the ground
with ARC to expand into collecting and selling reused building materials locally.
www.reiy.net
What next?
In the coming year we will help to develop a holistic One Planet Food
strategy for Sutton borough, work on plans to deliver zero carbon energy to
Hackbridge and see the new Croydon Re:BUILD store open for business.
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20. Communicating One Planet Living
Everyone has a role to play in living sustainably. Our
communications programme helps individuals, organisations
and communities better understand the impact of their
actions. Our policy work helps those in power to grasp the
opportunity to create sustainable living today.
Exhibition centre and training
BioRegional’s BedZED exhibition
centre and tour programme allows
us to share our experiences with
the public, inspiring them to live
sustainable lives.
During 2009-10 around 2,500
visitors from across the world came
to our centre at the eco-village.
Recent funding from the Big Lottery
will enable us to improve facilities
for disabled visitors. Meanwhile, we
trained more than 350 people at our
continuing professional development
workshops.
Consulting services
The BioRegional team continues We are proud of our client
to work on a variety of projects for satisfaction rate: our survey showed
government, private and voluntary that 100% of respondents are keen
sector clients in the UK, helping them to work with us again.
to adopt and maintain sustainable
practices and procedures. www.bioregional.com
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21. Influencing policy
We have been working with the London
Sustainable Development Commission
to publish research on how London can achieve a
90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. This
thought-provoking report is the first of its kind
to deal with consumption-based carbon impacts
on a city-wide scale and has already led to a
policy change: the Mayor has now committed to
develop methodologies to measure and report on
consumption-based carbon emissions.
Further from home, in 2009 we participated in several high profile events around
the world, including the UN’s Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15). We also
presented at the Copenhagen Klimaforum where 650 visitors pledged to make
green changes to their lifestyles.
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22. London 2012
BioRegional has been working closely with London 2012 since 2004 when we wrote
the sustainability strategy for London’s winning bid, supported by WWF-UK.
We are now working on the Olympic Park Media Centre, where we are ensuring
that sustainability issues are embedded in the construction procurement process
During 2009-10 we advised on a range of aspects, including the venue design,
demolition and reuse of the Olympic Park.
What next?
BioRegional will continue to influence policy and practice. Specifically, we will
make open source tools available on our website, enabling 50,000 individuals
and organisations to transform their work and lives by March 2012.
We also aim to bring about three national level policy changes by March
2012, and we plan to build capacity to showcase our solutions at major events
such as the 2012 Olympics and the UN World Summit in 2012.
In 2011 we will open the One Planet 2012 Experience at BedZED, an
interactive exhibition telling the London 2012 sustainability story. This will
move to the Athlete’s Village during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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23. Our Finances in 2009-10
Unrestricted Restricted Totals Totals
Funds Funds 2010 2009
£ £ £ £
INCOMING RESOURCES
Donations and grants 8,781 1,970 10,751 4,252
Gift Aid received from subsidiaries 52,773 - 52,773 183,000
Investment income 1,100 - 1,100 10,155
Primary purpose trading income 572,932 - 572,932 747,855
Charitable activities 192,970 342,714 535,684 380,880
Other income 644,522 - 644,522 527,508
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 1,473,078 344,684 1,817,762 1,853,650
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Costs of goods sold and other costs 15,145 - 15,145 41,076
Charitable activities 718,871 876,979 1,595,850 1,777,646
Governance costs 7,203 6,567 13,770 14,775
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 741,219 883,546 1,624,765 1,833,497
NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING)
RESOURCES 731,859 (538,862) 192,997 20,153
Transfer between funds (593,828) 593,828 - -
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 138,031 54,966 192,997 20,153
Fund balances at 1 April 2009 724,875 9,889 734,764 714,611
Fund balances at 31 March 2010 862,906 64,855 927,761 734,764
Reserves
At 31 March 2010 the charity had designated funds totalling £215,378 included
within the unrestricted funds balance. These unrestricted designated funds are
committed for work in the next financial year. Fixed assets total £74,624. The
free reserves end-of-year balance was £572,904, the equivalent to 5.1 months’
unrestricted running costs. This was calculated by excluding unrestricted
designated funds and fixed assets from the unrestricted funds total. BioRegional’s
reserves policy is to have at least three months’ expenditure in unrestricted
reserves and to work towards having a contingency of six months.
These figures are extracted from BioRegional Development Group’s full financial
statements which have been audited by Mazars LLP Chartered Accountants. For
a full understanding of the charity’s finances, please refer to our full accounts
available at www.bioregional.com or by emailing info@bioregional.com.
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24. Much of our work would not be possible without the help of our supporters.
We would like to thank:
The Ashden Trust, Awards for All, BioRegional Charcoal Company Ltd,
BioRegional Quintain Ltd, B&Q, Codding Enterprises, Big Lottery Fund,
The Body Shop Foundation, Capital Growth, Chevin Housing, Crest Nicholson,
The City Bridge Trust, Cobb Charity, Department of Energy and Climate Change
(Defra), Dischma Charitable Trust, The Dulverton Trust, Esmée Fairbairn
Foundation, Mrs Christine Eynon Number 8 Settlement, Feilden Clegg
Bradley Studios, Hamamelis Trust, The JJ Charitable Trust, The John and Susan
Bowers Fund, The John Ellerman Foundation, LHC, London Borough of
Sutton, The London Waste and Recycling Board, London Councils, London and
Quadrant Housing, The Mark Leonard Trust, The Naturesave trust, NESTA,
Pooran Desai, The Rufford Foundation, The Scotshill Trust, ERDF, SEEDA,
The Skoll Foundation, Southern Railways, The St Mary's Charity, Sutton and
Merton NHS, Sutton CVS, Technology Strategy Board, Town and Country,
Vertigo Sustainable Development Consultants, WWF UK, The Worshipful
Company of Gardeners, The Wyndham Trust and WRAP.
BioRegional Development Group Image credits:
BedZED Centre Page 10 One Brighton, Crest Nicholson
BioRegional Quintain, image courtesy of
24 Helios Road
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Wallington
Page 13 B&Q
SM6 7BZ Page 19 Andy Aitchison
United Kingdom Page 22 Daniel Gifford
t + 44 (0)20 8404 4880
f +44 (0)20 8404 4893
e info@bioregional.com
www.bioregional.com
Registered Charity No 1041486A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales 2973226
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