Bioregional Financial report 2014 – 2015 ... Bioregional’s experience working on BedZED, a...

Championing a better way to live

Bioregional

Annual Review 2014 – 2015

Impacts

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Bioregional and our network of partners across the globe are making significant impacts thanks to our long-term commitment to One Planet Living.Find out more about our impacts on our website: www.bioregional.com

Bioregional champions a better, more sustainable way to live. We work with partners to create better places for people to live, work and do business.

350,000 people visited the

One Planet City Photo exhibition

in Brighton

more local people were employed by luxury eco-resort, Singita Serengeti, Tanzania

Zero waste to landfill from the construction of North West Bicester eco-town

of construction waste from

Villages Nature in Paris sent for material

recycling

84 tonnes of food waste diverted from landfill per year by 30 community composting schemes in Brighton & Hove

£597 mIllIon saved in energy costs by Kingfisher’s retail customers via sales of energy efficient products and services

22% of Kingfishers’ total retail sales came from eco products

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Page 10 Page 24

Page 15

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100

60 solar PV and

battery storage packages installed

on homes in ground-breaking Bicester project

497m lItres of peat replaced with

more sustainable alternatives – enough peat saved to fill the

entire Albert Hall three times over!

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saved in CO2e through a

31% reduction in B&Q’s operational carbon footprint

98,000tonnes

£2.4

BIllIo

n

Cover image: Brighton & Hove is a one Planet City© Rich Howorth/Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere

80%

over

Contents

01 Impacts02 Foreword03 Our strategic aims for 2015 – 201804 How do we work?05 Our work06 One Planet Living

08 one Planet living10 New build communities 14 Leisure and tourism17 Local authorities

20 advisory services22 Corporate partnerships26 Regeneration and development

30 Innovation32 Natural environment33 Housing and construction34 Energy

36 Policy and practice38 International policy39 UK energy policy

40 Sister organisations41 Our patrons & trustees42 Financial report 2014 – 201543 Our expert panel44 Funders and partners

With a new-look website (www.bioregional.com) and fresh branding, we rearranged and revived our shop window. And we worked hard to draw up new strategic aims and objectives for 2015 – 18 while pressing on with our many existing commitments and partnerships.

As the financial year closed, we finalised our Business Plan for the coming three years based on the aims and objectives we had developed in discussions between staff, trustees and associates during the summer of 2014.

The concept of sustainability is now almost mainstream, but the level of ambition shown at all levels of society is not high enough. It does not add up to One Planet Living, in which people everywhere can live happy, healthy lives within the natural limits of our shared planet. So Bioregional’s mission remains: to show that One Planet Living can be achieved and enable people and organisations to achieve it.

We begin this 2014 – 15 annual review by setting out the key elements of our new three year business plan: our aims and objectives, our underlying values and the way we work. Our plans, values and ways of working draw heavily on what we have been doing successfully over the past 20 years. We also detail our achievements and activities through the year in a way which reflects this new way of organising and managing our ongoing work.

There are two key ways in which our 2015 – 18 Business Plan has evolved from our approach of recent years, perhaps returning more to our entrepreneurial roots. To achieve our first strategic aim we are refreshing our One Planet Living framework and lowering barriers to its use by creating free and lower cost tools, resources, services and training. Secondly, we will broker and create more Bioregional-led One Planet Communities, as we did with BedZED in 1997 and One Brighton in 2005. This will enable us to take more of a leadership role and show that sustainable communities can be the norm while also attempting to address current challenges, such as affordability.

We always aim high, we have a big vision and mission. With our dedicated team of amazing expert staff, trustees and network of partners and associates we achieve a lot together. From eco-neighbourhoods to sustainable business through to tangible impact at the United Nations, we cannot do what we do alone and so I thank you for your interest in and support for our work.

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Annual Review 2014 – 2015 Annual Review 2014 – 2015

Foreword

sue riddlestone OBE Chief Executive & Co-founder

1. One Planet Living is one of the major globally used and recognised frameworks for creating better places to live and work.

2. A global network of One Planet Living enterprises and projects provide a compelling experience of sustainable living and working

3. Research and propose innovative solutions that will enable One Planet Living.

4. Influence policy at critical levels to reflect One Planet Living by leveraging our evidence base.

our strategic aims for 2015 – 2018

BedZeD, Sutton, United Kingdom

2014 – 15 was a year of celebration and of looking ahead. We enjoyed ourselves with friends and long-term supporters in marking 20 event-filled and impactful years since Bioregional was founded in 1994.

How do we work? our work

1. Creative and strategic thinking We start by applying strategic thinking to what it will take to make our own ideas, and those we co-create with our partners, happen. Critically, this process starts by applying what science tells us about environmental limits with a view to achieving One Planet Living.

2. Practical implementation We are interested in delivery, so we bring our creativity to life with practical and effective projects, products and services.

1. one Planet livingWe work with projects and organisations across the sectors of built environment, municipal authorities, tourism and events and develop and implement sustainability plans based on the ten principles of One Planet Living.

2. advisory servicesWe work with retailers and the built environment sectors across a range of disciplines including energy, waste, materials, monitoring and engagement to help organisations realise their sustainability ambitions.

3. InnovationWe combine our entrepreneurial experience, expertise and creativity to create innovative solutions where a fresh approach or business model is required. Our recent innovations have focused on forestry management and timber supply chains and also on localised energy grid and storage solutions.

4. Policy and practiceOnce we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we enable dialogue and shared learning between policy makers and practitioners, championing its wider use for maximum impact. By working at the national and international policy levels we can influence future practices.

3. research and evaluation We are always seeking to improve, so we then measure, test and, if necessary, adapt or amend our approach.

4. scaling up by influencing policy and practice And once we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we champion its wider use by policy makers and practitioners for maximum impact.

We help businesses and public bodies create better places and improve the way they work. We apply our expertise in a highly practical way because we want our work to inspire people to live happy, healthy lives within the natural limits of the planet.

We have organised our work into four main areas.



Our approach

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The framework provides a clear, practical route map for those who are seeking a better way to live and do business. This lies at the heart of our charitable mission: to make it easy, attractive and affordable for people to lead happy, healthy lives within the natural limits of our shared planet.

Rooted in the accounting systems of ecological and carbon footprinting, the ten One Planet Living principles are used to structure thinking and inform action. These principles stem from Bioregional’s experience working on BedZED, a pioneering eco-village in South London, UK, where our London office is based. Together the principles provide a holistic framework to help organisations and project teams examine the sustainability challenges faced, develop appropriate solutions and communicate the actions being taken to key stakeholders such as work colleagues, the supply chain, clients, customers and local and national governments.

We use the One Planet Living framework for all of our work. It is freely available for anyone to use.

We work with partners who have committed to achieve One Planet Living with a published action plan. These plans include time-bound targets allowing for equitable and sustainable use of natural resources in line with what science tells us is needed. Performance against these targets is assessed periodically and the plans updated. We call these endorsed partners and they are denoted by the exclusive use of the One Planet Living symbol.

Bioregional also works with a variety of businesses and authorities which are interested in applying the One Planet framework to review and improve their sustainability performance without committing to finalise an endorsed action plan.

The majority of our work on One Planet Living falls into three main sectors: new build communities, local authorities and leisure.

Our One Planet Living framework, based on ten easy-to-grasp principles, enables those we work with to plan for, deliver and communicate sustainable living.

one Planet livingHealth and happinessEncouraging active, sociable, meaningful lives to promote good health and well-being

equity and local economyCreating bioregional economies that support equity, diverse local employment and international fair trade

Culture and communityRespecting and reviving local identity, wisdom and culture; encouraging the involvement of people in shaping their community and creating a new culture of sustainability

land use and wildlifeProtecting and restoring biodiversity and creating new natural habitats through good land use and integration into the built environment

sustainable water

Using water efficiently in buildings, farming and manufacturing. Designing to avoid local issues such as flooding, drought and water course pollution

local and sustainable foodSupporting sustainable and humane farming, promoting access to healthy, low impact, local, seasonal and organic diets and reducing food waste

sustainable materialsUsing sustainable and healthy products, such as those with low embodied energy, sourced locally, or made from renewable or waste resources

sustainable transportReducing the need to travel, and encouraging low and zero carbon modes of transport to reduce emissions

Zero wasteReducing waste, reusing where possible, and ultimately sending zero waste to landfill

Zero carbonMaking buildings energy efficient and delivering all energy with renewable technologies



one Planet livingWe work with projects and organisations across the sectors of built environment, local authorities, tourism and events and develop and implement sustainability plans based on the ten principles of One Planet Living.

singita serengeti is a luxury eco-tourist safari resort and One Planet Community in Tanzania.

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new build communitiesnorth west Bicester eco-townWork on the UK’s first eco-town at Bicester in Oxfordshire took a giant leap forward during the year. The start of construction work transformed the edge of town site where the first phase of this 6,000 home zero carbon development is located.

This first phase of just under 400 homes, now known as Elmsbrook, is an endorsed One Planet Community. Marketing of the initial houses opened in the summer of 2015, with the first residents due to move in during 2016.

With a Bioregional team of five in Bicester, we are acting as ‘sustainability integrator’ for the project in long term partnerships with lead developer A2Dominion and Cherwell District Council, the local planning authority. During these opening stages we are helping to ensure that the planning framework and the planning conditions set for North West Bicester (NW Bicester) demand high but achievable sustainability standards, and also that the development delivers promised benefits to the whole town of Bicester.

In 2014/15 we carried out a full review of the sustainability performance of NW Bicester’s first phase to date, set against the targets and aspirations of its endorsed One Planet Action Plan. We found that good progress has been made, and that the high sustainability ambitions planned for this pioneering development from the start are now starting to be delivered on the ground.

We’ve continued to work with A2Dominion on the sustainability aspects of detailed and outline planning applications for the wider eco-town which will follow on from the first phase. We would like the entire development of 6,000 homes, along with a wide range of infrastructure, services and workplaces, to meet One Planet Living standards. Having reviewed and fed back on these plans, we think it is on course to do so. Bioregional has helped to train a range of staff from A2Dominion and sub-contractors, including the marketing team selling the first phase homes, to understand the One Planet Living concept which is so central to the development.

“ we’re really pleased with the progress we are making against the action plan and enjoy working with Bioregional on this ambitious and truly unique development that will make sustainable living a reality.” steve Hornblow A2Dominion Project Director for NW Bicester

— Zero waste to landfill from the construction of NW Bicester

— 21% of construction staff live locally

— 29% reduction in embodied carbon in new homes from UK homes baseline

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Urban extensions in FinlandDuring the year we worked with the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and Skanska Finland, using the One Planet Living framework to begin the design of highly sustainable major development projects on the edge of two Finnish cities. Combined, these urban extensions will be home to 15,000 people and provide 8,000 jobs in new offices and retail units as well as the infrastructure needed to support the new homes and workplaces.

Together we explored what One Planet Communities at Kivisto and Kangas might look like, how they might be achieved and the roles and responsibilities of each partner in delivery. Bioregional modelled ecological footprinting scenarios for both developments and oversaw the creation of an action plan for each showing how our Common International Targets for communities would be achieved.

Our partners used the One Planet Living principles to baseline ‘business as usual’ and demonstrated how they would improve performance with near zero-carbon strategies, use of creative technologies, a fresh approach to the natural environment and nurturing of local businesses and start-ups.

south Downs national ParkUsing the One Planet Living framework, we supported a planning application for a substantial extension to the small town of Liphook, sited on the Hampshire/West Sussex border and within the South Downs National Park.

We analysed the gap in likely performance between this 180 home scheme proposed by Green Village Developments, as designed, and what could be expected in order for it to meet the Common International Targets for One Planet Communities.

We suggested improvements to meet the exemplary sustainability standards for new development expected by the National Park Authority. The developer agreed to take on these modifications.

new build communitiesZibi, ottowaMany months of partnership working and discussions with two major developers in Canada, with Bioregional North America closely engaged, came to fruition in May 2015. The announcement that month of the planned Zibi development as an endorsed One Planet Community, Canada’s first, was grounded in work done through 2014/15.

Zibi, which means ‘river’ in the Algonquin language, is a waterfront and river island area located in the downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau overlooking both the Ottawa River and Chaudière Falls. Redeveloped from industrial brownfield land once dominated by a paper mill, the 37-acre site will include 2,500 homes, commercial and retail properties, a hotel, waterfront parks and open spaces and a network of pedestrian and cycling paths.

Over three million square feet of development is planned. Zibi will provide a unique opportunity for people to live, work, play and learn in one of the National Capital Region’s most picturesque and historic areas. Working with Bioregional, developers Windmill Development Group and Dream Unlimited Corp have used the 10 principles of the One Planet Living framework to help guide sustainability and eco-friendly planning for Zibi. Highlights of its sustainability action plan include:

— A district-wide energy system, which aims to provide Zibi with zero carbon energy by 2020

— A target of only 2% or less of the waste generated by the completed development to go to landfill

— 90% reduction in transport greenhouse gas emissions compared to the regional average, thanks to prioritising walking, cycling and charging points for electric vehicles

— Cutting water use by more than half compared to the regional average; water-using appliances will be super-efficient and non-potable water will be used for irrigation of green spaces and toilet flushing

— Housing opportunities for a diverse range of renters and buyers, and preferential allocation in some of the commercial space to local and socially responsible businesses

— Working together with the Algonquin-Anishinabe community in ways that generate lasting and tangible benefits to present and future generations; creating a new model for how private developers engage with First Nations in Canada.

“ this endorsement from Bioregional – and the required planning and monitoring that goes with it – brings us that much closer to our vision of creating one of the world’s most sustainable communities. we are not just focusing on the energy, water and resource saving performance of the buildings; we are equally concerned with encouraging and supporting sustainable behaviours from its residents, visitors and the businesses working out of it.” rodney wilts Partner of Windmill Development



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Zibi, Ottowa

singita serengetiIn Tanzania, there have been big strides towards sustainability at Singita Serengeti, the luxury eco-tourism and wildlife conservation project we have been partnering with since 2012. Singita Serengeti, which is a One Planet Community, has a key role to play in funding the conservation of 350,000 hectares of a world renowned savannah ecosystem critical to East Africa’s Great Migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles. Its tourist accommodation and facilities and the conservation work also provide livelihoods and increasing opportunities for local people.

Bioregional provided technical support, training materials and environmental and financial analysis of retrofit options at Singita Serengeti as well as reviewing its sustainability performance against the targets set out in its One Planet Action Plan.

During the 2014 – 15 year the project continued to reduce its carbon emissions through a range of energy efficiency and energy supply improvements, increased recycling of non-organic waste to 65% from a zero base in 2011 and installed a food composter. A football pitch was established for staff and the local community and 100 more local people were employed.

villages nature® ParisWe have been actively supporting Villages Nature Paris, a new sustainability-oriented resort backed by Euro Disney and Groupe Pierre et Vacances Center Parcs which is now under construction next to Disneyland Paris. Having used the One Planet Living principles through a decade of design and planning stages, it became a One Planet Community in 2013 with a Bioregional-endorsed sustainability action plan. The work of building the first phase of 916 holiday homes began in the summer of 2014 and is due to open to visitors in 2017.

Easily reached by train, it offers a low-carbon holiday with a 2,500m2 hectare open air swimming lagoon heated to 30°C by carbon-free geothermal energy. This fossil fuel-free, renewable energy source will also meet the development’s entire heating requirements, saving 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

During 2014 we carried out an in-depth review of Villages Nature progress against the targets and aspirations set out in its action plan.

Our work with partners on sustainability began to shift from a focus on construction to greening the resort’s operations, and on how guests will experience, enjoy and learn about sustainability once Villages Nature opens. We also provided input into the briefs written for the operators which Villages Nature will be selecting to run the shops, restaurants and cafes on the site.

— Less than 2% construction waste to landfill

— Fewer than 22% of construction staff commuting by private car

— Embodied energy about 25% below base case

“ we have been using one Planet living for nearly ten years and so it really has become embedded into what the project stands for. the framework has helped to guide the design process and the concept for the experience that we are aiming to create for guests.” marie Balmain Head of Sustainable Development Pierre et Vacances Center Parcs

leisure and tourism



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© Villages Nature®© Singita Serengeti

Goodwood estateGoodwood is a stately home and country estate in West Sussex famed for its horse racing and motorsport events. It also has two golf courses, a hotel, health club, restaurants, cricket club, airfield and outdoor sculpture exhibition as well as a farm and forestry. Its programme of summer events attracts some 750,000 visitors a year to ‘12,000 acres of luxurious fun.’

During 2014/15 Bioregional worked in partnership with Sustainable Events Ltd to create a robust, engaging and sector-leading sustainability programme for the estate. Building on the Goodwood’s events team’s efforts towards achieving the ISO 20121 sustainable events standard, the estate wants to develop a broader programme covering all activities across the property.

Our work here commenced in 2014/15 with the development of an overarching vision for Goodwood’s sustainability programme, developed following workshops with board members and representatives from key work areas.

Key pillars of this vision for sustainability include:

— Strong governance and leadership— Environmental ambitions— Health and well-being— Education and culture change— Strong brand and reputation

We will continue to build on this with the development of a detailed sustainability action plan.

one Planet suttonWe completed a three year programme of work with the London Borough of Sutton, which had become the first One Planet local authority in 2009 with an endorsed sustainability action plan. This programme aimed to boost sustainability in our home borough by supporting voluntary and community organisations in Sutton, being an advocate for them and working with the council at a strategic level on sustainability issues. During the 2014/15 year we:

— Supported Sutton in producing and adopting a new One Planet Action Plan to deliver on targets adopted in 14/15

— Worked with its events team to integrate the One Planet Living message into its principal arts event, the Imagine Festival

— Equipped the council with a ‘Zero Carbon Roadmap’ to address the borough’s energy and carbon emissions. We will support the council in using this roadmap and give our backing to community energy projects in the borough.

leisure and tourism local authorities

Imagine Festival 2014



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© Goodwood Estate

one Planet Brighton & HoveFollowing on from Brighton & Hove’s endorsement as the world’s first One Planet City in 2013, we’ve continued to work closely with the city council through a partnership agreement and with the local community. In 2014/15 Bioregional:

— Reviewed the city’s progress against its endorsed One Planet Action Plan (see facts below) and made recommendations on how it could be developed.

— Carried out a study of the energy demand of New England House, a council owned 1960s office block near the city centre which provides space for small and start-up creative businesses. We identified refurbishment measures to make this concrete building more energy efficient and comfortable and proposed appropriate renewable energy technologies to reduce its carbon footprint.

— Supported the Council with the next, updated version of its Sustainability Action Plan.

— Partnered with FotoDocument and Photoworks, two locally-based photography charities to commission ten photo essays by ten photographers which went on show for ten months in prominent and publicly accessible spaces around the city. Each essay was related to one of the ten One Planet Living principles, and together they formed an art trail around this vibrant and diverse seaside city. There was also a photography competition for amateur photographers based on the ten principles.

local authorities

— 132 businesses and organisations across the city joined the Living Wage campaign

— Achievement of UNESCO Biosphere status for the Brighton & Hove region

— Development of 30 community composting schemes diverting 84 tonnes of food waste from landfill each year

— Over 353,000 people saw the One Planet City Photo exhibition. 135 teachers in 30 local schools used the photo based cross curriculum related Education Packs

© Sam Faulkner/FotoDocument

© Amanda Jackson/FotoDocument

© Jason Larkin/FotoDocument© Jonathan Goldberg/FotoDocument



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advisory servicesBioregional works with retailers and the built environment sector across a range of disciplines including energy, waste, materials, monitoring and engagement to help organisations realise their sustainability ambitions.

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awards— During the year B&Q won

Sustainability Leaders Awards for sustainable packaging innovation, carbon management and stakeholder engagement

— B&Q’s Matt Sexton was awarded Head of Sustainability of the Year in the Responsible Business Awards

— In the Retail Week awards, B&Q won the Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year award for its work on greener gardens

B&Q one Planet HomeOne of Bioregional’s longest running and most important partnerships is with B&Q, the first One Planet Company. Since 2007, we have been working closely with the UK’s leading home improvement and garden retailer on projects to increase the sustainability of its operations, the products it sells and the lifestyles of its millions of customers. We also review its progress and performance against its One Planet Home sustainability action plan each year.

In 2013/14 we carried out a wood waste project which focused on chemically-treated (against decay) timber. We looked to reduce the quantity of waste arising in the first place, and at how to enable reuse and possibly recycling of unavoidable waste to help B&Q meet its 90% reuse and recycling target for 2020. It will be difficult for B&Q to meet this challenging target without addressing treated timber waste. We developed a comprehensive data base of quantities of treated timber waste by source, then used this to draw up a reduction action plan. As a result:

— One of B&Q’s largest timber suppliers now takes back and reuses its bearers (pieces of wood used instead of pallets to transport timber products)

— A wood recycling project is underway in 34 stores, in partnership with the National Community Wood Recycling Project. The collected wood is either sold or reused to make items such as garden furniture and decking

— In 2015 B&Q will launch a re-usable pallet scheme, further reducing wood waste

Bioregional has developed a methodology for B&Q to measure progress towards enabling One Planet Living through its product range. This methodology also encourages B&Q’s buyers to introduce innovative, lower-impact products into the range. A scorecard is used to show how far the products sold by B&Q can help customers to progress towards One Planet Living in their homes, based on the ten One Planet Living principles. Using this new methodology, we found that the greatest potential to support customers is around the principles of zero carbon, zero waste, sustainable water and natural habitats and wildlife.

Corporate partnerships

“ over the last eight years, Bioregional has helped us implement one Planet living principles in our business to reduce our environmental impact and improve our bottom line. sustainability is now firmly embedded in many of our core functions and we are committed to continuing to develop our ranges so that our customers can benefit from one Planet Homes too.” rachel Bradley CSR Manager B&Q

From 2007 through to 2013/14, our work with B&Q has led to:— An accumulated saving

of 98,000 tonnes CO2e through a 31% reduction in its operational carbon footprint

— Estimated savings totalling £115m through better energy, transport and waste management

— Replacing 497 million litres of peat in 2014 with more sustainable alternatives to help make the nation’s gardens greener. That’s enough peat saved to fill the entire Albert Hall three times over

Bioregionaladvisory services


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Kingfisher net PositiveFor several years we have also been working internationally with B&Q’s parent company Kingfisher, Europe’s largest home improvement retailer with over 1,100 stores in Europe and Asia shared among ten operating companies. Bioregional is a key delivery partner of Kingfisher’s ground breaking Net Positive programme, which aims to go beyond halting environmental degradation and put more in for people and the planet than it takes out.

In 2014/15 our work with the group expanded beyond our longstanding and continuing support in monitoring uptake and impacts of ‘eco products’ (products with a significantly better than normal environmental and sustainability performance). We became Kingfisher’s data co-ordination partner for the entire Net Positive programme.

Key highlights from the 2014/15 eco-products review include:

— 22% of total retail sales came from Eco Products, a total of £2.4 billion sales generated

— 92% of timber used in products responsibly sourced, delivering their 2016 milestone ahead of schedule

— Customers to Kingfisher’s retail brands saved an estimated £597million off their energy bills through sales of energy-efficient products and services

Net Positive is organised into four ‘pillars’: timber, energy, innovation and communities. Targets have been set for each pillar up to 2020, against which Kingfisher measures and reports progress. In addition the group aims to improve performance in three other areas: employees, suppliers and partners, and environment. Altogether there are 50 targets to achieve by 2020. Bioregional’s role is to support Kingfisher Corporate Centre and the ten operating companies to report against these targets.

london legacy Development Corporation (llDC)Having helped to make the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games the most sustainable Olympics ever, Bioregional has continued to work with the LLDC on the legacy from these Games in the east of London. In 2014/15 Bioregional contributed to the planning framework for three new neighbourhoods around the Queen Elizabeth II Park in Stratford – the site of the Olympics – which will provide homes for thousands of new residents.

Bioregional has helped the LLDC to set out what it wants from developers, and what it wants for the new tenants and home owners, in order to make these new places as sustainable as possible. In particular, we’ve shown how planning conditions which require a reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions can be implemented, and how annual reporting on the environmental performance of the new neighbourhoods can be carried out.

Corporate partnerships



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Customers at Castorama’s (a Kingfisher retail brand) Hénin-Beaumont store can get help from specially trained sales advisors on energy efficiency.

© Kingfisher PLC © LLDC

‘sustainability integrator’ role in BicesterFrom the early days of the North West Bicester eco-town project led by A2Dominion, the local authority Cherwell District Council and a range of local groups and bodies have sought to ensure this major new development brings benefits to the entire town of Bicester and increases its overall sustainability.

The shared vision is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and waste, green the local economy by attracting inward investment for environmentally friendly jobs (including in clean technologies), improve transport, health, education and leisure opportunities in sustainable ways and to increase green infrastructure, including flood protection and biodiversity.

Bioregional has been working with the council and others as an entrepreneurial ‘sustainability integrator’ to help secure these benefits. Since 2011 we’ve succeeded in bringing in some £1.5m worth of funding for a range of projects related to this theme. In 2014/15 highlights included:

— District heating networks: We worked with The Low Carbon Hub and Carbon Alternative (both Oxford based) to investigate the feasibility and opportunity for community ownership models for district heating networks

— Smart grid and micro grid solutions: We worked with Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and the Low Carbon Hub, investigating the opportunity for smart grid and micro grid solutions in Bicester. Due to the rapid housing growth happening in the town, the local electricity grid is at or very close to capacity. This limits the opportunity for renewable technologies to be implemented in Bicester (see page 10)

— New eco playground: We worked with Bicester Town Council on a successful application for funding for a new playground in the town’s Garth Park which will make maximum use of natural, renewable and eco-friendly materials

UrBaCt – sustainable regeneration in urban areasThe mission of the European Union’s URBACT programme is to enable cities across Europe to work together and develop integrated solutions to common urban challenges.

We’ve worked with university researchers from the Netherlands, Hungary and University College London’s Bartlett School of Planning to research and write a report, Sustainable regeneration in urban areas, published in April 2015. This synthesis digested and disseminated knowledge and evidence coming from the second phase of the decade-long URBACT programme, paving the way for its third, implementation-focussed phase which runs until 2020.

Bioregional embedded an understanding of the science around environmental limits in the report, and how that can help guide, calibrate and stimulate action to improve sustainable regeneration work in cities.

regeneration and development



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eco playground, Bicester

Hackbridge ecology ParkBioregional is a long-standing champion of the idea of an ecology park for the large area of green and undeveloped land in our home neighbourhood of Hackbridge. The area has been under-used and neglected for years, with no official public access as it has been used both for gravel extraction and landfill. With Sutton Council now promoting plans for a new primary school on a part of this land, we’ve sought to give new energy to the ecology park vision.

This would be a new gateway to the long planned Wandle Valley Regional Park, itself a giant green lung in south London. The ecology park would complement the new school as a living classroom, be a place of leisure, learning, inspiration and healthy exercise for the local community and aim to conserve and enhance the area’s biodiversity. There would be visitor facilities, training, volunteering and food growing opportunities and play areas for children.

In 2014/15 Bioregional supported and advised the Hackbridge Ecology Park Group in developing and pushing ideas forward. This included helping the group to gain the legal status it requires on its journey to becoming a properly constituted body to promote and manage the 25 hectare park on behalf of the surrounding community. We also carried out a pre-feasibility study examining how a community-owned solar electricity project could help to finance the park’s running costs.

regeneration and development

Hackbridge Pocket ParkThis compact park in the centre of Bioregional’s home town of Hackbridge offers a tranquil green space just off the bustling centre and shops and contributes to the neighbourhood centre’s regeneration.

The project was managed by Bioregional, designed by London-based architects Adams and Sutherland and funded from a variety of sources, including the Greater London Authority’s Pocket Parks Programme and Sutton Council.

The site of the park used to be pocket of dereliction, plagued by fly-tipping and unauthorised car parking. It also frames the main pedestrian access to Beddington Farmlands, a wildlife-rich area which is destined to become part of the Wandle Valley Regional Park.Left: Before, Top: After



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InnovationWe combine our entrepreneurial experience, expertise and creativity to create innovative solutions where a fresh approach or business model is required.

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Good woods

Our Good Woods initiative with forestry charity The Sylva Foundation aims to bring neglected woodlands back into good management and use. We want the UK’s forests, woods and copses to become more valuable for both wildlife and people; places for leisure, relaxation, wood production and thriving biodiversity.

In 2014/15 we focussed on creating a more robust mechanism for measuring the impact of sustainable woodland management so that we can demonstrate its economic and environmental benefits. As a part of this we began developing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting tool and have been working with the Sylva Foundation to improve the Woodland Star Rating. We also expanded the Good Woods project into Cumbria, teaming up with Cumbria Woodlands to deliver 50 woodland advice visits.

Understanding how payments for ecosystem services could workBioregional researched and wrote a wide-ranging, in-depth report for the Surrey Wildlife Trust and the Catchment Based Approach Partnership. This examined and explained how the many important services to people provided by natural and semi-natural ecosystems might be financed, thereby providing an incentive to retain, conserve and enhance those ecosystems.

Our report focussed on ecosystem services within river catchments, analysing the failures and successes of different payment mechanisms and making recommendations for development of payment schemes in the UK. We scaled up the impact of our work by sharing it with all the river catchment partnerships in England; partnerships in which more than 1,500 different local, regional and national organisations are involved including the Environment Agency, water companies, farmers, landowners, angling clubs and river and wildlife conservation NGOs.

research on improving house construction – BePItBioregional is managing a £1.3 million, four-year research project funded by Innovate UK to radically narrow the performance gap between the energy and carbon savings promised by new, energy efficient housing designs and what is actually achieved when they are built.

We’re using the construction of the first phase of the new North West Bicester eco-town with its 393 zero carbon homes (see page 10) as a gigantic laboratory, continually challenging, testing and improving the design, procurement and construction processes. Bioregional provides a dedicated on-site research engineer. The BEPIT (Bicester Eco-town Process Improvement Toolkit) project also aims to reduce embodied carbon in new homes and to create a toolkit for mass delivery of high standard sustainable homes.

Project partners include developer A2Dominion, its lead construction contractor Wilmott Dixon and Loughborough University’s School of Civil and Building Engineering. The project is funded by Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency. It requires an in-depth understanding of everything that goes into a major construction project as it actually happens on the ground and detailed, day-to-day scrutiny of the build.

In 2014/15 our work on BEPIT covered air tightness and heat flux tests on several of the new homes at NW Bicester, a detailed thermographic survey of one of them and an in-depth estimate of the embodied carbon of another. We have organised focussed discussions and problem-solving exercises with suppliers and contractors, a critical part of BEPIT. We have made a start on disseminating our early findings to professional audiences. We have also created a feedback loop to the developer and architect, in order to improve the design and specifications for the remaining phases of NW Bicester. Reliability issues concerning air tightness have emerged as an important cause of energy-saving underperformance, particularly where clusters of pipes penetrate walls and floors.

natural environment Housing and construction

BioregionalInnovation


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Bioregional initiated and co-ordinated a successful funding bid to Innovate UK, the UK government’s innovation agency, for Project ERIC. Our partners include Moixa Technology, IBM, the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development at Oxford Brookes University, major energy utilities, Oxford City Council and housing provider Green Square. By the close of 2014/15 we were well on our way to our target of installing battery and solar PV packages on 100 homes and were looking to include a community centre and primary school in the project.

Community energy managerIn July 2014 our idea for an online tool to help community energy groups won Nesta and the Open Data Institute’s Energy and Environment Open Data Challenge. This enabled us and our technology partner, Spiral Edge, to start work on planning and building the Community Energy Manager (CEM) tool, which aims to make it much easier for locally-based groups to plan energy efficiency retrofit projects for homes in their area and to install small scale renewable energy sources such as rooftop photovoltaic panels. In essence, the website allows these groups to find and organise data about the energy requirements and potential for homes and businesses in their ‘patch’, and to put together viable projects which can then seek financing. CEM launched in the summer of 2015.

Bicester heat network studyWe’ve helped to make the strongest possible case for a low-carbon heat network serving the North West Bicester eco-town, further new housing developments nearby and other major existing heat users in Bicester. The heat would come from Viridor’s new energy from waste plant, some two miles away, which is already generating electricity from burning municipal waste. Hot water would be pumped around a network of insulated pipes, substituting heat generated by burning fossil fuels.

Having secured funding from the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, Bioregional and Cherwell District Council co-project managed the development of a complex technical and commercial feasibility study. The report was completed in Autumn 2015.

energyenergy resources for Integrated Communities (Project erIC)In Oxford, we’re working with partners to make green solar electricity connect easily and affordably into the local electricity grid. Our aim is low-carbon energy, lower power bills for householders, lower costs for housing developers and increased energy-understanding and awareness across communities.

This ground-breaking, £1.2m research and demonstration project on and around the Rose Hill estate uses advanced battery technologies and integrated software to consume and store as much locally generated solar electricity as possible. Low voltage direct current (DC) generated by rooftop photovoltaic panels is used to charge battery packs in individual homes. These in turn power highly efficient LED lighting throughout the home and run or recharge a range of electronic devices such as smart phones, TVs, laptop computers and even electric cars. This can enable more cost effective local use of locally-generated green power and reduce both imports from and exports to the grid from individual homes and whole neighbourhoods, reducing the peak loads which the local grid has to cope with.



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Policy and practiceOnce we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we enable dialogue and shared learning between policy makers and practitioners, championing its wider use for maximum impact. By working at the national and international policy levels we can influence future practices.

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In 2014/15 Bioregional continued to work to ensure that the concept of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) – which we see as lying at the heart of sustainable development – is securely embedded within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) negotiated by UN member states.

This work builds on our engagement with the UN which began in 2012 with the Rio+20 process. We championed the idea of the Sustainable Development Goals with the Government of Colombia, holding the first event at the UN in New York about the SDGs. We then took a formal role in the SDG process as NGO focal point for SCP for Beyond 2015 and UNEP.

For us, SCP means both consumers and businesses transitioning towards a global flow of goods and services which does not wreck the planet while ensuring every man, woman and child can consume enough to live a decent life with dignity. There is a strong connection to the One Planet Living approach and ten principles.

The UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals and accompanying targets are succeeding the well-known and much discussed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which relate to the year 2015 and mainly concern the fight against global poverty and deprivation. The SDGs look forward to 2030 and while they continue to prioritise the elimination of poverty they are also universal goals applying to all countries, rich, poor and emerging. They range far wider over key sustainability and environmental issues. They were finally agreed by the UN General Assembly in September 2015.

Having successfully worked with NGO partners and governments to ensure that SCP featured strongly in the 17 draft goals plus targets agreed in July 2014 (with one of the goals devoted to sustainable consumption and production), we shifted our focus to the need for good indicators to help nations and stakeholders everywhere measure real progress towards SCP.

We wrote an in-depth report which set out proposals for a wide range of SCP indicators along with clear and rational criteria justifying their selection.

the take up of low carbon products and servicesBioregional teamed up with academic partners from two universities to win funding from the government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change for policy analysis work. Our task was to examine and explain policies which could prove effective in persuading households to save energy and adopt low carbon technologies including micro-renewable energy sources.

With social scientists from the University of the West of England and Birmingham, we co-wrote a report, What works in encouraging the take up of low carbon products and services in households? This report was commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to enable civil servants to brief the incoming administration after the general election in May 2015. We hope our analysis will influence government policies.

UK energy policyInternational policyInfluencing the Un’s sustainable Development Goals

BioregionalPolicy and practice

BioregionalPolicy and practice

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australiaBioregional Australia has continued to focus on its One Planet Councils programme, with both Yarra and Fremantle being recognised by Bioregional Australia for their efforts in addressing all of the ten One Planet Living Principles. The White Gum Valley project in Fremantle has undergone an independent assessment of its performance against the Common International Targets for One Planet Communities, and is investigating the implications of committing to become an endorsed One Planet Community.

north americaIn North America, the award-winning Grow Community’s first phase of 43 all-electric homes and apartments is now occupied and largely powered by rooftop photovoltaics, with Phase Two now under construction and planned to be arranged around an orchard – an example of ‘edible landscaping’. Bioregional was pleased to announce the launch of the first One Planet Community in Canada, Zibi (see page 13). Bioregional has also conducted a One Planet Action Plan workshop for the inspiring Thunder Valley project on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, while work in Austin Texas has resulted in the Colony Park project applying the ten Principles of One Planet Living to masterplanning. Bioregional have also won grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to work on community engagement and to run a behaviour change project promoting cycling in Ottawa.

south africaBioregional South Africa continues to focus on local community initiatives. Building on funding from the Waterloo Enterprise Development programme in north Durban, Bioregional has joined with the Partner Farmer AgriHub initiative to provide fifty growers with training, mentoring in agro-ecological techniques and access to subsidized seedlings. Bioregional SA is also working in partnership with an early childhood development organisation on a crèche building project that demonstrates the use of One Planet Living principles

mexico Bioregional Mexico continues to work with refrigeration equipment manufacturer Imbera on the implementation of their One Planet Action Plan.

sister organisations



our patrons

our trustees

Kevin mcCloud MBE is a British designer, writer and television presenter best known for his work on the Channel 4 series Grand Designs and his residential housing development company HAB Housing.

Professor sir Ghillean Prance is the former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Scientific Director of the Eden Project in Cornwall and visiting Professor at Reading University.

ruth Jarratt – Chair Ruth is an independent consultant on strategy. She was formerly Director of Policy Development for the Royal Opera House and was previously Fundraising and Marketing Director for Age Concern England

David thorntonDavid has worked in Local Government for 35 years, spending the last ten as Director of Environmental Services with the London Borough of Sutton. Prior to that David was Director of Housing at Sutton.

John HoadlyJohn has worked for the National Audit Office for the last 39 years, primarily as a value for money audit specialist. Most recently John focused on the government’s relationship with the third sector and commissioning

Paul wickhamPaul was Chief Executive of Surrey Wildlife Trust for 9 years after a long career in banking. Now retired he is currently Chair of the Surrey Nature Partnership and a trustee of The Change Foundation.

Joanna HillsJoanna previously worked at Bioregional as Director of Planning and Performance and company secretary. A civil engineer by background, Jo’s early career focused on the technical implementation of sustainability. She is currently working for a Housing Association.

Hilary JenningsHilary works freelance across the arts and culture sector. Hilary was the founding co-chair of Transition Town Tooting, is a Trustee of the global Transition Network and a member of Wandsworth Environmental Forum.

Dr robin stottRobin is a former consultant physician and medical teacher. A founding member of the London Sustainable Development Commission, he began work on sustainability issues as Medical Director of Lewisham Hospital and has been the sustainability advisor to the Mayor of Lewisham for the past seven years.

sarah PurdySarah is a chartered accountant and a Director of Bioregional MiniMills.

Financial report 2014 – 2015

Bioregional generated a total income of £1,440,238 in the year compared to £1,868,838 in the previous year. The decrease in income and expenditure reflects the reduced income from our work with local authorities. We led on challenging local authority projects which involved managing various subcontractors and have learnt from this experience. We took bold and adequate measures to reduce costs and was successful in breaking even. The unrestricted reserves built up in previous years have enabled us to continue to develop the charity’s ability to meet the future challenges of our strategic plan. At 31 March 2015 the free reserves balance (which is calculated as unrestricted funds excluding designated funds and fixed assets) for the group is £678,388 (2014: £669,142). This is the equivalent of 7.5 months of unrestricted expenditure. We feel that six months unrestricted expenditure is prudent to be kept as unrestricted reserves and will continue to maintain this whilst balancing the needs of our projects and the associated public benefit. These figures have been extracted from Bioregional Development Group’s full financial statements which have been audited by Mazars LLP, Chartered Accountants. A copy of our full accounts is available at Companies House and the Charities Commission.

Unrestricted restricted totals totals Funds Funds 2015 2014 £ £ £ £INCOMING RESOURCES

Incoming resources from generated funds/voluntary income:

Donations and grants 38,959 2,000 40,959 11,972

activities for generating funds:

Gift Aid received from subsidiaries – – – 31,145

Investment income 1,092 – 1,092 785

Incoming resources from charitable activities:

Primary purpose trading income 1,010,309 – 1,010,309 1,259,563

Charitable activities 33,907 347,980 381,887 591,350

other incoming resources:

Other income 5,071 – 5,071 26,062

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 1,089,338 349,980 1,439,318 1,920,877

RESOURCES EXPENDED

Charitable activities 1,064,249 357,686 1,421,935 1,869,371

Governance costs 17,094 – 17,094 12,612

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 1,081 343 357,686 1,432,029 1,881,983

NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES ON OPERATING ACTIVITIES 7,995 (7,706) 289 (16,800)

Impairment of investments (69,405) – (69,405) –

NET (OUTGOING)/INCOMING RESOURCES (61,410) (7,706) (69,116) 38,894

Fund balances at 1 April 2014 824,693 14,706 839,399 800,505

Fund balances at 31 march 2015 763,283 7,000 770,283 839,399



To ensure the One Planet Living initiative remains at the cutting edge of deliverable sustainable development, we are grateful to have a world class panel of experts who provide advice and recommendations on projects and programme standards.

richard Pope Development Director, Sonoma Mountain Village

thurstan Crockett Nature champion, freelance consultant and campaigner

steve Hornblow Project Director for NW Bicester, A2Dominion Housing Group

Beverly K Burden Sustainability Coordinator, Singita Serengeti Reserves

rafael tuts Chief of the Urban Environment and Planning Branch, UN-Habitat

tony Juniper Author and environmental campaigner

Kevin Hydes CEO, Integral Group

Paulo reis silva Architect and Head of the Department of Planning, Pelicano

marja Preston Consultant, Oranje LLC

Xavier Delposen Managing Director and CEO, Schuler Group

mike Hill Director, WestWyck Pty Ltd

Jim Heid President and Founder, UrbanGreen LLC

marie Balmain Group Sustainability Manager, Pierre & Vacances Centre Parcs

sebastian winkler Director for Europe, Global Footprint Network

Professor li shirong Deputy Director General, Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission, China

our expert panel

our work would not be possible without the support of our partners and funders. thank you.

A2Dominion (A2D)Architecture and Design ScotlandB&QBrighton & Hove City CouncilCatchment Based ApproachCessange SA (Schuler)Cherwell District CouncilCity of TacomaCoast to Capital LEPCoddingCundallDCLGDECCDesign Council CabeDulverton TrustEast Sussex County CouncilEaston Energy GroupEuroDisney / Pierre et VacancesFondazione Giacomo BrodoliniGovernment of FinlandGreater London AuthorityGreen Growth PlatformImberaInnovate UKInternational Real Estate Federation (FIABCI)John and Susan Bowers FundJohn LewisJoint Research Centre (JRC)

Kingfisher GroupLambeth CouncilLewes Town CouncilLondon Legacy Development CorporationMark Leonard Trust (MLT)NestaNewhaven Town CouncilRedrow LondonSingitaSkanska ABSkoll FoundationSocial Investment Business GroupSouth Downs National Park AuthoritySouthwark CouncilSurrey ConnectsSurrey County CouncilSurrey Wildlife TrustSustainable Events LtdSutton CouncilFerderal Office of the Envioronment, SwitzerlandUK Power Networks (UKPN)United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)University of CambridgeUniversity of WestminsterWindmillWWFYour Energy Sussex

Funders and partners

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Bioregional Development GroupBedZED Centre 24 Helios Road Wallington LondonSM6 7BZUnited Kingdom

+44 (0)20 8404 [email protected]@bioregional @oneplanetliving

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