EEDA - Sustainable Economy

Sustainable Economy

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Sustainable Economy

A sustainable economy can be defined as economic development and growth that:

is achieved within the limits of the environment
ensures a strong, healthy and just society
is through good governance and the responsible use of science.

Relevance to the East of England

With its low-lying coastal and agricultural areas, the East of England is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

EEDA is leading the drive to reduce carbon, use resources more efficiently and develop renewable energy sources.

Why is the Sustainable Economy programme needed?

As a region, we need to:

rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate climate change adaptation in the East of England
meet ambitious targets for energy generation from renewable sources and remain the UK's leading renewable energy region
support the region's environmental technologies and service companies to continue to grow
maintain the East of England as the UK's leading region for food and farming, and help the sector to continue to improve its competitiveness and sustainability
assist rural and coastal communities to diversify, raise productivity and improve access to key markets.

How will the Sustainable Economy programme be achieved?

EEDA's Sustainable Economy programme leads the move towards a low carbon, low resource economy to mitigate the impact of climate change. It does this by:

setting reduction targets - for example, carbon reduction is a key goal for the regional economic strategy (RES)
innovative campaigning such as our Cut your Carbon campaign
supporting the region's growing environmental and energy technology sector - through Renewables East and other relevant enterprise hubs
helping businesses and individuals in the region improve their efficient use of resources through Business Link
providing access to EU and regional development funding with low carbon and resource efficiency themes
leading projects for rural and coastal areas to adapt to climate change through projects such as Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) projects to safeguard and enhance the region's rural environment.

EEDA's Sustainable Economy drive is a standalone programme but also cuts across all our other activities.

EEDA's commitment

EEDA is reducing its own environmental impact by:

reducing carbon emissions by increasing the energy efficiency of EEDA's buildings, with a commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2010
developing an awareness raising and training programme for staff to increase EEDA's capacity to deliver environmental sustainability
implementing a sustainability appraisal and strategic environmental assessment as part of the RES review
gaining Environmental Management System (EMS) certification
working towards a zero waste policy
developing green travel plans.