Oslo Rountable on Sustainable Production and Consumption
Part 2 SHARING RESPONSIBILITY FOR PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
2.1 - Civil Society
Citizens can help change consumption patterns in their multiple roles as consumers, householders,
workers and voters. Women have a particularly powerful role in influencing sustainable
consumption decisions. The challenge is to find ways to empower citizens to take effective
environmental actions in their homes, communities and workplaces. A starting point is for citizens
to take account of information on the environmental impact of goods and services in their
Environment, development, consumer, women`s and community-based organisations have
undertaken a wide range activities to support individual and household efforts to achieve
sustainable lifestyles. These efforts could be strengthened by further work to:
Improving Understanding and Analysis
- - Undertake research to develop sustainable lifestyle strategies for
- - Critically review life cycle assessments and monitor environmental
claims in advertising and marketing statements.
- - Form partnerships with business, governments and other groups to
examine jointly how to improve consumption and production patterns, and
meet basic human needs around the world.
Applying Tools for Modifying Behaviour
- - Develop community-based strategies to enable citizens to move to
sustainable consumption patterns, and help people to maintain and develop
their cultural identity in the face of pressures to adopt unsustainable lifestyles.
- - Raise public awareness through product information campaigns and
highlighting the relationship between quality of life and consumption patterns.
- - Operate information clearing houses to facilitate the sharing of lessons
learned through consumer campaigns, research and actions of communities,
governments and industry (for example, to ensure a rapid dissemination of
information on environmental harmful production methods).
- - Publish action alerts and sustain local and international campaigns to
obtain environmentally sound products and production. When needed, NGOs
will also work for boycotts and banning of environmentally harmful products
- - Influence and press governments and business to implement concrete
actions to promote sustainable consumption.
Monitoring, Evaluating and Reviewing Performance
- Monitor and evaluate progress of local, national and international authorities,
institutions and industry for action on: green tax reform, land use patterns, the
phase-out of toxic chemicals, reducing energy and material consumption, the
need for transport (especially in the industrialised countries), and promoting
the right to know.
DOCUMENT WINDOW - COMMUNITY INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT CITIZEN ACTION
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