Local Agenda 21-Santa Cruz

Key points from the twelve Focus Groups


For background information, see Local Agenda 21- The U.N. Plan for Your Community. It explains that 

Local Agenda 21-Santa Cruz was birthed in 1993 by the local chapters of the United Nations Association and ACTION (Agenda 21 Community Team Work in Operation). The original stakeholders began to "envision a sustainable future," choose compatible "partners", and organize the twelve Round Tables which evolved into twelve Special Focus Areas (for summaries of each plan, read Local Agenda 21, part 2):

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Everything not in brackets is quoted from the "Sustainable Community Action Plan: Our Agenda for the 21st Century." Most of the bullets are included in the official plan, but some have been added for clarification.

1. Agriculture: Goals for Year 2000 (p. 1)

 

2. Biodiversity & Ecosystem (p. 6)

CURRENT STATE

Medium-density, single-family housing continues to sprawl and consume much of what remains of the few, relatively undisturbed area...

County residents have introduced new ["invasive"] species from other parts of the world

With our wasteful consumer culture still fundamentally a mechanism for clearing the natural world away, our struggle to save wild places becomes even more critical.

GOALS FOR YEAR 2000

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE

SUGGESTED ACTIONS FOR FURTHER PROGRESS

 

3. Education (p. 18)

CURRENT STATE

Most Americans are ill equipped to make the lifstyle changes necessary to turn the degradation around. However, our collective experience over time has shown that knowledge alone does not necessarily change behavior and incite people to action. support structures and incentives are also needed. (19)

Educational programs assist and allow learners of diverse age groups and cultures to discover their full potential while helping them to be aware of their responsibility for and impact on all life.

Educational systems encourage relevant, experiential learning and promote a sustainable, healthy life for all beings. Students embrace. Global interdependence and the need to adopt fully sustainable practices locally and globally.. Focus is placed on teaching how to learn and how to enjoy learning. This involves:

1) Cooperative learning in groups which is learner-directed, empowering and participatory
2) Development of an integrated core curriculum at all levels which emphasized the theme of unity and interdependence of humanity, all species and the Earth.
3) Student participation in developing their own curriculum
4) Mixed age groups in the learning process
5) Learning activities through the arts and recreational opportunities focus on personal and social growth
6) Learning that occurs through the experience of participating in the actual activity itself.

4. Energy (p. 30)

GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2000

4. Housing (p. 34)

GOALS FOR YEAR 2000

Population (p.39)

ENVISION A FUTURE IN WHICH---

7. Public Health (p. 42)

GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2000

8. Resources and Recycling (p. 48)

DESIRED STATE

9. Social Justice (p. 54)

DESIRED STATE

10. Toxic Technology & Waste Management (p. 67)

DESIRED STATE

Transportation (p. 74)

GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2000

12. Viable Economy (p. 80)

In many ways the national and international economic system is unhealthy and not sustainable. .. Advertising promotes over-consumption, and much of the focus of our economy is on sales and consumption rather than on meeting basic needs and providing well-being and basic services.

The challenge at the present time is the need to preserve and strengthen a local and sustainable economy while reducing unemployment and maintaining adequate revenues for support services. This challenge requires creative thinking and a faith in our own collective vision of a desirable future for our community.

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