Mainstreaming sustainable ways of living around the world...We discover and elevate the best solutions for one-planet living.
We’re not afraid to face the magnitude of the one-planet living challenge, and do so with a fierce optimism. Acting both globally and locally, we make lighter living possible through rigorous research communicated through inspired action. We work with leaders across sectors to elevate and amplify scalable solutions. We craft narratives and innovate programs that inspire change at scale. Our global projects are described below. ...with impact locally in Canada.We're dedicated to making change happen right here, where we are based.
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Our Work in Canada
Our extensive work in Canada includes the following projects:
We advance sustainable ways of living across Southwest BC and Canada through our strategic partnerships including with Vancity (Canada's largest cooperative bank), CityHive (which empowers young people to be civically active including on environmental issues through their EnviroLab), and city / regional governments (e.g., on the Advisory Board of the National Zero Waste Council). Find out more and get involved through our "In Canada page" here.
Our extensive work in Canada includes the following projects:
- One Planet Saanich - a project on Vancouver Island engaging 17 Saanich-based businesses, schools and community groups alongside the local government to further develop, implement and evaluate action plans - and enhance their ability to collaborate and advance Saanich's ambitious sustainability targets.
- Insights Studies for British Columbia on Lighter Living - OneEarth is co-leading two human insights projects. We are adapting SITRA's Finnish "Smart Consumption Profiles" study (which shows that a range of motivations beyond environmental lead to sustainable living actions like repair), as well as their insights project on leading-edge youth ages 19-35 and related market and innovation implications.
- Share Reuse Repair Initiative (SRRI) - which brings business, government and community together to foster a vibrant culture and economy of sharing, reuse and repair that prevents waste, enables lighter living and supports circular innovation. OneEarth is a co-founder.
We advance sustainable ways of living across Southwest BC and Canada through our strategic partnerships including with Vancity (Canada's largest cooperative bank), CityHive (which empowers young people to be civically active including on environmental issues through their EnviroLab), and city / regional governments (e.g., on the Advisory Board of the National Zero Waste Council). Find out more and get involved through our "In Canada page" here.
Beacon for Sustainable Living
We have vast potential to transform our ways of living to address climate and sustainability challenges. The global Beacon for Sustainable Living is shining a light on fresh, bold solutions that match the scale and pace needed to reach 1.5 degree, one-planet living. Together, we can take action with inspired creative strategies and overlooked solutions to living well for all within our ecological footprints. The Beacon is an initiative supporting those leading the way on sustainable everyday living. Together, OneEarth, Hot or Cool and a team of communications and international experts identify creative strategies and overlooked approaches to living well for all within our ecological footprints. Solution areas that have great promise in supporting the large-scale changes necessary to achieve sustainable living: Rethinking reduce; Life transitions; Cities and sustainable living; Imagining futures. The Beacon is collaborating with aligned initiatives, including the C40 Cities - Thriving Cities Initiative, the EcoCity Centre of Excellence at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Global Action Plan-UK and their work with youth on sustainable futures, the IMAGE global climate model and Project InsideOut, an initiative translating key evidence on psychological practices into tools and resources for the sustainability / climate sector. The Beacon is generously supported by the KR Foundation. Hear the latest by joining the newsletter.
We have vast potential to transform our ways of living to address climate and sustainability challenges. The global Beacon for Sustainable Living is shining a light on fresh, bold solutions that match the scale and pace needed to reach 1.5 degree, one-planet living. Together, we can take action with inspired creative strategies and overlooked solutions to living well for all within our ecological footprints. The Beacon is an initiative supporting those leading the way on sustainable everyday living. Together, OneEarth, Hot or Cool and a team of communications and international experts identify creative strategies and overlooked approaches to living well for all within our ecological footprints. Solution areas that have great promise in supporting the large-scale changes necessary to achieve sustainable living: Rethinking reduce; Life transitions; Cities and sustainable living; Imagining futures. The Beacon is collaborating with aligned initiatives, including the C40 Cities - Thriving Cities Initiative, the EcoCity Centre of Excellence at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Global Action Plan-UK and their work with youth on sustainable futures, the IMAGE global climate model and Project InsideOut, an initiative translating key evidence on psychological practices into tools and resources for the sustainability / climate sector. The Beacon is generously supported by the KR Foundation. Hear the latest by joining the newsletter.
Envisioning Sustainable Lifestyles and the United Nations Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Program
With the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and international partners, we developed a framework on envisioning future low-carbon lifestyles. With advisors from around the world, we are developing the field of sustainable futures, identifying weaknesses in the visions that are circulating and planting the seed for strong and diverse visions of sustainable living that can guide us forward. Together, we are connecting current science, visions and scenarios of future sustainable lifestyles and highlighting their compatibility with sustainability targets (e.g., 1.5 degree celsius temperature rise). We profile how this reveals insights for advancing sustainable lifestyles and identifying pathways to sustainable ways of living. The project is part of OneEarth's contribution to the global 10 Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production and its Sustainable Lifestyles and Education program.
With the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and international partners, we developed a framework on envisioning future low-carbon lifestyles. With advisors from around the world, we are developing the field of sustainable futures, identifying weaknesses in the visions that are circulating and planting the seed for strong and diverse visions of sustainable living that can guide us forward. Together, we are connecting current science, visions and scenarios of future sustainable lifestyles and highlighting their compatibility with sustainability targets (e.g., 1.5 degree celsius temperature rise). We profile how this reveals insights for advancing sustainable lifestyles and identifying pathways to sustainable ways of living. The project is part of OneEarth's contribution to the global 10 Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production and its Sustainable Lifestyles and Education program.
IMAGE Sustainable Lifestyles Project | IMAGE Climate Model
With OneEarth’s help, a popular climate model (IMAGE) is being reworked to add sustainable lifestyles actions in order to inform national governments and other actors on how to achieve their climate targets through lifestyle behaviour and systems changes. Global per capita carbon emissions must drastically decrease to reach the 2ºC climate target, with estimates of up to 80% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from today's lifestyles. Lifestyle solutions are currently missing from our climate models. These are the modelling scenarios that governments and decision-makers consult in order to determine their national actions on climate change. The IMAGE Sustainable Lifestyles Project is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Utrecht University with the modelling and scenario development expertise, and OneEarth and Adelphi with sustainable lifestyle and consumption expertise. To ensure we accurately capture many different perspectives, we also actively engage with key stakeholders and decision-makers around the quantification and modeling of lifestyle changes. The project is described here.
With OneEarth’s help, a popular climate model (IMAGE) is being reworked to add sustainable lifestyles actions in order to inform national governments and other actors on how to achieve their climate targets through lifestyle behaviour and systems changes. Global per capita carbon emissions must drastically decrease to reach the 2ºC climate target, with estimates of up to 80% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from today's lifestyles. Lifestyle solutions are currently missing from our climate models. These are the modelling scenarios that governments and decision-makers consult in order to determine their national actions on climate change. The IMAGE Sustainable Lifestyles Project is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Utrecht University with the modelling and scenario development expertise, and OneEarth and Adelphi with sustainable lifestyle and consumption expertise. To ensure we accurately capture many different perspectives, we also actively engage with key stakeholders and decision-makers around the quantification and modeling of lifestyle changes. The project is described here.
Disruptive Imaginings
OneEarth is the lead in catalyzing 'Disruptive Imaginings: creating better futures' – a global campaign to create positive and compelling visions and experiences of life in sustainable futures. This project is about moving beyond negative stories about the future and creating compelling attractive visions of sustainable futures, in particular sustainable lifestyles. Future scenarios help us think and plan in more innovative, rigorous and adaptive ways. We can go beyond gathering information (“what we know”) through trend analysis and other tools, expanding our understanding of options (“what is possible or imaginable”). Films, photographs, indicators, green buildings, metaphors, guides and policies, community gardens, speeches: all of these can be game-changing. These “memes” can inspire one or many people, transforming their relationship with their community, resources, the things they consume or produce.
OneEarth is the lead in catalyzing 'Disruptive Imaginings: creating better futures' – a global campaign to create positive and compelling visions and experiences of life in sustainable futures. This project is about moving beyond negative stories about the future and creating compelling attractive visions of sustainable futures, in particular sustainable lifestyles. Future scenarios help us think and plan in more innovative, rigorous and adaptive ways. We can go beyond gathering information (“what we know”) through trend analysis and other tools, expanding our understanding of options (“what is possible or imaginable”). Films, photographs, indicators, green buildings, metaphors, guides and policies, community gardens, speeches: all of these can be game-changing. These “memes” can inspire one or many people, transforming their relationship with their community, resources, the things they consume or produce.
Global Research Forum (GRF) on Sustainable Consumption and Production
One Earth helped launch this network in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro in the lead-up the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The mission of the Global Research Forum on Sustainable Production and Consumption is to strengthen the community of researchers and practitioners engaged in research on the worldwide transition to sustainable production and consumption systems. It builds on a 20+ year research tradition on sustainable production and consumption by numerous researchers, institutes, and networks around the world, and on many successful attempts to apply research findings into policy, civil society, and business. You can subscribe to the list, or change your existing subscription, by visiting this web page. Related is the Towards REDUCTIONS Project, a global research initiative focused on achieving "absolute" reductions.
One Earth helped launch this network in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro in the lead-up the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The mission of the Global Research Forum on Sustainable Production and Consumption is to strengthen the community of researchers and practitioners engaged in research on the worldwide transition to sustainable production and consumption systems. It builds on a 20+ year research tradition on sustainable production and consumption by numerous researchers, institutes, and networks around the world, and on many successful attempts to apply research findings into policy, civil society, and business. You can subscribe to the list, or change your existing subscription, by visiting this web page. Related is the Towards REDUCTIONS Project, a global research initiative focused on achieving "absolute" reductions.
Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI)
OneEarth is a core partner of the North American SCORAI network and hosted the 2012 SCORAI Conference in Vancouver. The Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI) is an international network of academics and practitioners working to address challenges at the interface of material consumption, human fulfillment, lifestyle satisfaction, and technological change. Network members are seeking to facilitate the design of a coherent research program that forges connections between scholars and communities of practice and contributes to an ongoing policy dialogue on these interrelated issues. Communication among members of SCORAI occurs primarily via a moderated listserv and a monthly newsletter. If you would like to participate in the ongoing discussion and/or receive announcements about SCORAI activities, please subscribe to the listserv.
OneEarth is a core partner of the North American SCORAI network and hosted the 2012 SCORAI Conference in Vancouver. The Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI) is an international network of academics and practitioners working to address challenges at the interface of material consumption, human fulfillment, lifestyle satisfaction, and technological change. Network members are seeking to facilitate the design of a coherent research program that forges connections between scholars and communities of practice and contributes to an ongoing policy dialogue on these interrelated issues. Communication among members of SCORAI occurs primarily via a moderated listserv and a monthly newsletter. If you would like to participate in the ongoing discussion and/or receive announcements about SCORAI activities, please subscribe to the listserv.
Thank you to our sponsors and partners including:
