Sustainability Charter
Glossary of terms
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour ranges from serious acts of violence and harassment, to more 'everyday' incidents such as noisy dogs or overgrown gardens. It destroys lives and shatters communities.
It is a widespread problem but its effects are often most damaging in communities that are already fragile.
If left unchecked it can lead to neighbourhood decline with people moving away and tenants abandoning housing.
It can seriously damage the quality of life of vulnerable people through the fear of crime and the long-term effects of victimisation.
It also incurs costs to a wide range of people including individuals and families, schools, local authorities, social landlords and business.
Appropriate
The right or fitting approach or solution to an issue.
Biological diversity / Biodiversity
The full array of living species of plants, animals, and micro organisms on Earth, as well as the range of genetic variety within each species.
Charter
Charters (or codes of conduct or codes of practice) are general principles to guide an organisation’s behaviour.
Civil society
The framework of social institutions separate from formal authority and political control such as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), academia and Church groups among others.
Civil society can be viewed as engaging in private effort for the public good.
Complicit
State or condition of being an accomplice in an act.
Cross-cutting
Cross-cutting issues are those that have a direct relevance to a number, or all, themes, areas, departments, organisations etc regardless of their individual focus or interest.
Examples are Equalities and Sustainability
Cumulative
Growing in strength, effect or impact through successive additions
Decision-Making
Choosing one action over other possible alternative actions.
Decommissioning
The act of taking out, closing, removing from service and dismantling an industrial plant etc to an extent where it can be described as safe
Discrimination
Unfair treatment of a person or group based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, language, and national, ethnic or social origin.
Dynamic
Moving, evolving. A process that is not static.
Ecology
Study of the living community and the non-living environment in a specific area functioning together as an integral whole.
Economy
What human beings do financially. The activity of managing resources and producing, distributing, and consuming goods and services.
Ecosystem
A community of plant and animal species that interact together along with their physical and chemical environment.
Efficient (Efficiency)
A measure of how well resources (natural, fiscal, human) are used or employed.
Environment
Where human beings live. Everything that affects an organism during its lifetime and includes soil, rock, water, air, along with living organisms, as well as human construction (the built environment).
Finite
Limited or restricted. With a definite end
Hierarchy
A system of people or things arranged in a graded order of (perceived) importance.
Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)
A local strategic partnership (LSP) is a single body that:
- brings together at a local level the different parts of the public sector as well as the private, business, community and voluntary sectors so that different initiatives and services support each other and work together;
- is a non-statutory, non executive organisation;
- operates at a level which enables strategic decisions to be taken and is close enough to individual neighbourhoods to allow actions to be determined at community level; and
- should be aligned with local authority boundaries
Participation
Where organisations invite local people to become genuinely involved in the decision-making process.
Precautionary approach
As a rule to exercise caution and ensure all potential impacts have been explored and understood before carrying out or implementing an action.
Principles
Primary guidelines for decision-making, policy, or behaviour, such as the Principles of Sustainability contained within this Charter.
Regeneration
Co-ordinated enhancement of the economic, social and environmental fabric of the City with the objective of delivering long term and sustainable improvements in the quality of life for all.
Renewable
Term applied to energy sources or materials that are normally supplied and replenished through natural processes and not depleted by their use.
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown.(Social Exclusion Unit)
Characteristics of Social Exclusion:
- Inability to participate effectively in economic, social, political and cultural life
- Alienation and distance from mainstream society. A process by which individuals and groups become isolated from major societal mechanisms which produce or distribute social resources.
- The condition of alienation from one or more of the main mechanisms i.e. Labour Market, informal networks and the state. (Carey Oppenheim, IPPR)
What can social exclusion tell us that poverty can't? At its heart poverty is about lack of money. Social exclusion is a broader concept; it is multi dimensional, dynamic, capturing the story-line of people's lives and is firmly located in particular places (Carey Oppenheim: The legacy of poverty) See also Social Inclusion
Social inclusion
Social inclusion is achieved when individuals or areas do not suffer from the negative effects of unemployment, poor skills, low income, poor housing, crime, bad health, family problems, limited access to services and rurality, e.g. remoteness, sparsity, isolation and high costs.’ See also Social Exclusion
Travel Plan (previously called a Green Transport Plan)
Typically a package of practical measures, tailored to the circumstances of individual sites – to reduce car use for travel to work and for travel on business, to reduce the environmental impact of travel and to reduce the need to travel at all for work.