Welcome to the CIPFA Sustainability micro-site
The current year sees the 20th anniversary of the "Brundtland Report", in which one of the first formal definitions of sustainable development was penned:
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Sustainability is a hot topic in both the private and public sector, with the past year alone seeing the Stern Report on climate change published, the Prince of Wales launching the "Accounting for Sustainability" project and the Principles for Responsible Investment initiative from the UN Secretary-General.
The Government's 2005 publication, "Securing the Future" set out the UK's agenda in some detail and although it is still relatively early to fully assess its impact, progress is being made. Projects such as the Climate Change Communications Initiative have been set up and the Sustainable Development Commission is now well established and in 2005 became the Government's watchdog for sustainable development.
Within this micro-site, you will find information to fuel the debate within your organisation. We have provided an overview of what sustainable development means for public service organisations (PSO's) and links to the major documents available on this debate. In addition, we plan to provide (forecast for June 2007) what we hope you find to be a very interesting section, a "blog" (on-line diary) of how West Sussex County Council are progressing with their sustainability implementation plans. Finally, we have outlined the actions CIPFA are taking in this area, including articles and publications on the subject.
28-03-2007 
