The meeting “Global Aspects on Sustainable Consumption – towards a sustainable lifestyle” organized by All-Ukrainian Environmental NGO “MAMA-86” and Swedish Society for Nature Conservation took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 15th – 16th of January, 2009.

The aim of the meeting was to share experience from different parts of the world, to learn, and get inspired from each other and to discuss how to cooperate on these issues in the future.

It was the first step to a broader discussion about if and how future cooperation can be developed to highlight consumer perspective on sustainable development with a special focus on environmental effects.

Sara Nilsson (SSNC Project coordinator) made a presentation about Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (PDF, 371 kb), goals and tasks of the meeting.

Thereafter all participants have been asked to think about their understanding or perception of sustainable consumption. Among all thoughtsand visions there were a lot of similar key words about “sustainable consumption” such as: resources, basic needs, balance between nature and progress, part of life, harmony, human equality, safety, future generations, environment, lifestyle, self-producing, don’t use one day in one way, fair prices, affordability and so on.

In conclusion of the beginning part, “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard has been shown to resume understanding of the global system problem of current unsustainable consumption and production pattern.

The meeting was organized for 17 representatives of 8 consumer and environmental NGOs from Ukraine, Belarus, Kenya, South Africa, Colombia, United Kingdom and Sweden with participation of East Europe Foundation representatives. Therefore, the first day of the meeting was focused on introduction of participants and organizations they presented, their skills’ and expertise’s share from working with sustainable consumption projects.

Mary Muchena-Stredwick (Africa Programme Manager, CI, United Kingdom) in her presentation about Consumers International (PDF, 267 kb) told that the organization includes 220 members in 115 countries worldwide, and main directions of activities in the organization are Sustainable Consumption Programme, Energy Charter, Ethical Consumerism, Climate change and Sustainable Consumption.

Activities of National Consumer Forum (PDF, 74 kb) in South Africa that is one of Consumer International members are concentrated on such crucial problems of the region as inequality of allocation of finances in the world, consumer rights and its role in the struggle against poverty. Paul Crankshaw (Consumer Fair Editor, NCF, South Africa) added that basic methods applied by the organization are educational events and campaigns aimed to create right understanding of consumption problem in the world and ways of its solving, consumer rights’ lobbying, and representative functions in different institutions.

Samuel Ochieng (Chief Executive of CIN, Kenya) told about Consumer Information Network of Kenya (CIN) (PDF, 27 kb), that is also a Consumer International member, and about organization’s work in the field of sustainable consumption and necessary measures that should lead to consumers’ behaviour changing.

Kateryna Kopchuk (Communication Specialist, EEF, Ukraine) highlighted that the meeting topic is relevant for East Europe Foundation work due to main directions of Foundation activities also include sustainable consumption and environmental protection issues.

Current problems of growing consumption and traditional approaches of building in Belarus in the context of the meeting topic were explained by Shyrokov Evgeny (Municipal Brunch of International Public Association of Ecologist, Belarus). In his presentation Green Healthy Social Straw-bale Housing (PDF, 2.29 Mb) Evgeny told about one of the perspective ways of unsustainable consumption problem and environment damages solutions, namely about eco-housing, and his own experience in this field.

Claudia Gimena Roa (Director of Fundaexpression, Columbia) made an accent on poverty issue that is very crucial for Columbia. She highlighted that solution could be very simple as “poverty” is not equal to “don’t consume” and all people are wealthy if they have flora and fauna around. Claudia also explained difference between rights for food and rights for quality of food: the first one is a problem of developing countries, but another one is a problem of developed countries. Adam John Rankin (Project Coordinator, Fundaexpression, Columbia)added about such specific direction of Fundaexpression (PDF, 3.5 Mb) activities as protection of fishing communities.

Eugeniy Lobanov (FRI, Belarus) presented Foundation for Realization of Ideas (FRI) (PDF, 916 kb) and told about its activities’ goals in perspectives of sustainable consumption, current work programmes, directions of activities and topics for international cooperation. Ivan Kouzel (FRI, Belarus) added about Green Consumerism Campaign, its goals, main directions of Green Consumption Campaign work, that becomes more popular in Belarus, future plans and present achievements.

Anna Golubovska-Onisimova (MAMA-86 President and SCP Issue Coordinator, Ukraine) presented MAMA-86 (PDF, 726 kb), its vision and goals including projects and campaigns (both completed and on-going) implemented in partnership with the SSNC within “Greening development policy and practice in Ukraine” direction of work, including priorities on SCP area, with special focus on the environmentally friendly life-style and technologies application in housing. Iryna Malysheva (MAMA-86 Project Coordinator, Ukraine) told about new on-going SCP project “People’s Eco-Life” (PDF, 228 kb) funded by SSNC, its main goal, objectives, expected outcome and results achieved at the moment.

The second day of the meeting was a workshop about sustainable consumption, where participants discussed selected issues and developed strategies & methods for future co-operation and co-ordination of activities related to sustainable consumption and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

At the beginning of second meeting day all participants have been asked to think about “What was new and inspired to you from yesterday meeting?”

On the basis of participants opinions the following conclusions have been made:

• Ordinary people do the same things on sustainable consumption and production in spite of their different background, cultural and historical traditions, and levels of economic development and general preconditions
• Priorities on sustainable consumption were common and well-known for all meeting participants
• The meeting was a great opportunity to know more about each other and to get knowledge, experience and inspiration for further activities including joint projects
• Eco-housing was the newest topic and relevant direction on promotion of sustainable consumption and production and it was very inspiring
• New people brought new ideas
• It was very interesting and useful to learn more about situation in Ukraine
• Participants have got information about innovative methodologies and approaches on sustainable consumption and production
• Both consumers organizations and environmental organizations do the sane things and they have growing power and authority

After that on the basis of previous day work several topics have been suggested for discussion and selected three of them:

1. Eco-housing including individual housing, building affordability, organic agriculture.
2. Eco-lifestyle: daily activities on perspective of sustainable consumption
3. Consumers rights for healthy environment

Participants divided into 3 working groups according 3 topics.

During work in groups participants were looking answers for the following questions regarding to their topic:

• What are the main problems?
• What are main stakeholders?
• What are the main solutions?
• What are main tasks for CSOs?

During their group work participants also paid their attention on additional questions, namely:

1. Joint global week of action on green consumerism SSNC & partners
2. Diversities and similarities between countries and common priorities for action on green consumerism, possible singular topic equally important for all countries and regions
3. The Story of Stuff: feasibility of translation into national language and presentation in the country of participants

In conclusion of the workshop groups’ representatives presented results of groups’ work for common discussion with other participants.

1. Discussion results of Eco-housing group
2. Discussion results of Eco-lifestyle group
3. Discussion results of Consumers rights for healthy environment group

In general the meeting was carried out in friendly atmosphere of active discussion on many questions of sustainable consumption and production. At the end of the meeting all participants agreed that joint work would find its continuation in new joint projects and information exchange via mailing list.

Photos of the meeting as presentation you can download from here (PDF, 5 Mb).

More complete photo-gallery is placed here.