Sustainable Development Challenge Fund

During the 2011 Hay Festival, the Green Dragons gathered again to grill the latest set of applicants hoping to win. The competition concentrated on these themes:

• Clever Stuff - reducing the impact of the stuff we make, buy, use and recycle every day;
• Field to Fork – improving the way we grow, transport, process and use the food we eat; 
• Home and Hearth – scaling up the good practices that save money and energy whilst reducing our impact on the environment; and 
• Connecting Communities – finding new and better ways to bring together the shared interests of local councils, businesses, communities and the third (voluntary) sector to build resilience and reduce impact.

The Green Dragons were looking for applicants that could show:

• How they will promote sustainable development in Wales and help achieve our vision for a sustainable Wales (as set out in One Wales: One Planet); 
• Innovation and demonstrate cutting edge thinking; 
• How they will integrate economic, social and environmental issues and promote long term sustainable solutions; and 
•  How they will support the long term wellbeing of people and communities in Wales.

Before the final, each competitor practiced their pitches on the public at a Dragons’ Playground. The Playground was a space where visitors could ask questions about the projects, leave comments and vote before the final.

The 2011 Winners

The 2011 winners were:

• Rebound Books won the Clever Stuff prize. This project was developed by L’Arche Brecon  based in a community where adults with and without learning disabilities live and share life together,  The project creates recycled notebooks, sketchbooks, diaries or journals from old or discarded books with the original publication interspersed with blank pages.
  
• Food for the future developed by Blaenau Gwent Council took away the Field to fork award. Their project encouraged Primary and Secondary schools to install allotments, wildlife gardens and waste recycling facilities across the Borough.
  
• One Million Person Sharing Plan for Wales won the Home and Hearth competition.  It aims to help people and communities in Wales share resources.  Everything from bikes, meeting rooms or garden tools will be shared through an online sharing platform, creating a collaborative way of consuming goods and services.
  
• Pots, tubs, troughs and tucker was the winner of the Connecting Communities theme.  The Wellbeing Alliance, including the Cooperative Group, Public Health Wales and Communities 1st/Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations project will develop a community scheme to encourage people in Blaenau Gwent to grow their own produce, share skills and come together.

Visit: Rebound books - (external link)

Visit:  Bid and borrow - One Million Person Sharing Plan for Wales - (external link)

Visit: SD Scene article (external link)

Visit: EcoSapiens website (external link)