The Sustainable Development Commission, a UK government body, has published a list of 19 breakthrough ideas which could help make the UK more sustainable. Starting point was quite simple. "We knew there were good ideas out there – compelling propositions that, put into action, could really help make the UK more sustainable. So, last autumn, we invited experts, practitioners and enthusiasts to share their thinking with us, and those breakthrough ideas started pouring in." The list started with 285 suggestions coming from a bright spectrum of participants (see the list of Breakthrough ideas contributors), which was then shortened to 40, and finally to 19.

The 19 breakthrough ideas

Breakthroughs for sustainable lives:

1. Incredible edible communities – encouraging communities to grow and eat local food, 2. Rethinking the community garden – building community and resilience by turning public spaces and under-used land into urban farms, 3. Natural values: Outdoor experiences for all children in the UK – getting young people reconnected with the natural world, 4. Taking happiness seriously – discovering what makes for a happy life, and teaching this in our schools, 5. Mobilising popular support and collective action - the growth of active community networks and organisations for change, 6. Congress for the future – avoiding short-termist policy making by involving citizens in national decision-making,

Breakthroughs for sustainable places:

7. Low Carbon Zones –combating fuel poverty, health problems and emissions by brining poor-quality housing up to highest energy efficiency standards, 8. Greater Manchester retrofit plus – future proofing Manchester’s building stock while providing employment, skills and long-term investment opportunities, 9. From 'pre-pay' to 'pay as you save' – financing home energy efficiency measures through future savings on energy bills, 10. Biochar and soils: A win-win for climate and communities – providing renewable heat, improving soil quality and creating carbon sinks with biochar, 11. Fewer patients are a virtue – by 2020, 20% of all health spending dedicated to preventing illness and public health, 12. Making cycling mainstream – transforming our roads and giving people the confidence and incentive to cycle,

Breakthroughs for a sustainable economy:

13. Cap & share – cap the carbon and share the income with an innovative, citizen-centred permits scheme, 14. Kyoto 2 – tackling climate change with a global carbon price on fossil fuels, 15. Personal carbon budgets – individuals and communities taking responsibility for reducing emission of CO2 through personal carbon budgets, 16. Green bonds – financing the transition to a low-carbon economy through individual investments, 17. Royal Bank of Sustainability – using the public stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland to create a bank to support the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy, 18. Green Inc. - A truly sustainable labour market – shaping jobs and skills around the needs of a sustainable, low-carbon community, 19. Algae carbon capture and sequestration – the ‘short carbon cycle’ – using algae to capture industrial carbon and sequester it through agricultural engineering.

This work is interesting to us as it reveals that powerful ideas need a vision and need to be shared and produced in a participative way. The list and the report are available on the Sustainable Development Commission website and can be downloaded here.