Sustainable Northern Ireland was set up to encourage action on sustainable development in Northern Ireland. Local authorities felt they did not have the statutory powers to deliver change on the key issues of sustainable development, and central government and its agencies (who did deliver directly in these areas) did not have the remit to work on Local Agenda 21. This meant that the key focus in the years up to the end of 2000 was enabling these bodies to work together and with their communities in order to draw up realistic plans for the future of their areas.

Recent activities have included projects funded through Better Belfast Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and the Environment and Heritage Service; a programme to promote waste management through faith communities in Belfast, a feasibility study to look at how to optimise the use of 'reusable' materials from the waste stream , and a Choose to Reuse initiaitve . Sustainable Northern Ireland also ran a community visioing project with five communities in Castlereagh.

Sustainable Northern Ireland provides help for local government to develop and deliver Sustainable Development Implementation Plans. we encourage sustainable development thinking and action primarily within district coucnil and the community and voluntary sector. The Sustainable Development Strategy for Northern Ireland means that many of Sustainable Northern Ireland's future activities will involve helping local authorities and others to implement sustainable development in their areas.

Sustainable development is about creating a strong, healthy and just society through providing integrated action that is co-ordinated across different sectors. The Sustainability Exchange is Sustainable Northern Ireland's newest method of gathering information on the good work being carried out across the regions that contributes to the sustainable development agenda.

The Sustainability Exchange is a platform for people working within (or related to) the sustainability sector in Northern Ireland. It is designed to share examples of projects, ideas, research papers or pilot projects and it is a forum to ask peers for advice and guidance. The Sustainability Exchange can be used to demonstrate emerging trends, ideas, discussions and file sharing of documents. Nothing else like this exists in Northern Ireland, and for it to be successful it must be used by individuals and organisations within this country who want to help create a more sustainable Northern Ireland.

The Sustainability Exchange must become an essential tool for individuals and organisations working directly within the sustainable development sector, and for those working on the periphery such as in health, housing, community development and social inclusion. Click here to join.