Stepping upstream ‘naturally’ for cleaner production through community environmental learning

A closer partnership with the general community is one way that industry can gain support for moving towards cleaner production and effectively address the decline in the global environment. The Earthʹs Choice Renewable Energy Programme of Energex in Queensland, Australia, is one example of this form of cooperative alliance. More extensive community cooperation with industry requires greater community understanding of environmental decline and the requirements for sustainable living. For this to occur, community ‘learningʹ about sustainability must be presented in an easy to understand manner. A systems approach to cleaner production, in conjunction with the emerging systems of The Natural Step approach to ecological sustainability and Appreciative Inquiry, is introduced as the basis for a simple, clear, and easy to understand community education program. Stepping ‘upstream’ to education at the grassroots community level, away from a pure focus on industry, will promote a community/industry union that can contribute to both cleaner production and global competitiveness.