Agenda 21

A sustainable development, non-obligatory, action plan that arose from the 1992 'Earth' Summit on Environment and Development that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There are four main sections [Social and Economic Dimensions; Conservation and Management of Resources for Conservation; Strengthening the Role of Major Groups; Means of Implementation] in Agenda 21, with 40 chapters, which are to be implemented at different scales, from global, to national and locally. Local Government applied elements of this through their Local Agenda 21 plans, described in chapter 28.

There are many chapters which are directly relevant to grounds management, and others which could be adapted (with a change of focus) for inclusion within a sustainable grounds’ management plan, with areas including:
• Health and welfare (improving health, safety, well-being and welfare of workers; improving worker representation with employers).
• Changing consumption patterns (reduce natural resource use).
• Demographic dynamics and inclusion (encouraging more young people and more diversity into the workforce).
• Promote sustainable management (ensure constructions and maintenance practices follow a sustainable trend and pathway, and grounds are managed sustainably).
• Integrated decision making (include more extensive considerations of economic, environment and social issues).
• Reduce air pollution (especially CO2 emissions).
• Use land wisely (do not exceed carrying capacity).
• Encourage biodiversity (promote biodiverse friendly practices).
• Enhance biological grounds management practices (reduce use of synthetic materials).
• Protect and conserve water sources (minimise water use and promote more resilient grass swards).
• Reduce hazardous waste and chemical load on the environment (improve waste management, minimisation and reduce the use of pesticides).
• Increase stakeholder involvement (encourage more engagement and interaction with interested parties).
• Enhancing business sustainability (deploying more efficient processes, less material intensive and more socially responsive and responsible).
• Improve knowledge and its dissemination (better utilisation of science and technology for communication, learning and decision making).
• Support those who are less well-off (invest in and support others).

References - all accessed 24th May 2023:
United Nations Conference on Environment & Development, Agenda 21,
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf,
A Guide to Agenda 21, International Development Research Centre,
https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/12885/IDL-12885.pdf