Dishing the data

Facts ’n’ figures empower smart actions

“Information is empowering.” This may sound like a cliché from Defra’s Neil Witney, but being in the know is pretty damn useful for turning lofty ideals like ‘sustainable consumption’ and ‘building sustainable communities’ into reality. Anyone who’s keen to make smart consumer choices will be keen to see what the government’s proposed new internet advice service can deliver. It’s being called ‘Environment Direct’, and it should be up and running next year, depending on how the consultation process goes. Taking its cue from what consumer campaigns already do on their own agendas (think Which or the Good Beer Guide), it aims to tackle a real knowledge gap about the broad impact of the products and services we buy. Even in easy-to-grasp areas, like energy efficiency ratings, we’ve still got a lot to learn as consumers, but this should help us get wise to a wider range of issues – the resources used to make a kitchen unit, for example, or the end-of-life options for different TV screens. Smart choices for sustainable consumption should be a small matter of a few mouse clicks away – not just for procurement professionals, but for ordinary individuals too. The ‘Data-on-your-doorstep’ service is another good example, this time focusing on the local environment. By 2010, says Witney, anyone will be able to type their postcode on the site to find out the local air quality, how clean the rivers are, how close their house is to a landfill site, where to find green space... Whilst you can build up a collage of local environments from various existing websites, it’s never been possible to get a detailed picture in one place, and certainly not down to the scale of a handful of streets. Plus, a fresh round of maps and statistics are being drawn up for the site. Facts and figures for the curious, you might think. But this could be a powerful tool for grassroots groups to build up a clear picture of the state of the local environment. As Greenpeace’s Ben Stewart points out, “Often pollution doesn’t take the form of a huge black cloud of smog or rubbish in a river, it can be a silent invisible threat.” Policymakers engaged with building more sustainable communities, at both the national and local level, will also find ‘Data-on-your-doorstep’ a godsend. “If we’ve got better information about which areas need help, then we know that’s where to direct extra funding,” explains Witney. Tim Sanders of Friends of the Earth agrees: “Decision makers from the parish to regional assembly level need baseline data, and if this does that, it will indeed be a step forward to creating better informed communities who are more in touch with their surroundings.” Sanders does remind us of the danger of getting too starry-eyed about digital empowerment, though. “Information is only advantageous if you can get hold of it and then know what to do with it,” he warns. Should you be written off if you’re not computer literate? – Hannah Bullock Neil Witney, Defra’s Sustainable Development Unit, 020 7238 5695, neil.witney@defra.gsi.gov.uk

23 June 2005

Hannah Bullock