about us

‘Fair Shares, Fair Choice’ (FSFC) promotes positive choices towards low carbon living and working. It is a movement of people who sign up to the principle of living within a globally fair and safe share of CO2 emissions. It encourages positive steps to make this a reality within our individual lifestyles, in the workplace and at the community level.

All the UK regions have been challenged by Government to explore a ‘Big Idea’ for sustainability (the idea that healthy human societies will be able to live on a healthy planet for many generations into the future). Supporting people to live within a ‘fair share’ of carbon was chosen as the ‘Big Idea’ for the South West of England.

Using a globally recognised CO2 reduction model (‘Contraction & Convergence’ or ‘C&C’), FSFC has calculated a fair ‘carbon budget’ for the South West and an individual ‘fair share’ for every person who lives here. The 2007 share is 4.2 tonnes each but under the C&C model this will gradually decrease over time. The ultimate aim of FSFC is to help get the South West's CO2 emissions ‘within budget’. We'll share our experiences with other regions and beyond!

Fair Shares, Fair Choice is coordinated by Sustainability South West (SSW) - the independent ‘champion body’ for sustainable development in the South West of England. SSW promotes action on sustainability through visionary leadership, innovative policy and new partnerships and projects. It has around 25 members drawn from the public, private and voluntary sectors. SSW has been around since 1998, gaining charitable status in 2004.