I subscribe to the radstats list and yesterday attended a conference on the above.

My reaction was that it felt like a group who didn't really understand the subject pretending they did.  I work from a basic principle that a sustainable planet is a just, equal participatory one,  (FoE definition 20 years ago) but the conference didn't mention this definition, but did overwhelm we with jargon about coproduction and coevolution and service users.

Am I getting cynical in my old age or am I correct to expect better of the participants?  Somewhere I have on my shelves WHO health and Environment and similar and loads of EU publications, of which no mention was made!  Murray Bookchin would be turning in his grave!

What has provoked me is the publication of Injustice by Dorling.

http://www.centrevents.co.uk/Sustainable.html

"Tuesday, 20th April 2010, Hallam Conference Centre London W1W 6JJ
This conference will share findings and both strategic and practical recommendations from the Sustainable Social Care Programme. The Programme is exploring how sustainable development approaches can help realise the vision of Putting People First and support the improvement and efficiency agenda including CAA. It is a joint initiative by DH and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), with support from the Improvement & Development Agency (IDeA) and the Sustainable Development Commission.

Conference Themes include:
Sustainable commissioning; Resilience and risk in a changing climate; Personalisation, local and low carbon economic opportunities; Housing, design and green space.

lth, housing, planning and design, sustainable development, environment and climate change.
Why attend:
The conference will address critical strategic and operational issues around sustainability and social care.

Find out what conditions need to be in place to make social care sustainable
Examine good practice examples which identify what works in practice, barriers faced and lessons for the future.
Be the first to hear and discuss the recommendations of our Local Authority Learning Network bringing together senior figures from across local government, housing, health, climate and environment
Join a growing network of thinkers and doers who are driving the changes necessary to make care services sustainable.

http://clivedurdle.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/murray-bookchin/