SPAC Working Group
Revised March 7, 2002
Working group goals
1. Provide a vehicle for US NGOs and concerned citizens to better understand and effectively act on the problem of unsustainable production & consumption patterns.
2. Use that vehicle to develop analyses and strategies for more effective sustainable production & consumption campaigns, projects and programs.
3. Influence individual citizens and citizen organizations to integrate sustainable production & consumption values into their practices and priorities.
4. Influence US government and industry (nationally and locally) to integrate sustainable production & consumption priorities into their policies and practices.
5. Serve as a liaison between US NGOs and their counterparts internationally; to help build international alliances of NGOs working on sustainable production & consumption.
Strategy and Actions
The Working Group's strategy focuses primarily in three areas:
1. Â Improving understanding of the issues, engaging in dialogue with others, analyzing individual and institutional practices, policies, values and norms, researching and sharing information on various topics.
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Develop CitNet website page on SPAC, providing information on ongoing production & consumption news and events, as well as links to key documents, organizations and other information that may be useful.
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Organize and/or participate in educational events, such as workshops, panels, and other discussions and exchanges.
2. Engaging in public advocacy, getting involved in public debates and fora in which the topic of SPAC is relevant to decisions affecting production & consumption practices and policies.
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As part of CitNet's US Watch assessment , coordinate assessment of US government and industry on production and consumption in domestic and foreign policy implementation of Chapter 4 objectives in Agenda 21.
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Use the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) process to engage US and other policy makers on production & consumption policy and practices.
3.  Improving communications and relationships and building alliances with other groups and individuals working in or on SPAC-related areas. This means being actively involved in various organizations and networks.Â
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Actively participate in the International Coalition for Sustainable Production & Consumption (ICSPAC). Work within ICSPAC would especially focus on influencing the WSSD through participation in the SPAC Watch civil society report on progress. CitNet's contribution can be to help coordinate US NGOs in their assessment of progress, especially in the United States.
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Actively participate and represent US NGOs in the Northern Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED), particularly their SPAC Working Group. This can be a useful vehicle for influencing national and international policy within key regional and international institutions and process (e.g., UNECE, OECD, UNEP, CSD, WSSD).
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Actively participate and help develop the newly forming North American Alliance for Sustainable Consumption.
