By climate change we mean the changes in the climate that occur as a result of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide. The levels of these gases have been rising for a long time as a result of human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels.

The UN's climate panel IPCC stated in a report from 2018 that the temperature increase should be limited to 1.5 °C, which means that global emissions must be reduced to 1 tonne per person per year. For Sweden, this means a 90% reduction. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels must be halved by 2030. The Swedish government's goal is for domestic emissions to be 0 by 2045, and negative thereafter, i.e. a net absorption of carbon dioxide.

Through education, innovation, and action on our climate commitments, we can make the changes needed to protect the planet. These changes offer great opportunities to modernize our infrastructure, which can create new jobs and promote prosperity around the world.

All life on Earth, including humans, depends on air to breathe, land to live on and off, and water to drink. These natural resources are important to protect and must be sufficient for both humans and all other life. We must preserve their quality, such as the freshness of the air, the fertility of the soil, and the purity of the water. We must also secure access to resources, such as arable land, different types of wilderness, and groundwater.

Today we waste much of the natural resources we use for clothing, housing, technology, furniture, interior design, vehicles, etc. through unnecessary consumption and products ending up in landfill or being burned when thrown away. We need to work on creating circular systems with reuse and recycling and recreate more local cycles of nutrients so that it stays in the soil and makes the fields fertile instead of the Baltic Sea eutrophicated.

Example:

• Take care of the farmland and improve its fertility.
• Reduce water use where there is a risk of shortage.
• Buy used and recycled items instead of buying new.
• Choose products that are made from renewable, non-toxic materials.

A society characterized by a learning approach is more sustainable and better equipped to adapt to new conditions. Therefore, we hope that the projects we support contribute to a long-term learning approach in Upplandsbygd as well as learning during the project period.

For us, learning is about gaining new experiences, which comes naturally when starting a new project. Learning is also about exchanging experiences, which can be done internally within the group but also in meetings with different people who are in one way or another involved in the project or are interested in the project. It is also good to exchange experiences with people who are completely outside the project in order to better understand how the project affects the surrounding local community. Last but not least, it is important to have time and opportunities to reflect on the exchanges of experiences that have been made.

Example 

• Build in activities that enable the exchange of experiences and reflection on the new lessons learned in the project.
  Examples of questions to reflect on: How has what I have learned influenced me?  How do I move forward in the project with all the new insights I have gained?
• Collaborate with a study association and investigate how you can increase collective learning within the project, for example through study circles or lectures.
• Make study visits to other associations and organizations that have exciting activities and learn more about how they work.

Interaction is an ongoing process and a good prerequisite for building meetings and relationships between people. Interaction can take place in many different contexts and environments. Interaction is based on the criterion that some form of activity crosses boundaries within or between organizations. When you run a project with us, collaboration is one of the keywords. In practice, this means that you who run a project should collaborate across
sector boundaries (non-profit, private, public sector). For example, if you are in the non-profit sector, you need to find a partner in either the public or private sector.

Collaboration can take place at different levels. Below we illustrate different ways of collaborating (click on the image to enlarge it). The image also shows how you are included in, for example, a project. The image is called the ”participation ladder” and it is good if you analyze how you include and collaborate with different people and organizations in your project. Which step are you on? And above all, which step do you WANT to be on?

Read more about the participation ladder here

Example:

• Strive to reach as high up the participation ladder as possible in terms of collaboration in your project.
• Strive to develop your networks during the project.
• Create good conditions for building a community for those participating in the project's activities.
• Think about how you can include more collaboration partners or people in your project.

A Inclusive working methods mean that all residents, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or age, should have the same opportunities to influence and access growth resources, that is, they can participate and contribute on their own terms. Enabling diversity is about everyone, regardless of prejudice, feeling welcome and feeling that they have the opportunity to participate to the same extent as others.

It is primarily about how we treat each other and the culture in a work group, project or workplace. In practice, this means whether your organization or work group has a good atmosphere where colleagues dare to share their thoughts and perspectives, where colleagues respectfully listen to ideas or constructive criticism that can develop the business, and where it is possible to address and resolve misunderstandings and conflicts as quickly as possible. All associations, project groups and workplaces should continuously review how they can promote an inclusive and equal culture. 

Example:

• A good starting point for change work is to find out what it looks like today. Think about whether everyone can engage with you today and see if you can spot any invisible obstacles?
• Reflect on how you welcome new people into your organization. Who needs to adapt and who has a given place in the organization?
• Think about what norms about how people should behave exist in your organization. If so, who are they at risk of excluding?
• What channels do you use to reach out and inform about your business? Who do you reach and who do you not reach through these channels?

Creating economic stability in our projects is very much about finding our way back to the origin of the word economy. Learning to manage scarce resources that are limited in relation to total wants and needs. We see the economy as an important tool for creating good conditions for positive social development, but within the framework of sustainable ecological development. We also see a need for an increased local economy, where the project primarily tries to consume and produce locally.

Financial stability during the project period: When conducting projects with us, you as a project applicant need to clearly describe how you will manage liquidity during the project period, e.g. with equity, or in co-financing, sponsorship, loans or estimated revenues in the project. You must always come up with money yourself in order to then get money back.

Financial stability after the project period: As project owners, you need to have a strategy for how the operations are intended to be financed in the long term after the project period and that the source of the finances is sustainable.

Last but not least, our board will assess your ability as a project applicant to meet the goals set in your application. Your ability is all the resources available in the project: financial, personnel, expertise, materials and other necessary tools for the project.