Many people are familiar with the definition for sustainability as stated in Our Common Future, commonly called The Brundtland Report: 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' 1 As a biologist, I would argue that the best way to achieve this definition of sustainability is through sustainable use of biodiversity. While many people would not agree and would opt for ambitious recycling and energy saving policies, I claim that sustainable use of biodiversity is the core of achieving sustainable development.

I do not think I know anybody who would honestly say that they do not want to live in a healthy environment at home. What I have seen, though, are a lot of homes that are definitely not healthy environments. I think that if people knew how important the home environment is for everyone in the household, then perhaps attitudes would change and everybody would get involved in running good, healthy homes. Through my work on the show How Clean Is Your House? 1 and my recent involvement in Lord Best's housing panel2, I have been able to witness, time and again, how closely linked a person's home environment is to their well-being.

Protection of the environment is seen by many as one of the main challenges we face this century. I would like to examine the other great challenge of the 21st century, the changing demographic. I say challenge, but I think it is also a great opportunity too. It is a complex topic and although I will discuss technology and ageing, what I would like to focus on is a fairly neglected element in gerontology, certainly within the area of home care and healthcare technologies for the home.

I have been asked to talk about a very sensitive and complex issue: The influence of the home in social Dynamics. I will start off with the question with which the organisers begin their presentation of my speech: How is the home, and specifically the work at home, a crucial factor in the way society works and develops?

There is a lot of debate on the under-valuation of households and families. The same holds true for the natural environment, maybe on common grounds. I have arranged my presentation to look at the reasons for this and try to contribute to a solution. My interest today is to stress the influence of contemporary mainstream economics on the under-valuation of household and family work as well as of the natural environment.

In this paper I will be discussing the value of the work of the home from a policy perspective rather than a business perspective or with a particular focus on the labour market. There are about six programme areas in NEF, but what binds those different programme areas together are three overarching principles for our organisation: environmental sustainability, collective well-being and social justice.

This essay is about the work done in the home: all of those tasks, big and small, that go into creating a thriving home environment. "Housework" or "work of the home," in this respect, is not limited to cooking and cleaning, but also extends to caregiving in the home.

This work of the home, this mother's work, which men poetically praise (praise is so cheap!), is not recognized by the State as having any value whatever. Neither does society recognize a value in it, notwithstanding it never tires of lauding and flattering.

In this paper I am going to drill down and make some quite narrow points about the physical relationship between the home and the city. Architects can talk about all kinds of things, but in the end, we are about organising physical relationships between things.

In this paper, I would like to talk about Hemfrid, my company. My experience in starting and running this company has taught me a lot about the value of the home and how important the work that goes into it is. I believe that this knowledge may be able to contribute something to the topic of the panel, namely, home management. To give a brief overview, I am going to discuss Hemfrid in light of the two important pillars of the company: demand, or need, and the importance of quality and personal touch. I believe that both of these pillars, especially when considered more in depth, are important for a company that works in the home not merely because they are important in the realm of business, but because they are needs that are intrinsically linked to the home.