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1. Summary In order to achieve sustainable development, new concepts are necessary and these concepts are to be interdisciplinary. Sustainability is not the property of one single scientific discipline. Furthermore, political decisions on all levels, i. e. on the national, international and global scale, will be necessary. However, it is, above all, also local initiiatives that are needed. The Project ÖKOFIT, which has a local character as a regional project, is such an attempt. Sustainable regions, which change the overall system as "points of acupuncture", i. e. are to turn the course to a sustainable direction, form ecological modules for a globally sustainable system. Sustainable regional development is aimed at creating "Islands of Sustainability". For this, different initiatives and projects need to be focused on few regions that are chosen as "Islands of Sustainability". The model regions must be target areas for subsidies, scientific projects in technological, social, economic and ecological terms, local initiatives and campaigns. The scenario of sustainable agriculture and the study of potentials for a sustainable supply of the region with energy give a survey on the opportunities of the region to start sustainable development in partial areas. The extent to which the Region of Feldbach is far from achieving the objective of being an "Island of Sustainability" was shown by the calculation of the space requirements in the region, which was done according to the concept of the "Ecological Footprint". Even though the result makes it quite obvious that there is no prospect of sustainable development right now, ÖKOFIT did succeed in taking first steps in the right direction. The potential of the region is there. Now it is a matter of utilising it optimally.
2. Starting Position The starting position for sustainable development in the Region of Feldbach is favourable. The agricultural orientation of the region, its well trained people, its manifold industry and varied trade should allow the transition to sustainable economy without extensive turning points. The region might assume a role model in Europe by becoming the first "Island of Sustainability'". For this, much action is still necessary. Further projects and thus the required subsidies would have to be focused on this region in future. The most important points of departure for future work in the region are:
3. Goals The research project "ÖKOFIT-I / Ökologischer Bezirk Feldbach durch integrierte Technik" ("Ecological District of Feldbach by Integrated Technology") was aimed at turning a region to the course of sustainable development. For this, a sustainable region, an "Island of Sustainability", was defined. The "Island" Approach is an attempt to organise the structure of regional economy in a sustainable way. Material flows in a region must have a strong regional aspect so that the resources and potentials of the region can be utilised optimally. Cooperation and networking are the basic concepts of work in the region. The most important goals of the Project ÖKOFIT, which are pursued intensively, can be stated as follows: Level I: (theoretical work)
4. Procedure As this project is aimed at transforming the non-sustainable Region of Feldbach into a sustainable region, at least in initial stages, it is necessary to elaborate a methodology helping to increase the number of links between the process units of the regional network. In order to gain knowledge on material and energy flows, a method for analysing a region has been developed. In this context, ÖKOFIT only considered the flows induced anthropogenously. For closing the cycle of flows on a regional level, still another method is offered. This method is based upon a concept for a regional information system, which is called ÖKOFIT INFO. This method is aimed at the more intensified networking among the companies and a stronger link to the regional conditions. The rough balance of the region, which considers industrial and commercial companies and agriculture, gives a good survey of the dimension of regional material and energy flows. This has helped to derive key technologies that were analysed in detail. For the business of butchers and slaughterhouses, ÖKOFIT could offer a regional recycling solution, whose realisation potential can be graded as being very good. In the course of the Project ÖKOFIT I, the following tasks were fulfilled: Data acquisition and showing current structures:
Balances of material flows:
Showing the potential of the region:
Detailed studies of partial systems:
Regional solutions: Solutions for problems faced by regional companies working in the core businesses
5. Result / Benefits The studies of the Project ÖKOFIT have shown that the region currently fails to fully utilise its potential in many fields at the moment. This is, in particular, shown by the analyses of energy and agriculture but also becomes quite obvious in the structural data of the region. For example, fossil energy carriers are imported although regional forestry fails to fully utilise its potential for sustainable economy. It is true that the region itself uses biomass for heating purposes to an extent that is above the average. Nevertheless, it mainly does so for single heatings and not really in more efficient central heatings because the pertinent structures are still missing. In agriculture, organic residual matter, such as liquid manure, that is produced in large quantities is not utilised optimally. Here again there is a lack of organisational structures, such as an exchange for liquid manure, which would reduce the problem of time relating to feeding nitrogen. Up to now, the use of liquid manure for energy generation in biogas reactors has not been started yet either. As for the balance of commuting in the region, what should be stated clearly is that the region cannot make the right use of its human resources. Many highly qualified people cannot be offered the pertaining jobs by the region. Therefore, many people in the region are not offered perspectives that are interesting on a long-term basis in their region, which creates all the more problems as such perspectives would be of utmost importance for sustainable development. What can the region do to improve the situation and to come closer to sustainable development?
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