Indicators of Sustainability - Destination21 in Denmark

The 'Top-down' and 'Bottom-up' Approach

The 'top-down approach' addresses environmental issues involving a government regulatory and policy framework that sets and enforces, for instance, discharge and emission limits and decreases the free rider effect of voluntary initiatives.

This done by the setting of Environmental Quality Standards (EQS's), which in essence can only be determined at the destination, regional, national or international level. These EQS's can for example be in the form of set standards of air, water and beach quality. A destination authority, in the case of Destination21 the representatives of stakeholder groups, can therefore influence the local environmental quality by adopting or even developing EQS's.

The 'bottom-up' approach, also referred to as voluntary industry initiatives is characterised by Environmental Performance Standards (EPS's). These EPS's can be very much businesses orientated in terms of the environmental effect of operating the enterprise. Thus a business can endeavour to control its inputs, by purchasing materials coming from renewable, local or recycled sources and reduce its outputs such as air emissions, effluent discharges and the generation of solid waste. Effectively, businesses can set their own targets and monitor their attainment of these.

The relationship between 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches is shown by the figure above. In terms of the Destination21 scheme, the 'bottom-up' approach was heavily involved in the development of the criteria they, later, when using the scheme, need to fulfil. Additionally the destinations will have a great deal of autonomy in the setting of initiatives and activities in order to fulfil the required criteria and thus meeting the Destination21 standards.

page 2 Introduction
page 3 The 'Top-down' and 'Bottom-up' Approach
page 4 Elements of Destination 21
page 5 The Eight Sustainability Goals
page 6 Sustainability Indicators
page 7 The Destination 21 Process

Contact: wolfgang.arlt@fh-stralsund.de, Office: Hs. 1 / Rm. 132,  Tel. (03831) 45 6961 (FHS), (0179) 705 24 51 (mobile)