ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a number of preliminary findings of an ongoing research project into the management context of Local Government Environmental Co-ordinators and the Local Agenda 21 process. The Initial experience of Local Government Environmental Coordinators in implementing sustainable development and Local Agenda 21 into the UK is reviewed in this chapter, based on a postal survey. Following an introduction into the current state of UK local authorities, we report that the vast majority of staff are highly and intrinsically motivated individuals who are relatively new to their posts and originate primarily from the Environmental Health function. One of the most surprising findings of this research is the role of gender in the motivation and socio-psychological composition of staff, where women often work in lower roles with less scope to initiate change, yet are more environmentally concerned and may provide particular skills conducive to sustainable development.
