Sue Riddlestone

Sue Riddlestone is a British sustainability executive and social entrepreneur who is the chief executive and co-founder of Bioregional. She is known for her work on sustainable communities, the development of the One Planet Living framework, and her leadership in the creation of the BedZED eco-village in south London.

Riddlestone has worked on sustainable development policy and practice in the United Kingdom and internationally. She contributed to the sustainability strategy for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. She participated in United Nations efforts that led to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production. She has advised governments, businesses and developers on sustainable housing and communities. Career

Bioregional Riddlestone co-founded Bioregional with her husband, Pooran Desai, in 1994. The organisation was established to develop practical solutions for sustainable living through businesses, products, services and community projects.

Under her leadership, Bioregional initiated the development of the BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development) eco-village in south London, which was conceived in 1997 and completed in 2002.

One Planet Living In 2003, Riddlestone co-founded the One Planet Living initiative following the experience gained through BedZED. She later served on the UK Government's Eco-towns Challenge Panel and was lead author of the 2008 report What Makes an Eco-town, published with CABE, which informed eco-town planning policy.

Other activities Riddlestone was elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2019.

Awards and honours Riddlestone was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 for services to sustainable business and to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Her other honours include:

Ashoka Fellow (2019) Urban Re-Inventor Award from the Academy of Urbanism (2021) Global Good Awards – Individual Leader of the Year (Gold) (2019) Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year (2011, jointly with Pooran Desai) Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, London and South East Region (2011) Named among Building Design magazine's Top 50 Green Leaders (2012, jointly with Pooran Desai)