ABSTRACT
Our Western consumption society extended to the world scale will lead to an ecological and social disaster in the short to medium term. If we look at our daily lives, everywhere we see unsustainable practices consuming energy and materials and producing pollution. But, if we were to observe more closely, we could also see emerging new practices alternative to the mainstream; for example:
Production activities based on local resources and skills
Healthy, natural forms of nutrition
Self-managed services for the care of children and the elderly
New forms of exchange
Alternative mobility systems to replace the monoculture of individual cars
Socialising initiatives to bring cities to life
Networks linking consumers directly with producers
These solutions are the result of action by groups of particularly inventive, enterprising people who have been able to identify objectives and find suitable tools and organisational forms for achieving them. More than niche social innovations, these cases reveal potential emerging models for a daily life more in line with sustainable development.
