ABSTRACT
A new era of human collectivity is emerging. Born of desire, fear, sensibility, and ingenuity, it rides on the back of past struggles and our increasing capacity to share information across the globe.1 The individualistic milieu that epitomized neoliberal structures of the previous four decades is beginning to change form. A common, underlying goal is progressively connecting us to one another: a desire to better the present as a means to secure viable futures on this planet. Rising climate awareness, for example, is being translated into practical community action via movements such as transition towns, collaborative consumption, and slow food. This marks a palpable shift in commitment toward what we view as sustainability: addressing the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to also meet their own needs (Brundtland 1987). Nanotechnology is one such signi˜cant site where scienti˜c innovation, new forms of collaboration, and new thinking about sustainability could indeed coalesce to pave the way to more equitable futures for individuals and communities around the world.
