ABSTRACT
Ever since the Agenda 21 was agreed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro on 14 June 1992, it has been recognised that concrete actions at the local level are vital to implement the concept of sustainable development (SD). This quest has been taken up and local agenda processes have started worldwide. Individuals engaging in the Agenda 21-processes expect regulatory bodies to take up their suggestions for action and even to support them proactively in the shift towards self-responsibility for achieving more intra- and intergenerational equity. Similar shifts can be observed in business (with the discussions on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Triple Bottom Line) and in other parts of civil society that cannot be restricted to local initiatives.
