Welcome to this group. I set it up because I was impressed by the observations Paul Hawken has made on the size and scope of the new social movement - not an "ism" but a common desire to create a better world.
The work I've been spearheading over the last three years has been very much in line with this thinking. Across Ontario (Canada), I keep hearing common themes at community meetings:
1. I'm worried -- people are concerned about the future of the planet, and the potential impacts on their local economy and society.
2. I conserve -- people are making a personal commitment to living a better and sustainable lifestyle
3. Who can help? -- people are looking for help. It's the social and economic support system that is going to make the difference between small steps and a fundamental shift in our social and economic fabric.
We Conserve is about building up that support system -- it's a catalyst for the change that is already happening around us.
Thirty years ago, when the concept of a conserver society was first floated, there was virtually no support system. If you wanted a solar panel, you had to source it and install it yourself. If you wanted organic vegetables, you had to grow them yourself. Now there are community groups that will install panels for you, and local stores now offer organic food. This is the change that is already happening around us.
By linking the social marketing of "we conserve" with efforts to strengthen the role of the voluntary sector and to create new products and jobs in a conserver economy we hope to give the process of change a gentle nudge in the right direction!
Please let me know your of other movement-based initiatives in other areas of the world that are taking a similar approach to linking social marketing, social infrastructure, corporate responsibility, and economic development!
The work I've been spearheading over the last three years has been very much in line with this thinking. Across Ontario (Canada), I keep hearing common themes at community meetings:
1. I'm worried -- people are concerned about the future of the planet, and the potential impacts on their local economy and society.
2. I conserve -- people are making a personal commitment to living a better and sustainable lifestyle
3. Who can help? -- people are looking for help. It's the social and economic support system that is going to make the difference between small steps and a fundamental shift in our social and economic fabric.
We Conserve is about building up that support system -- it's a catalyst for the change that is already happening around us.
Thirty years ago, when the concept of a conserver society was first floated, there was virtually no support system. If you wanted a solar panel, you had to source it and install it yourself. If you wanted organic vegetables, you had to grow them yourself. Now there are community groups that will install panels for you, and local stores now offer organic food. This is the change that is already happening around us.
By linking the social marketing of "we conserve" with efforts to strengthen the role of the voluntary sector and to create new products and jobs in a conserver economy we hope to give the process of change a gentle nudge in the right direction!
Please let me know your of other movement-based initiatives in other areas of the world that are taking a similar approach to linking social marketing, social infrastructure, corporate responsibility, and economic development!