Courage: What you do matters

[greenman3610]

small efforts can trickle up over time.


The study, carried out at the University of Sussex and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), clearly shows the value of "green niche" initiatives in influencing mainstream activities. The study examined three radical niches; wind energy, organic food and eco-housing. In each case, the activists' original ideas went far beyond what actually became mainstream. Yet the role of the niche ideas in providing solutions for 'newly' perceived problems within the mainstream should not be under-estimated.

The report's author, Dr Adrian Smith, said: 'Activists often struggle to keep projects going and fail to produce the radical transformations they originally envisaged. This lack of breakthrough inclines them (and others) to under-estimate the effect of their ideas. But we found that although their influence is more subtle and beyond their control, it is still hugely significant in many cases'.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/esr-gi042406.php