Grassroots Innovations in Sustainable Development

A one-day national conference exploring the roles that grassroots initiatives play
in promoting sustainable development

Organised by Gill Seyfang, Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia and Adrian Smith, Environment & Energy Programme, SPRU (Science & Technology Policy Research), University of Sussex

Supported by the Economic and Social Research Council’s Sustainable Technologies Programme and Programme on Environmental Decision-Making

Dept. of Geography, University College London

26 Bedford Way, Friday 10th MayJune, 2005

Aims and objectives for the conference

The overall aim for the conference is to bring together a wide range of practitioners, policymakers and academics to discuss the theory and practice of grassroots environmental innovations. We hope this exchange will help all participants to consider real world initiatives as part of a bigger picture, and thereby underscore their relevance to policies for sustainable development and innovation. This will be achieved through presentations from key practitioners followed by discussion. Time will also be set aside to encourage networking among participants, and enable the continued sharing of experience, and drawing out of lessons and key messages for policymakers.

Overview and rationale

Everybody, it seems, is committed to sustainable development. But not everybody is practising or seeking sustainable development in the same way. There is something qualitatively different between, say, a community supported organic vegetable box scheme and the range of organic products sold at a supermarket. Or a locally financed renewable energy scheme compared to an offshore wind farm operated by a multinational utility company. In each case, the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development are traded-off differently. Grassroots, niche innovations differ from mainstream, business reforms. They are practising quite different kinds of sustainable development. Attempts to meet our needs and desires more sustainably in areas such as food, housing, and energy are generating a variety of social innovations as well as innovative technologies: - new organisational arrangements and new tools – in many different areas.

Yet there is something qualitatively different between, say, a community supported organic vegetable box scheme and the range of organic products sold at a supermarket. Or a community renewable energy scheme compared to an offshore wind farm. In each case, the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development are traded-off differently. Grassroots, niche innovations differ from mainstream, business reforms. Yet practitioners from both kinds of initiative will claim to be following general principles of sustainable development. They are practising quite different alternative kinds of sustainable development.

This conference is interested in will exploreing the ways in which grassroots initiatives seek to practice sustainability. alternative and assessIing its will assess the potential relevance of grassroots innovations as a source of mainstream innovation for sustainable development.

The conference will aims to exploreaddress:

The way grassroots initiatives provide alternative different interpretations of sustainable development in practice.
BAny benefits that these alternative, practical interpretations of sustainability might provide compared to mainstream government and business interpretationsreforms.
The degree to which grassroots initiatives can actually provide a source of ideas for mainstream innovations. In other words, the scope of interaction between grassroots niches and mainstream developmentsreforms.

Studies into past transformations to technology systems and social organisation suggest it can be difficult to break away from existing ways of doing things; and when transformation does happen, it tends to begin within a network of pioneering organisations, technologies and users that form a niche on the margins of the mainstream. Contrasts between niches and the mainstream can be drawn in other many sectors, such as housing, food, energy and banking. Time banks (community-based time currencies) facilitate community activity differently compared to charitable, cash investments from commercial banksgrants (koko – Gill, can you put this better? I.e. as an example of different kinds of sustainability, implying sustainability claims are made by conventional banks), because their structure nurtures reciprocity and social capital in a neighbourhood, valuing and rewarding the involvement of residents. Eco-houses built by green builders address sustainable housing in a very different way to the incremental improvements in energy efficiency offered by volume house-builders, eg by XXX. Are these initiatives exemplars for a deeper sustainability? HJust how realistic is it to expect such niches to seed change from the bottom-up in the absence of top-down processes of support.? Do they contain lessons about sustainable development that are of mainstream relevance and that can seed promote wider change?

The potential value of green niches

Perceived as niche initiatives in a deeper kind of sustainable development, grassroots environmental innovations might also hold some comparative power. By looking at the kind of practical sustainability expressed in these niche initiatives, more mainstream green reformers, and their critics, might obtain a different perspective upon their own efforts at practising sustainable development. Such a phenomenon might be somewhat analogous to travelling through another country and culture, in which the experience teaches us as much, if not more, about our home culture.

The niche model might prove an effective way to understand grassroots

initiatives. Rather than simply being improvements in efficiency or technology or marketing which represent the next logical step in the progress of existing systems, they are instead better thought of as worlds within worlds. In alternative green niches, the rules are different, and people's motivations for action are based upon different values to the mainstream. In sum, the niche serves several purposes:

· It is a demonstration that another way is possible. However unlikely it is that the mainstream would ever become like the niche or that the general population would adopt its values, it nevertheless stands as an embodiment of an alternative way of being and holds symbolic importance for people.

· Understanding this value pluralism allows us to reflect with greater depth upon the experiences of mainstream efforts for green reform and recognise its partisan perspective and values.

· It is a source of inspiration to the mainstream, offering social and technological solutions that may be adopted by the mainstream.

We understand grassroots innovations to be defined as follows:

Grassroots initiatives are innovative networks of activists and organisations that lead bottom-up solutions for sustainable development; solutions that respond to the local situation and the interests and values of the communities involved. In contrast to the greening of mainstream businesses and organisations, grassroots initiatives tend to operate in civil society arenas and seek to practice deeper, alternative forms of sustainable development.

The initiatives involve committed activists who often seek to experiment with social innovations as well as using greener technologies and techniques in areas such as housing, renewable energy, food, and alternative money. They frequently seek to create new social institutions and ‘systems of provision’ based upon different values to those of the mainstream. Examples include community renewable energy initiatives, eco-housing, local organic food schemes, and community currencies such as time banks.

Aims and objectives

The overall aim for the conference is to bring together a wide range of academics, policymakers and practitioners to discuss the theory and practice of grassroots environmental innovations.

We understand grassroots innovations to be defined as follows:

The initiatives involve committed activists who often seek to experiment with social innovations as well as using greener technologies and techniques in areas such as housing, renewable energy, food, and alternative money. They frequently seek to create new social institutions and ‘systems of provision’ based upon different values to those of the mainstream. Examples include community renewable energy initiatives, eco-housing, local organic food schemes, and community currencies such as time banks.

Another aim is to promote networking among these stakeholder groups, and enable sharing of experience, drawing out of lessons and the development of key messages for policymakers.

Key Questions which speakers and the event will addres:s

Given the above rationale and aims for the event, speakers will be invited to discuss and reflect upon their experiences and reflect upon that. Whilst they are free to use this experience to address the above themes as they see fit, we believe the following questions might help provide some consistency. The following key questions illustrate conference concernswill focus the discussions:

· What makes grassroots innovations particularly effective as a form of sustainable development in practice?

· What is the value base for such initiatives and how do networks of practitioners form around these initiatives?

· What are the successes and limitations with of niche approaches?

· How much scope is there for influencing the mainstream, and under what conditions might influence be successful?

· What opportunities and threats are posed by policy and other social institutions?

· What are the problems and challenges associated with scaling up grassroots initiatives, and the issues of expanding them beyond niche practices?

· What makes the grassroots innovations with which you have experience particularly effective as a form of sustainable development in practice?

· What are the values that your initiatives embody, and how do networks of practitioners form around these initiatives?

· What have been the successes and the limitations of these initiatives?

· How much scope is there for influencing the mainstream, have you attempted to do this, and under what conditions might influence be successful?

· What do you believe to be the problems and challenges associated with scaling up grassroots initiatives, and the issues of expanding them beyond niche practices?

· How might policy-makers, business and civil society help you to broaden the appeal and widen involvement in these initiatives?

Event participationWho Shouldwill be Aattending the conference?

The conference will have a UK focus. It will be aimed at practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers interested in grassroots innovations for sustainable development. As such, the event will be publicised widely. Participation will be limited to 80 people.

Outputs

In addition to discussions at the conference, and the networking opportunity that the event will provide, it is hoped that an edited book will follow. This will have short contributions from each of the speakers, placing the practical experiences of grassroots initiatives into a wider context of social and environmental change. An Introductory and Concluding chapters will be provided by the organisers.

Event organisationPracticalities

The one-day conference will consist of presentations from a variety of practitioners and researchers involved in grassroots innovations for sustainable development. In addition to some general, overview presentations there will be sector specific presentations on: organic food; eco-housing; renewable energy; and time banks. Generous time for questions and discussion will be provided after each presentation.

The conference will take place in London. Speaker travel expenses will be reimbursed by the conference organisers. Lunch, tea and coffee will be provided.

An outline for the kind of conference programme we have in mind is provided in the Appendix A.

Event sponsorsConference Organisers

This conference is a collaboration between two research programmes funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, and in particular between two researchers studying grassroots innovations for sustainable development:

Dr Gill Seyfang’s research identifies and evaluates community initiatives for sustainable consumption which build new social institutions. This research is carried out within the Programme on Environmental Decision-Making at CSERGE (Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia).

Dr Adrian Smith (SPRU - Science & Technology Policy Research at the University of Sussex) has been working on the Sustainable Technologies Programme analysing how niche initiativesinnovations in sustainability are created and subsequently do or do not influence mainstream innovationshow they interact with the mainstream (koko – elaborate).

The conference is being organised jointly by CSERGE (Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment), University of East Anglia and SPRU (Science & Technology Policy Research) at the University of Sussex. The collaboration arises from research into grassroots innovations for sustainable development carried out at these institutions. Dr Gill Seyfang has koko – a bit of blurb’s research identifies and evaluates community initiatives for sustainable consumption which build new social institutions, within the Programme on Environmental Decision-Making at CSERGE. Dr Adrian Smith has been analysing how niche initiatives are created and subsequently do or do not influence mainstream innovations (koko – elaborate). The research has informed the organisation of the conference. (Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia).

Conference Participants

We already have the following as confirmed speakers:

David Boyle. New Economics Foundation.

David will be discussing the innovative potential of time banks.

Jacquie Burgess. University College London.

Jacquie is kindly hosting the conference and will provide a few openeing words.

Chris Church. London Sustainability Network.

Chris will draw on his wide-ranging experience to talk about the Importance of Grassroots Initiatives.

Jonathon Hines. Architype.

Jonathon will be discussing grassroots innovations in housing.

5. Tim O’Riordan. Member of the UK Sustainable Development Commission.It has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Tim will sum up the discussions of the day and present his observations based on 30 years involvement in environmental initiatives and policy.

Simon Roberts. Centre for Sustainable Energy.

Simon will be discussing grassroots innovations in energy.

Gill Seyfang. CSERGE, University of East Anglia.

Gill will discuss how grassroots initiatives can provide new systems of provision.

Adrian Smith. SPRU, University of Sussex.

Adrian will discuss the potential for grassroots initiatives to perform a niche innovation role.

Tully Wakeman. East Anglia Food Link.

Tully will discuss grassroots innovations in food.