Zones of Response

Here is a diagram that I showed on the blackboard while we were at FoodShare - it illustrates that key responses can come from anywhere - civil society (you and me), government, or businesses. There are many projects and initiatives that occur in the overlapping area between two of these - for example, when governments fund development efforts in Africa; or when an NGO like Greenpeace works with private industry to develop new refrigerators that don't use harmful CFC chemicals; or when government requires minimum prices be paid for certain goods (like milk or wind energy) to ensure that part of the marketplace (dairy farmers, renewable energy producers) remains viable. Initatives like FoodShare are working at the intersection of all three, and initiatives of that kid are particularly interesting since they exploit the strengths of all major institutions in society.