On Earth Day, Alex
made a rallying call for larger-scale efforts towards a greener future. The piece sparked some great dialogue and debate over whether or not the small, daily efforts of individuals can have a cumulative effect greater than the impact of a single act. A number of people pointed out a study carried out at the University of Sussex, the results of which demonstrated that in fact "radical activists have triggered innovations" that have given rise to widely adopted changes in business, policy and lifestyle.
While of course most staunch sustainability advocates adhere to lifestyles that may never be adopted wholesale in the mainstream, " ''[t]he fact is that elements of radical niche thinking do get adopted and incorporated,'" says the report's author," 'Radical green niches create diversity for when the mainstream runs into trouble.'"
