New co-op body to stress economic, social value of model

Sustainable development is much abused term which rarely applies to all four pillars: economic; environmental; social and cultural

Social enterprises and cooperatives are best placed to deliver true sustainability simply because their performance metrics go beyond profit, turnover and shareholder value.

Deep down, Australians want transformational change; they want to live in a different way.

In a 2005 survey, Australians were asked which of two positive scenarios of the future they expected and preferred: one focused on individual wealth, economic growth and efficiency, and enjoying 'the good life'; the other on community, family, equality and environmental sustainability. Almost three quarters (73%) expected the former; 93% preferred the latter.7
Richard Eckersley

Over the past few decades, the deepening sense of the profound ecological challenges facing the planet and the growing despair at the inability of "traditional systems" to address economic failings have fueled an extraordinary amount of experimentation by activists, economists and socially minded business leaders.

Hundreds of "social enterprises" that use profits for environmental, social or community-serving goals are expanding rapidly.

As Al Gore would put it we didn't leave the stone age because we ran out of rocks. We found a better way.

[…] New co-op body to stress economic, social value of model […]

it might be of interest to look at how other countries for approaches as to how co-ops and mutuals are evidencing their value and impact -

in Canada, there's the 'co-op difference' programme: http://www.linkedin.com/redire...

and in the UK there's a set of metrics to report on how 'co-op' your co-op is (http://www.uk.coop/cespis) as well as an annual report on the size and value of the sector (http://www.uk.coop/co-operativ...