Mapping the Big Green Challenge - The Skills & Learning ...

Mapping the Big Green Challenge 92 The Role of the 3 rd Sector in Low Carbon InnovationKey PointsThe 3rd Sector has considerable innovative potential both for future orientated nicheinnovations and for short to medium term regime innovation.Third Sector organizations are traditionally seen as having characteristics which make them goodat regime innovation. These focus on their strong ties with community members which makethem trusted sources of information and advice, able to act on norms and habits, identify needsand test ‘solutions’.However they have less often noted characteristics such as the ability to create a special spacewhere a distinctive collective purpose and approach can be established and new relationshipsformed which are characteristics needed for niche innovation.Both strands of innovation are crucial for climate change mitigation: for example finding novelways to extend the take up of low energy approaches within the home and pursuing andpromoting novel micro-generation options at community and household level.While there is evidence of widespread action by 3rd Sector organisations there is concern thatthis is confined primarily to those with an existing commitment to environmental issues.Key ConceptsThird Sector: Organisations outside the business and public sectors. Other terms such ascommunity / not-for-profit are used interchangeably unless specifically indicated. Our owncategories for subdividing the third sector appear in the following chapter.Socio-technical Regimes: An approach to understanding innovation which recognises thatproducts, services, infrastructures, institutions and relationships are interlinked and that it is thusdifficult to innovate outside the regime. The current socio-technical regime is carbon-based.Regime Innovation: Innovations which seek to increase efficiency and effectively within thecurrent regime.Niche Innovation: Innovations which are based on a different socio-technical principle (hereoutside the current carbon regime).Appleby Ltd July 2009