Understanding what you can expect from
organisations - a classification
If you look at the reason for existence of each organisation concerned with sustainable development, you can begin to sort them into broad classifications and understand what you can expect from them. Of course, many organisations have more than one objective and the boundaries between them are, as a consequence, blurred. Nonetheless, there are three very distinct categories:
- Organisations that offer products or services (including information)
- Organisations that conduct research and development and thus demonstrate some aspect of sustainable development
- Organisations that support (and encourage) action
The finance for any of these activities can come from sales revenue, private donations or public funding. Knowing this information is important because it affects the extent of your commitment, if you choose to work with a particular organisation.
Paul Newman
February, 2002
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