Ecotopia, sustainability, and vision

The object of this article is to explore whether ecological utopias are capable of providing a useful contribution to our quest for an ecologically responsible future and a sustainable society and, if so, in what specific ways. The author develops a model of ecological utopias as a distant point of orientation, or as a "navigational compass." In this model, ecotopias may influence the course of concrete decision making in the direction of a future sustain able society. After an analysis of the current social debate in western Europe on sustainable development, it is argued that ecological utopias can help us to "monitor" environmental problems and that they provide "inspiration" for a cleaner society. Ecotopias also allow us to imagine a "virtual reality" of a possible ecologically stable society and are a justifiable means of visionary imagery of a better future.