“Neophobia” is the fear of novelty. While this condition is pervasive in the hallowed halls of Parliament Hill, nowhere is it found amongst the contributors to this issue of Alternatives. From crisis comes new ideas, and our current economic and environmental conditions have shot the creativity metre among our authors to the stars. Before us is a window of opportun­ity to transform our economy so that it places a fitting value on the wealth inherent­ in a healthy environment and robust communities.