* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Emma Fordham is a reporter for the Occupied Times of London newspaper. The opinions expressed are her own.
For four months I've been living on the pavement beside St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London.
The Arab Spring, the Spanish Indignados (Indignant) movement and Occupy Wall Street in New York City set the scene for mobilisation against power elites and financial inequality in London, culminating in the Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) encampment.
Having read online that low-energy lights were needed at the site, I wrapped some LEDs (light-emitting diodes) in a sleeping bag and went to the camp, exhilarated by the chance to be involved.
Newspapers stated that Occupy had no clear message. For me the message was too loud and too clear to be ignored.
Passion for the natural world had previously prescribed my activism. As threats to that world stacked up, it became obvious that economics, politics, environmental concerns and global (in)justice are inextricably linked.
The system is geared to profit and power, so environment and equity take a back seat. Lobbying and corruption are rife.
Change is needed on every level - personal, local, national and international - if justice and sustainability are to be achieved. The Occupy movement's acknowledgement of this is exciting.
Twenty years ago, uninspired by career ladders, I sold my belongings, bought an old ambulance and went on the road. Life as an itinerant traveller was instructive and ultimately empowering.
It led to involvement in renewable energy projects and ethical trading. I set up my own business and - disliking the idea of being a boss as much as I disliked the idea of having a boss - I discovered the co-operative model.
It is timely that 2012 is the United Nations (U.N.) International Year of Co-operatives. Co-ops enable people to organise their own housing, work, social centres or consumer collectives and thus to avoid exploitative landlords, bosses and retail experiences.
They are set up by members to benefit members, who are all equal. Co-operative principles ensure responsibility to the wider community and the environment.
There are co-operatives worldwide, ranging in size from micro-companies of two or three people to whole towns or agricultural districts.
The U.N. is trumpeting co-ops because they reduce poverty, generate employment, enhance social integration, increase sustainability and promote democratic principles... while also strengthening economies.
Focussing less on humanity's competitive nature and more on our co-operative tendencies would go a long way towards addressing many of the issues onto which the Occupy movement is currently shining a light.
Women may need to lead the way on this and I am ready to do so.
