At present we are witnessing an historical moment in time; a turning point, urging for change: an old conceptual framework of the world is entering into a full crisis and new models need to come into play. Change needs to happen in different realms of our living in order for us to respond to the ecological (pollution, resource depletion, global warming), economical (availability and price fluctuations of natural resources, poverty, growing inequality) and social (wars, social and religious conflicts, diseases) emergencies. Today, more than ever, a powerful cultural, economic and social shift is necessary, in order to involve people again, make them more active self-sufficient, self-reliant; to have them participate in conscious choices. We need to gain understanding of our problems to enable and empower our communities to initiate a process of transition towards a sustainable future. In order to do this, a holistic and inter-disciplinary approach, through the cross-pollation of different knowledge-systems, will be crucial, as much as disseminating a new culture fit to build and sustain dialogue, collaboration and trust which lay at the foundation of new models and practices leading us towards a sustainable, socially and economically just society. For these reasons, we hope that the Officine Al Sole will function as a concrete model and an innovative, though humble, answer to the current challenges to sustainable, high-quality living conditions. The Officine's ambition is to operate as a "social enterprise", whereby a capital investment is made to build concrete models for sustainable living.