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That Was The Week
That Was

Quite a week, as the jalopy sped towards Christmas.  Eyes still settling down after surgery, though periodically I can almost see over the horizon. Am sporting a temporary pair of reading glasses rather akin to those worn by Dame Edna Everage, which teeter on the point of my nose - as shown in the above image, taken during a session on accounting for sustainability at St James's Palace. Rather more gold in evidence that day than I am normally comfortable with.  Was late for the event, owing to earlier session with Accenture, but did at least arrive in time for lunch.... more >

A Very Happy Christmas and New Year
And was it like this in 1929 or 1939?

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JibJabbed
Thank you Alex

Alex Nick at SustainAbility has made this little video with me (as a straddler of SustainAbility and Volans) in my first starring role of December -- alongside himself (he's German), Kavita Prakash-Mani (she's Indian, based at SustainAbility), Patrin (she's from Thailand and SustainAbility) and Sam (she's of African Asian origins and a Volander).  I quite liked it ....... more >

If current trends continue ...
Brown-bag lunch with MSC CEO Rupert Howes

Fish on the menu today.  Rupert Howes of the Marine Stewardship Council came in to do a lunch-time session with team members from Volans and SustainAbility.  MSC have made extraordinary progress in recent years, but the scale of the challenges the world faces is horrendous. Rupert described the collapse of oceanic fisheries as second only to climate change in terms of global importance.  Very lively session.  Rupert, who I first met when he was at Forum for the Future, is an inspirational leader and speaker -- we could have continued for much of the day.  Had to apologise early on about my blinking eye: post-op tic rather than my trying to send significant signals.... more >

Somebody's fishing around in my eyeball
My first cataract operation

After a busy day, which included a brown-bag lunch at Volans with SustainAbility co-founder Julia Hailes and several people from SustainAbility, I headed across to King Edward VII's Hospital for my first cataract operation. It's said that this is the world's oldest operation, having originated in India and been brought back to the West by Alexander the Great.  Whoever I need to thank, thank you - given that failing eyesight is a pretty depressing experience.  Elaine came to keep me company and we spent some four or five hours going through the rituals, even though the surgery itself took only 15-20 minutes.  Looked after a wonderful nurse from Zimbabwe, who was about to fly back to the country for 5 weeks: we talked about the cholera epidemic there and the terrible state of the country.  Later, when I had recovered from the sedative and anesthetic, Elaine and I took a taxi home, getting out by Barnes Pond - and when I looked up the street lamps and incoming aircraft lights were surrounded by 180-degree coronas of brilliant sparkly lights.... more >

Alarm bells at the Science Museum
Celebrating 20 years of the Cambridge Programme for Industry

The fire alarms went off at the Science Museum this evening, part way through the celebration of the Cambridge Programme for Industry's 20th anniversary.  Several hundred of us were herded out into the street while what look like the Ghostbusters crew moved in the opposite direction.  Earlier, I had taken part in a lively panel discussion in the IMAX theatre.  Polly Courtice kicked us off and then Professor Robert Mair (Master, Jesus College)  chaired the panel, with Jonathon Porritt (Forum for the Future), Doug Parr (Greenpeace), Emma Howard-Boyd (Jupiter Asset Management) and I in the hot seats.  Charmian, Sam and Smita came from Volans -- and Sam took the middle pair of photos below.... more >

Barnes Pond and the Thames running low

A few photographs from a walk around Barnes on Sunday -- and another shot as I walked to the bus stop to head in to work.... more >

Who's Who
Neck and neck with Daniel Craig

I may be green, but made it into the red book -- Who's Who 2009 -- this year, alongside the likes of Daniel Craig.  Am rather glad we didn't have to race one another along a sky-crane for the privilege.... more >

Family reunion

Left the GIIN reception (see previous entry) to catch a cab across to the Duke of Cambridge pub, where Charmian and I were due for the first joint Christmas dinner between the SustainAbility and Volans teams in London.  In addition to Charmian, other Volanders there were Sam and Smita.  A rather noisy -- but completely wonderful -- family reunion.  Struck me that of those present from the SustainAbility side, probably the longest serving -- part from myself -- was Rupert Bassett, our designer.... more >

Global Impact Investing Network
An afternoon chez JP Morgan

At a time when many people are thinking back to Presidents like Lincoln and FDR for clues on how to rescue the US economy, it might also be worth recalling John Pierpoint Morgan, credited with saving the US economy on two separate occasions.  Was reminded of him this afternoon, which I spent chez J.P. Morgan Chase & Company, the financial services firm, which hosted (alongside The Rockefeller Foundation, Social Finance, Generation Investment Management and Citigroup) a meeting of people and institutions interested in building out a London node for the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).   Obvious acronym would be GIIN, though that's already taken by Groupe Intersyndicale de l'Industrie Nucleare, it seems.  ... more >

Paris
Muses, EcoVadis and Le Train Bleu

By Eurostar yesterday for an EcoVadis Advisory Board meeting, held in la Maison de l'Amerique Latine.  Put up at the Hotel Bellechasse, which was intriguing -- and took a brief walk around the Musee d'Orsay, just behind, before turning in.  Not sure whether the six female figures were Muses or not, but that was the best I could arrive at -- though I seem to recall that the Muses numbered anywhere between three and nine, depending who you happened to talk to.... more >

I Awake in a Palace
In Lisbon for AIP Forum on CSR and Sustainability

I was picked up from Lisbon airport last night by Cristina Santiago and Liliane Padua, who some years  back formed iZi Palestras, the "first international speakers bureau in Portugal", and was taken across to the Pestana Palace, a hotel which is also a national monument.  On my way to breakfast this morning, I met Sean Ansett, who I used to know when he was with Gap, and together we peered into the chapel that forms part of the complex.  Something of a Hugh Buchanan (a favourite painter) moment, with shaft of sunlight illuminating furniture.... more >

DSM

Alejandro (Litovsky), Geoff (Lye) and I made our way by Eurostar and car across Belgium and Holland - with snow on the ground already - for an ultimately not very successful meeting with DSM, but at least we got to see a solar car along the way.... more >

Rainy Days in Florianopolis
2008 Eco Power Conference

Flew via Sao Paulo on Wednesday to Florianopolis, in Santa Catarina State, for the 2008 Eco Power Conference. The other international speakers were Earth Policy Institute President Lester Brown, Fritjof Capra, Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore  and, on cleantech, Ron Pernick.  Asked to do the final keynote, I had come in late and arrived after they had all spoken - but managed to meet up briefly with Lester Brown after his press conference.  Happily, my session seemed to go extremely well.  Inside, huge interest, especially from young people.  Outside, however, the rain scarcely stopped all the time I was there.  ... more >

Volans embraces the Phoenix Economy
Retreat ends in advance

Monday and Tuesday of this week were largely spent in a full-team Volans retreat at 2 Bloomsbury Place.  A number of us were either feeling pretty whacked with travel and/or suffering from flu, but with Charmian in the chair we made a great deal of progress.  One development I was particularly pleased with was the unanimous adoption of the Phoenix Economy concept as an organising framework for much of our work, something I have been working on fairly continuously as I have winged around the world in recent weeks.  Ale(jandro) and I also made a good deal of progress on our Pathways to Scale approach and methodology, with some great new thinking on how that can now play out.... more >

SustainAbility, Net Impact and G20
From Predator to Phoenix Economy