We drove down to Devon on 28 May in thumping rain, via the M4 and M5, with the downpour only stopping when we got to Buckfast Abbey. I knew that the famous beekeeper Brother Adam, who I think we may have met some 20-plus years ago, had died: indeed I have his obituary in a book of obituaries at my bedside. But we also heard that beekeeping at Buckfast had recently ceased, so the honey sold in the Abbey shop now comes from elsewhere. One more part of the global plight-of-bees saga.... more >

Casper ter Kuile and Harvard visit
And then off to GRI in Amsterdam

Great session on 21 May with Casper ter Kuile, plus a group of his Harvard colleagues, followed almost immediately by a visit from Wendy Arenas Wightman, from Columbia. Then off to Amsterdam for the Global Reporting Initiative summit on 22-23 May, where I took part in a panel moderated by Jo Confino and otherwise including Pavan Sukhdev of TEEB, Sylvie Lemet of UNEP and Jochen Zeitz of The B Team. Great couple of days, including a dinner in a zoo (or rather an aquarium), and got to see and catch up with scores of friends and acquaintances, which was wonderfully energising.... more >

Seville, Berlin, Amsterdam and the Crystal
It's over five weeks since I blogged -- here's why

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Hill House and a 65th Wedding Anniversary
May 8

Had a wonderful time at Hill House today, Pat and Tim's 65th wedding anniversary, with Caroline and Gray also there. Not the normal sunny weather we have grown to expect on 8 May, but a truly delightful day. Tim excelled himself with his cooking.... more >

Unburnable Carbon 2013
Latest report from Carbon Tracker

Made my way across to Bloomberg's HQ this evening with Amanda (Feldman) for the launch of Carbon Tracker's fascinating new report, Unburnable Carbon 2013. Lively kick-off from Lord Stern, followed by speakers, panel and vigorous discussion. One of the most exciting initiatives I know of.... more >

Dinner at the Palace
An evening with my favourite Archbishop

One of the nicest evenings I have had for ages, when towards 20 of us went to Lambeth Palace for a dinner in honour of Karina Litvack, hosted by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. He chairs the F&C Committee of Reference, where I have been a member for several years. ... more >

Gold and Wildlife
GWC and WWF

Busy day, what with chairing a World Gold Council stakeholder roundatble at The Guardian early in the day, which will be covered in the main paper. Focus on the WGC Conflict Free Gold Standard. Meeting coincided with news that global gold prices are taking a hammering. Then raced across to Hannover Square for a meeting of the WWF UK Council of Ambassadors.... more >

Will of the Wetlands
Decompressing after the Skoll World Forum

Wonderful to spend some time with Will Rosenzweig of Physic Ventures today, though neither Elaine nor I was feeling up to much, with the legacy of the flu that has hit a number of us hard -- and seems to come with a strong depressive streak. We had connected a number of times in Oxford earlier in the week, but great to have uninterrupted time together. A walk around the Barnes Wetland Centre after lunch lifted the spirits. (Interesting to see the Centre voted the UK's favourite nature reserve, given that there is such a glorious range to pick from.) ... more >

RIP Paolo Soleri
A major influence on my early thinking

Very sorry to see in today's papers (The Times and The Guardian) the news that Paolo Soleri died on 9 April. He had a big impact on my thinking - and Elaine and I visited both the Cosanti Foundation in Scotsdale, Arizona, and his embryonic arcology in the desert, Arcosanti, near Cordes Junction, shortly after our wedding in 1973.... more >

Skoll World Forum 2013
A focus on disruption

I very much enjoyed much of the tenth Skoll World Forum in Oxford this week, where I arrived on Tuesday and -- at a dinner at Balliol College -- found myself sitting alongside Gro Harlem Brundtland. It's that sort of event. and I met dozens of great people who are doing wonderful things to make the world a better place. But I came away feeling that we still need an overarching vision that maps all this and illuminates the links (actual and potential) between all these different initiatives.... more >

Intel Labs and Other Adventures
A flying visit to Oregon

Flew to Oregon, via San Francisco, over the weekend, for a 2-day session at Intel Labs. First day was a fascinating series of briefings, among other things on how tomorrow's smart grids and cities will potentially be vulnerable to hacking, and the second day an internal conference -- where I was one of eight speakers. Among their number, Denis Hayes of the Bullitt Foundation, and Joel Makower of GreenBiz, boith of whom I have known for decades. And then some interesting new people, who I mean to follow up with. The first evening included a dinner in a restaurant hidden way under a Whole Foods Market-style supermarket, with the most amazing wine collection. Including one, shown, called God Only Knows.... more >

HEC Sustainable Business Conference
Breakthrough comes to in Paris

In by Eurostar last night to Paris for an HEC Sustainable Business conference today, the tenth in a series organised by HEC students. Spoke at an earlier one a few years back. En route, struck by the fact that there is still a fair amount of snow in the countryside hedges between Calais and Paris. Stayed at the Concorde Opera: had a nice session with Amy (Birchall) over a glass of Pinot Noir as we worked on an embryonic Bayer project.... more >

Tim of the Arctic
Veterans of Bomber Command and Arctic convoys honoured

The thought of going around Norway on WWII convoys to support the Soviets is the stuff of nightmares, at least of mine -- and the ordeals endured by Bomber Command aircrew is right up there alongside. While there were many reasons why, it has been a travesty that the veterans of these great, gruelling campaigns have only just been honoured.... more >

Henry Jackson Society
Breakthrough comes to the House of Commons

Did a session early this afternoon at the House of Commons for the Henry Jackson Society, accompanied by Amy and focusing on Breakthrough Capitalism - plus the need for new forms of 'Breakthrough Politics'. Made me think we should be doing on what governments and policy-makers can and must do in this space. More anon.... more >

Wounds, Injuries and WWI Medicine
A rather grisly evening at Blythe House

Elaine and I went across this evening to Blythe House in Hammersmith, an overspill storage facility for the Science Museum. Didn't know what to expect - and it turned out that we were to be taken on a tour of artefacts linking back to the treatment of injuries and wounds experienced in World War I.... more >

Al Gore at Guildhall
Launch of renamed ShareAction

After a busy day, including lunch with SustainAbility Executive Director Rob Cameron at Cigala, I headed across in the rain to the Guildhall, to hear Al Gore at the launch of ShareAction, which used to be FairPensions.... more >

Diary of a London Cyclist
The daily miracle of survival

At times, it seems that it is something of a war for cyclists in the nation's capital. Over 38 years of London cycling, I had been left unconscious three times, twice with three broken ribs. That was until last night.... more >

Biomimicry 3.8, take 1
Rain, sun and ideas at Catawba and Pond Studio

Back around midday from Atlanta, where I flew on Sunday for my first board meeting with the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute. A wonderful opportunity to get to know Janine Benyus better. Don't feature on the website yet, but felt very much part of the family.... more >

Breakthrough Launched
And more on that anon

Busy week, and about to fly to Atlanta, with key events including a dinner speech to some 50 CEOs and MDs in the construction and civil engineering sector at The Deck, National Theatre, for the UK Green Building Council, and chairing the first UCL sustainability careers event, both great fun. But for us the highlight was the launch of our new report, Breakthrough: Business Leaders, Market Revolutions, at the London HQ of Generation Investment Management on Thursday evening.... more >

Now We Are A B Corp

Thanks to the efforts of our CEO, Charmian Love, currently on maternity leave, Volans is now formally certified as a B Corp, the second in the UK. We will be announcing this formally when we are five years old, in April, but it's a wonderful birthday present -- and a major step forward for us. For more on the B Corporation movement, take a look here. And the Declaration of Interdependence can be found here.... more >

Reviewing Novo Nordisk's Blueprint for Change
A day in Grundtvigland

Flew from Dusseldorf last night, without incident, despite the threatened strike, and found myself staying at the Hotel Fox in Copenhagen. Something of an acquired taste, I would say, but definitely interesting -- with the lack of hot water in the morning leading to an unusual shave.  ... more >