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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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SustainAbility, Net Impact and G20

John Elkington · 16 November 2008 · Leave a Comment

Reagan National 1 Reagan National 1   Reagan National 2 Reagan National 2

The G20 summit was still in session in Washington, D.C., as I came out through Reagan National Airport.  Had to fly to Detroit before heading across to London, but trip made widly worth while by conversation on the plane with Alicia Diaz, a lawyer, who I started talking to because she had a copy of David McCulloch’s wonderful biography of John Adams.  I continue to work my way through Mrs Lincoln, which I am enjoying hugely.

Had largely spent the week in DC, for a SustainAbility AGM and Board meeting, including joint sessions with the team and a delightful dinner at a restaurant that only serves relatively local food, albeit noise levels were almost industrial.  When I first arrived, I snuck in visits to the National Gallery of Art, to take a look at Calder’s giant mobile, and then to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

Then took Amtrak to Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, to speak at the Net Impact ‘The Sustainable Advantage’ conference at The Wharton School.  My session was titled ‘Unreasonable People: The Role Entrepreneurs Play in Shaping Tomorrow’s Markets’.  Chaired by Virginia Barreiro, New Global Ventures Global Director at the World Resources Institute, the panel session also involved Agnes Dasewicz, COO at the Grassroots Business Fund, and Ben Powell, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Agora Partnerships.  I began early road-testing of my thinking around the emerging ‘Phoenix Economy’, the focus of a possible new book I’m working on.  Wonderful reaction to the session from the several hundred MBA students and similar that took part.

Calder mobile Calder mobile   Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis, Ratan's Spaceship One and Yeager's X1 Lindbergh’s Spirit of St Louis, Rutan’s SpaceShipOne and Yeager’s X1   Dark Star, Predator et al Dark Star, Predator et al   Mar Lee and Sophia Tickell in our DC office Mark Lee and Sophia Tickell in SustainAbility’s DC office    Bottled carrots in restaurant Bottled carrots in restaurant   Table setting - with Mark and Geoff in background Table setting – with Mark and Geoff in background   Meghan and Kate Meghan and Kate

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Introduction

I began this blog with an entry reporting on a visit to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, on 30 September 2003. The blog element of the website has gone through several iterations since, with much of the older material still available.

Like so many things in my life, blog entries blur the boundaries between the personal and the professional. As explained on this site’s Home Page, the website and the blog are part platform for ongoing projects, part autobiography, and part accountability mechanism.

In addition, my blogs have appeared on many sites such as: Chinadialogue, CSRWire, Fast Company, GreenBiz, Guardian Sustainable Business, and the Harvard Business Review.

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About

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is currently Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Volans, a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements.

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john@johnelkington.com  |  +44 203 701 7550 | Twitter: @volansjohn

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