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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Darling Buds of March

John Elkington · 1 March 2009 · Leave a Comment

Achilles sprouts horns

Achilles sprouts horns

The last two days of this week I cycled to and from the office for the first time in quite a while – and mood lifted accordingly.  Weather helped, as did all the bulbs blooming in the garden at 2 Bloomsbury Place.  Then, too, there was the fact that we have more or less finished The Phoenix Economy, which is now with our designer, Rupert Bassett.  Fairly intensive week nonetheless, with my annual lecture at Imperial College and a visit with Charmian to Goldman Sachs, but am feeling more in tune with the universe, particularly after a quiet day in the office with Sam, listening to the likes of Dean Martin on her iPod.  As Sam noted Lou Reed would say, A Perfect Day.

Last night the car failed to start, indeed even the security light had gone off, until I unlocked it and the alarm went off for some 15 minutes.  Because we were on our way to Richmond, we cancelled a call to the RAC and took a cab, driven by a delightful Punjabi nicknamed ‘Lofty’.  He began to tell us about sleeping on the roof of his home as a teenager and doing his homework by moonlight. That conversation started because there was a wonderful Moon last night, with Venus dawdling nearby. Then he proceeded to tell us about Slumdog Millionaire, which was interesting, since Gaia had been exerting every sinew recently to get the child actors to the Oscars – a mission duly accomplished.

Today, a truly wonderful RAC man turned up, protested that after 7-8 years we have only put around 17,000 miles on the Volvo’s clock, and ended up changing the battery, yet again.  Then, inspired by an email this morning from Geoffrey Chandler about his garden, and particularly the scent of witch hazel, we trolled across to the Isabella Plantation, where most things seemed to be in bud, and the witch hazels were in blossom.  Watching a few bumblebees rumbling from blossom to blossom, I began to wish for a life as a cross-pollinator.  But then perhaps that is what I do?

Witch hazel

Witch hazel

Catkins 1

Catkins 1

Catkins 2

Catkins 2

Reflections

Reflections

Osiers

Osiers

Path

Path

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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.

Contact

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

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