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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Wilton Park

John Elkington · 14 July 2009 · Leave a Comment

Arrival Arrival Stairway Stairway Towards sunset Towards sunset Herbaceous Herbaceous Greenhouse Greenhouse Church Church Wiston House Wiston House Graveyard Graveyard Farm tanks Farm tanks Path Path Roots Roots Path 2 Path 2 South Down Way South Down Way Chanctonbury Ring Fort Chanctonbury Ring Fort Beeches Beeches Panorama Panorama Panorama 2 Panorama 2 Panorama 3 Panorama 3 Fort disappearing Fort disappearing On the way down On the way down

Down to Shoreham-by-Sea yesterday evening, then taxi out to Wilton Park to speak at their British-German Forum 2009.  The theme: Can we shape capitalism to suit our future?  Because I was speaking late today, after lunch I climbed up to Chanctonbury Ring – and its Iron Age hill fort, dating from around the 6th to 5th centuries BC.  Had been raining earlier, which made the ground very muddy and slippery in places, but the sun was out and the ascent was a joy.  

Reaching the top of Chanctonbury Hill, it was glorious to turn onto the South Down Way and make my way across the saddleback to the fort. Don’t know who planted the beeches up there, but they’re a wonder. Long-haired types wandering around the fort with a giant metal detector, but I was rapt by the views across to the North Downs in the north – and to the sea in the south.

From up there, Wilton Park looked tiny – seen across the back of a whirling buzzard. Semi-miraculous to be receiving email on my BlackBerry so high above the landscape. And, now I think of it, to be listening tot h likes of Elbow and Leo Kottke (oddly, it’s Rings) as I type this in to my Mac Book Pro.

Then back down to do my session – on the role of big business and on philanthrocapitalism – with Michael Green, co-author with Matthew Bishop of Philanthrocapitalism: How the rich can save the world and why we should let them.  We agreed on most things – and the debate after our presentations was very energetic. Regretted having to head back to the station and back into London, where storm clouds were piling up in purple black meringues.

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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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