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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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A SEWA Day

John Elkington · 8 July 2010 · Leave a Comment

Early morning prayers - my lens misted by humidity Early morning prayers – my lens misted by humidity Francis Bacon would loved it here in the fish market Francis Bacon would loved it here in the fish market In conversations - at the vegetable market In conversations – at the vegetable market Fish market 1 Fish market 1 Fish market 2 Fish market 2 Fish market 3 Fish market 3 Moove over Moove over

Fascinating day spent with SEWA, the Self Employed Women’s Association, visiting various of their activities, including their HQ here, their vegetable and fish marketing operations, and their bank. Found the women enormously engaging, with their enthusiasm and energy, but the conditions in which they worked in the markets were horrendous.

At times, the fish market reminded me of something painted by Francis Bacon on a bad day, with carcasses hanging in glassless windows, and the fish in the street coated with flies. But the mood of those we met there was upbeat – and when Amy and Azita appeared in the street, they were surrounded by hordes of admirers, of all ages and sexes, to the point where the traffic ground to a halt.

Then, very late in the day, we flew on to new Delhi, where the plane’s taxiing in to the terminal seemed to take longer than our trip out to the farm yesterday. We arrived at the hotel, The Imperial, in the early hours – with, once again, an early start on the cards. The reptile in me protests, but is overriden.

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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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