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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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In memory of Stephen Lloyd

John Elkington · 22 August 2014 · Leave a Comment

STL photo web

It was with immense sadness that I heard of the death of Stephen Lloyd when I was on a flight back from Copenhagen this evening. The story came, indirectly, via the website of The Lawyer.

I tried to post elements of the following appreciation on the website, but apparently failed to test to show that I was a human rather than a bot – which involved typing in the second and fifth letter of the word SOFTWARE. (I look forward to the day when such websites can detect real human emotions …)

And the emotions are very real.

I first met Stephen when he served as legal counsel for the ill-fated Earthlife Foundation in the 1980s. Later he played the same role when I was Chairman of The Environment Foundation, which subsequently morphed into the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development, under its then Director Halina Ward.

The story I wanted to share has to do with the period after the Trustees of The Environment Foundation decided to apply to the Charity Commissioners for permission to embrace the charitable objective of sustainable development. We were told point-blank that sustainable development was commercial, ergo couldn’t be a charitable objective. To add insult to injury, the Commissioners then tried to shut us down.

Stephen was utterly incensed. He fought our case for two years, and when it extended into a third year volunteered to continue pro bono. It was a joy to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such a man, alongside the late Helen Holdaway, during what proved to be a fairly protracted fight.

In the end, thanks to Stephen, we won.

So one key legacy of Stephen’s legal work is the fact that sustainable development is now a charitable objective in this country.

He will be missed hugely, in so many different ways.

Those who knew him better as family members, friends or colleagues will be far closer to the epicentre of this seismic shock. We send them our best wishes – and our thanks for sharing this wonderful man with us.

LATER ADDITION: For obituaries of Stephen, see http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/29/stephen-lloyd and http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/stephen-lloyd-lawyer-acclaimed-for-his-efforts-to-modernise-the-charity-sector-and-champion-the-idea-of-social-enterprise-9712963.html

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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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