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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Eels, Fish And The Temples of Consumerism

John Elkington · 10 July 2015 · Leave a Comment

Safe in the belly of the beast?
Safe in the belly of the beast?
Corsairs in the Patek Philippe window on Bond Street
Corsairs in the Patek Philippe window on New Bond Street
Fish in Patek Philippe window
Fish in Patek Philippe window
Colin Reid's Ichthys font in the V&A
Colin Reid’s Ichthys font in the V&A
Angelic reflection
Angelic reflection

Wanted to see Simon Pemberton‘s award-winning work in a small exhibition at the V&A, but first trundled across to Regent Street to look for a new suit. Had been disappointed to find that a suit series I have used for years, via Gieves & Hawkes, was no longer available. Didn’t much like the Jaeger styles – and it was Sale time, so problematic anyway.

So we pottered down Saville Row, thinking it might just be time for made-to-measure, but suspecting that it would be too expensive. Then went back into G&H, on a hunch, to find that made-to-measure there would be only slightly more expensive – and that there was a sale of cloth on. So, somewhat accidentally, it looks as if I may be well suited this fall.

Have always been fascinated by good shop window displays in places like New Bond Street – and my eye was particularly caught by a safe in the belly of a gorilla at what point, and then several blocks on, what I recognised as Vought Corsairs in a Patek Philippe window. They also had a fish illustration, which echoed later in the afternoon when we went on to the V&A – and happened upon the Ichthys font by Colin Reid, which is extraordinary.

In the middle, lunch in the restaurant on the top floor of of Waterstone’s, having bought yet more books in the hope of reading at least a few next week. Am part way through several books at the moment, including The Winds of Dune, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

Among the books I bought today were Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (which I’m keen to read again), Nicola Tesla’s My Inventions and Other Writings, Ferdinand von Schirach’s The Girl Who Wasn’t There (I enjoyed his earlier book, The Collini Case), Brendan Simms’ The Longest Afternoon, Adam Thorpe’s On Silbury Hill, and Don Winslow’s The Cartel – blurbed as “the War and Peace of dope-war books.” We’ll see.

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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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