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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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The Hare Startler Reaches Ely

John Elkington · 28 September 2015 · Leave a Comment

Wall en route to Cathedral
Wall en route to Cathedral
Cathedral
Cathedral
Octagon
Octagon and Lantern
Spot the spiral
Spot the spiral
Part of the Bomber Command window
Geodesics in action: Wellington bombers form part of the Bomber Command window
The Devil trapped between pillars - by design, apparently
The Devil trapped between pillars – by design, apparently
Lady Chapel
Lady Chapel
Headless
Headless
Tomb of a 6 foot 9 in ch hero, Brithnothus (or Byrhtnoth)
Tomb of a giant, the 6 foot 9 inch hero Brithnothus (or Byrhtnoth)
Damage on facing wall
Damage on facing wall
Madonna and child
Madonna and child
Opalescent columns
Opalescent columns
Apparent cityscapes in streaking outside
Apparent cityscapes in streaking outside
View from the Topping bookstore
View from the Topping & Co bookstore
Coffee and biscuits
Silver dolphin’s beak: coffee and biscuits
Sculpture of an eel, the creature that paid for so much of the Cathedral's building
Sculpture of an eel, the creature that paid for so much of the Cathedral’s building
En route back to town
En route back to town
Near where we saw the hare
Near where we saw the hare

Across to Ely for the first time, where we visited the Cathedral. Perhaps it was the mood I was in, or the glorious weather, but – despite my deep-seated mistrust of religions – I felt profoundly welcome here.

The building is exquisite, particularly the Lady Chapel, where the historical damage (including great windows that would once have featured stained glass and friezes of headless figures) enhanced the effect.

Was moved by the Bomber Command window, with its depiction of the geodesic-framed Vickers Wellington bombers – and, further around and from some 950 years earlier, by the tomb of another long-ago hero, Byrhtnoth.

After the Cathedral, we wondered into Topping & Co’s wonderful bookstore, on three floors. On the top floor, we were offered a tray of coffee and biscuits an, browsing still more seriously, came away with almost more books than we could carry – including a 2-volume Taschen work on Dalí. The previous (Abrams) volume I bought in the 1970s collapsed, probably through over-use.

Given our involvement in the work of the Sustainable Eel Group, I was particularly interested in the celebration of eels in the city – with an eel trail and a sculpture (shown in one of the photos above) and mosaic en route to the River Ouse.

En route back to Oliver Cromwell’s house, we were walking through parkland, with lots of rabbits enjoying the afternoon sun between us and the Cathedral. And then there was a hare. At the time, I was walking backwards up a gentle slope, as I sometimes do, talking to Elaine. The hare seemed transfixed. It stood up to its full height, its ears extended. It seemed to be trying to work out what exactly I was. I sometimes face the same challenge.

 

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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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