• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

  • About
    • Ambassador from the future
  • Past lives
    • Professional
      • Volans
      • SustainAbility
      • CounterCurrent
      • Boards & Advisory Boards
      • Awards & Listings
    • Personal
      • Family
      • Other Influences
      • Education
      • Photography
      • Music
      • Cycling
    • Website
  • Speaking
    • Media
    • Exhibitions
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Reports
    • Articles & Blogs
    • Contributions
    • Tweets
    • Unpublished Writing
  • Journal
  • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

A Commonwealth Of Blue Whales

John Elkington · 28 October 2016 · Leave a Comment

cs1

I spent yesterday and today in Marlborough House, St James’s, at a conference hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The theme: ‘Regenerative Development for Reversing Climate Change.’ Supported by the Cloudburst Foundation and facilitated by the Value Web.

I took the photo above in the car park while our small breakout group was reviewing the rushes of a short video we were making on why we must learn to love carbon.

Left to right: Herbert Girardet (World Future Council), Mauro Paolini (Cloudburst Foundation), Toby Herzlich (Biomimicry for Social Innovation), Baroness Patricia Scotland (Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat) and Janine Benyus (Biomimicry 3.8).

In her introduction, Patricia commented that the experts present (convened under a ceiling depicting various bloodthirsty moments in the Battle of Blenheim) were like a massing of blue whales – in that they/we were large, rare and deeply affected by climate change. Not quite sure what to make of some of that, but I think I know what she meant!

img_3498

 

 

Came away keen to explore how the 52 member states of the Commonwealth might be even better mobilised to drive change. And am devoting my next round of monthly columns to some of the ideas that surfaced during the two days.

Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

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.

Recent Comments

  • PATRICK DICK on Reminder of Glencot Years
  • Milton Marino Gómez Ortiz on Tickling Sharks
  • John Elkington on Green Swans A “Must-Read”

Journal Archive

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.

Contact

john@johnelkington.com  |  +44 203 701 7550 | Twitter: @volansjohn

John Elkington

Copyright © 2025 John Elkington. All rights reserved. Log in