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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Sublime Ups, And Crashing Down, In Copenhagen

John Elkington · 4 February 2019 · Leave a Comment

Jørn Utzon, a man after my own heart

Flew to Copenhagen from Gatwick with Elaine and Louise on Wednesday, 30 January, to speak at a series of events. The really big day was February 1st, originally because it was Elaine’s birthday and because I was to do three major speeches in that one day. The news that my father, Tim, had died that morning was kept from me until after I had done the last speech.

The first event was organised by the Confederation of Danish Industry, the second by the High Level Advisory Board (with the audience including some 30 CEOs and the Crown Princess) and the third, out at UN City, a much larger event for the UN Global Compact. Though I say it myself, all three went very well indeed.

After discussion with the family back in Little Rissington, we decided to stay on in Copenhagen to complete my work visits on Monday. That night we had dinner with Louise and her son Noah, at Krogs, an extraordinary fish restaurant. And toasted Tim’s memory alongside Elaine’s birthday.

While we were visiting the glorious Design Museum, where we were blown away by many things, including their unbelievable exhibition of chairs, I heard from Chris Sveen, CSO at UBQ Materials, where I’m on the Advisory Board. We were invited to meet him and Glenn Frommer, who I think I last saw in Hong Kong, to dinner at Veve – a truly ravishing vegetarian restaurant. During the course – or perhaps I should say many courses – of the evening Glenn and I discovered a shared interest in SF bands, including The Grateful Dead.

Opposite the Design Museum
In the Design Museum
Winging it
Selfie in a distortion field
Catching my eye
Probably my favourite chair
Wasps – or are they hornets?
He’s on his cell phone – is the little one on top, too?
Saddle up, ET
I still remember when our front bedroom window was swarming with 40-50 stag beetles, back in the 1970s
After Veve, Chris, Glenn, Elaine and I
Reception desk at Confederation of Danish Industry
After the UNGC event out at UN City
Weekend walking
Damp ballscape
Diver across the street from our hotel, 71 Nyhavn
A sort of portly, flying zebra
Thrills and spills
Loved this mysterious photograph in the David Collection of Islamic Art
Zeitgeist window out at Novo Nordisk

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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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