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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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First Green Swans Are Cast

John Elkington · 10 March 2020 · Leave a Comment

Green Swan Award bronze, unadorned
Sasha’s video of Nicola blow-torching a statuette
Nicola polishing
Sasha framed by wings
Stretching, bronze beginning to gleam through patina of wing-tips
Nicola, trophy, Sasha
Testing the oiled slate plinth
Old moulds – including one of an embracing couple
Emergent bronzes
Wing in a vice
Moustache
Horse, soldier and Geoff

Drove across with Elaine to the Talos Art Foundry this morning, located outside the village of Quarley, Hampshire, near Andover.

Nicola (Godden) was putting the final touches to the first two castings of our Green Swan trophies. Wonderfully, one of the first two awardees, Sasha (Dench), had also driven across from Dartmoor to see the pieces come together.

Delightful team at the foundry, which itself is part of a cluster of artistic studios and endeavours at Lains Farm. Geoff Moate took us under his wing and steered us around the various stages of the mould-making and casting processes.

Had genuinely never realised how much effort goes into making a bronze sculpture. Afterwards, Elaine, Nicola, Sasha and I repaired to The Hawk Inn in the nearby village of Amport.

Wish I had had time to tramp down to see the swollen stream that runs alongside the village, with glorious kingcups (aka marsh marigolds) flowering on its banks. Seemed a little early for them – but happy to see them whenever they grace the landscape.

Not quite kingcup yellow, but a sunny splash of colour at Talos

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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.

Contact

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

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