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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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A State Of Grace In Petra

John Elkington · 26 October 2023 · Leave a Comment

These rock formations made me think of skeletal remains
Tomb of the Obelisks, with passer-by

We spent today finding our way around the wonder of the world that is Petra. Walking though the wadi early in the morning, before too many people were about, was like being in – or perhaps induced – a state of grace. My interest in the Nabataean people and culture was ignited well before the sun blazed over the canyon rim high above our heads.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but delighted we have another day tomorrow to explore further. The day ended with a dinner with a local Jordanian family, thanks to Exodus, with children buzzing all around, plastic grass in the sitting area, a tinkling electric fountain and an insect destroying UV set-up that every so often would let off a crack like an old-fashioned cap-gun.

We were made wonderfully at home, the food was exquisite, with a hibiscus drink and tea with sage. I had a long conversation with our host, covering everything from arranged marriages, through the influence of TV and cell phones on children, to the evolution of the local tourism industry – from a single hotel when he began work to, by his account, some 60 today.

The site is well managed, though my photographs will give an idea of a less crowded place than is the reality. Among the visitors, guided and independent, buzz electric golf buggies and the occasional SUV convoy, plus horses, strings of donkeys, and a fair few dogs and cats of miscellaneous breeds. But thank heavens that they don’t allow drones.

A glimpse of gold
One of the aqueducts running down the gorge, or Siq
Two elephants spring to mind
Early glimpse of ‘The Treasury’
Bullet-pocked central statue shows changing priorities over time
A lawyer from Sydney living in London offered to take this for us
Have always found camels beautiful
The imprint of time
The imprint of Coke
Workbench of craftsman making sand-pictures-in-bottles
A pause between small dust storms in the gorge
Tomb with a view
Theatre
One of my favourite flavours: pomegranates
Our hostess applies leverage
Her teapot
Titanic moment
Cave of many colours
Different angle
Who goes there?
Elaine disarms
A magical place

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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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