John Elkington

Across to 5 Broadgate, the new UBS HQ, for an opening event, including a talk by the building’s architect, Ken Shuttleworth of Make, followed by a tour of the UBS collection of artworks – including a considerable number of etchings by Lucian Freud.

I asked the first questions, about the recyclability of stainless steel (a key material in the building’s cladding) and Make’s take on Brexit – and got great answers.

Then we walked across to Ottolenghi‘s in Spitalfields for supper with Ingvild Sørenesen and, from our side, Jacqueline, the Richards and Sam. Spotted a tiny mouse under a hedge as we passed the church of St Botolph Without Bishopsgate.

 

Flew to Milan very early on Monday to take part in a 3-day session at the Bellagio Centre with Jeremy Oppenheim of SystemIQ and some 20 people working for the Business & Sustainable Development Commission. Our own report for the Commission – Breakthrough Business Models – is now completed and launched.

Great people and fascinating discussions, though off-the-record. One nice moment was going down into the town to get some wine – and having the wine merchant recognise me from when we were here 4-5 years ago.

Across to Kleinwort Benson’s offices in St George Street W1 this morning, for a meeting of the WWF Council of Ambassadors. It kicked off with a sampling of a new virtual reality system WWF plans to use in fund-raising.

Stunningly persuasive conjuring of an alternate reality, a forest with birds flitting and lizards scurrying by, but I felt slightly dizzy for 30 minutes afterwards. Probably my vertigo problem again.

Felt even groggier after several presentations on the data from the next Living Planet Index work – we’re going to Hell in a hand basket, it sometimes seems.

Then back to 2 Bloomsbury Place for a session with Ingvild Sørensen of the UN Global Compact, before we all decamped for an Innovation Arts session, building towards the Breakthrough Symposium we’re planning for Cambridge in November. Then on to UBS, but that can be the subject of a separate entry.

My latest blog for Greenbiz explains why we need to run the red lights – as mapped by a new DNV GL report, whose launch I attended in New York a couple of weeks back.

What a pleasure and privilege to be on stage at VERGE 2016 in Santa Clara a couple of weeks back, with Joel Makower. He just sent me the link to the film, which can be found here. Quite (American sense) pleased with the result.