John Elkington

Have rather fallen out of the habit of posting here, partly because have been finishing off the new book, Running Up The Down Escalator, and partly because 2023 has taken off like a rocket. Today was somewhat typical in that respect, with Elaine reminding me at 06.30 that I should be at a Pi Capital breakfast at Brown’s Hotel in Albemarle Street by 07.45. A slightly manic start to the day.

I made it, though, to hear Brian McBride, president of the CBI. Asked him a question about green growth vs. regrowth, and he responded well – and then sent me the CBI brief on green growth later in the day.

Then, as I came out of Covent Garden tube station later in the morning, I was embraced by a bearded giant, Liam Black. A delight. Then, after some time in the office, went off to have lunch with Lynne Franks at Mildred’s in Soho. She helped us make Green Consumer Week a smash hit back in 1988.

We had a lot of catching up to do. Great fun. Ab Fab-obsessed members of the team had asked me to take a selfie with Lynne, which I duly did. May have been the first selfie I have ever taken : )

We are what we read, they say, and sometimes it’s true.

Just notified about a new series of Neste interviews on what we read.

Mine here: https://lnkd.in/ePWHkEWw.

Marcius Extavour here: https://lnkd.in/eiqSQcpQ.

And Geoffrey Weston‘s here: https://lnkd.in/eQM3dUcq.

All members of the Neste advisory council on sustainability and new markets, which I chair.

Happy holidays and new years, all.

Probably my last interview of 2022. Recorded some time back, but only just out via ROAD: http://roarnews.co.uk/2022/roar-interviews-environmentalist-and-author-john-elkington/.

For more on this post I just did for the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), see here.

Clear evidence today that Elaine is enjoying herself with Hania in Bordeaux. Left at home, I had a couple of people from the Volans ecosystem across yesterday afternoon, then today had lunch at the Church Road restaurant with an old SustainAbility colleague and friend, Tell Münzing, who these days lives in Berlin. He picked an interesting American wine, Stem Theory, which we both rather enjoyed.

In other news, after quite some time, the three small fish we put into our new garden pond finally made an appearance today, moving around as a tight-knit trio. But then, when we got back from lunch, I discovered that the water level in the pond had fallen by almost a foot, perhaps suggesting a leak in the pump – which I turned on today for the first time to oxygenate the water.

Life, as always, is full of ups and downs : )