Journal

The assault on truth, facts and data continues, with major implications for the sustainable development movement – which marks its 30th anniversary (at least as measured by the publication of 1987’s Brundtland Com mission Report, Our Common Future) in 2017.

Here are my early thoughts on the need to drain a very different swamp, the dark side of the Internet and World Wide Web, which has soured the political process with its supturations of fake news and general vindictiveness.

Have been feeling a bit low and unwell, but the Hüman After All session on Wdnesday in Dalston, for our joint program with the UN Global Compact, Project Breakthrough, was a real pick-me-up.

HHA have an intriguing new office, on top of an old printing works. Then back to ICAEW to listen to Mark Carney – see previous post.

Other aspects of the week have included a session on Thursday with Covestro and SystemIQ at the latter’s WeWork offices.

Then today, Saturday, Elaine and I took Fernando Nilo (of Chile’s Recycla) and his wife to lunch at the Great Court Restaurant high up in the British Museum. Then sped them around the Sunken Cities exhibition, my third time, before getting in a taxi with them to guide them across to Clarence House.

Quite a week. An event on climate change at the Bank of England, organised by Alex Barkawi of the Council on Economic; an off-the-record Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) evening event featuring Bank of England Governor Mark Carney; a delightful dinner at the Frontline Club with Elaine, Gaia, Paul, Hania and Jake; and a speech at the London Roadshow event for the Social Stock Exchange, which seemed to go very well – with some further great news for SSX. And more to come.

Copies of ‘Breakthrough Business Models’ await delegates

Up early to catch a train across to Oxford for the 2016 EMERGE Conference, which I was keynoting – in memory of my fired and colleague Pamela Hartigan. Was delighted to see copies of our latest report, Breakthrough Business Models waiting for the delegates at their places in the Nelson Mandela Lecture Theatre, met some interesting people, did a lunchtime roundtable, and then scooted back to London.

Lovely lunch with Colin le Duc of Generation Investment Management, at Thomas’s inside Burberry’s. He’s off to California. useful discussion of the implications of the Trump regime – and of where we’re heading next with Project Breakthrough. Latest video interview just posted on the web site: Richard Johnson’s interview of Rachel Botsman of Collaborative Consumption.