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Impressions Of Corsica

John Elkington · 8 June 2025 · Leave a Comment

Due to WordPress changing their rules on images in blogs like this one, I have had to further process the photos below – with the result that ones showing skies are rendered more like Impressionist paintings. And (although I am dating this post back to when we returned) the process of sorting it out has taken ages. Still, I’ll try and resolve the underlying problems in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, here is a brief photo essay on our trip to Corsica with Gaia and Paul, who organised the entire trip.

We started off in Ajaccio, then went north through Tuarelli and Calvi, before taking in Oletta and then looping back south through the centre of the island. One of the most extraordinary visits was to Hôtel E Caselle. Established in 1966 in Venaco in the heart of a regional nature park. Wonderful to be greeted by (a huge photo of) Marianne Faithful and to swim (in Gaia’s case) in the river that flows nearby.

Although both Elaine and I returned with something like Covid, though it didn’t test that way, the trip was an utter delight – and we came to see why Gaia and Paul are so enraptured with the island.

*These boats caught me eye in the Musée Fesch*

*The original photo of Gaia’s head was better, but this boating moment has a certain psychedelic charm*

*Fish tanks seen from one of our hotels – not surprisingly we also saw dolphins* sniffing around

*Some of the roads were vertiginous, but happily I wasn’t driving*

*The message, or one of them: Life is hard*

*Distorted, but the moment when the setting Sun became an apple*

*Romanesque church of San Michele de Murato*

*Discarded clay at a potter’s studio we visited*

The vagaries of wealth: *a rotting gold Cadillac, full of skulls and bones*

*Shadows of the past: palaeolithic site of Filitosa*

Gaia takes flowers to lay on the grave of *Dorothy Carrington*

Countercurrent Relaunches

John Elkington · 5 June 2025 · Leave a Comment

My new Countercurrent website is still in development, but can be visited here. Any comments and suggested improvements always welcome.

RIP Bob Shapiro

John Elkington · 29 May 2025 · Leave a Comment

How tickling sharks only works sometimes

Sad to see the obituaries today for former Monsanto CEO Bob Shapiro, who we tried to help back in the Nineties. An early corporate pioneer of sustainable business, even if he came somewhat unstuck along the way: https://johnelkington.substack.com/p/rip-bob-shapiro-lessons-from-the.

A Deep Dive Into Amazonia

John Elkington · 24 May 2025 · Leave a Comment

This past week, with a group including key people people from Generation Investment Management, Oxford University and Patagonia, I have enjoyed a deep dive into Natura‘s Amazonian supply chain. I plan to write up the (extraordinary) experience for my Substack ‘Rewilding Markets‘ series and for my new book. But, while they’re fresh in my mind, here are some images captured along the way.

*Our early morning Amazonian ferry awaits*

*Whatever the collective noun is for small boats*

*On arrival at a community in Abaetetuba, a spectacular breakfast awaits*

*Some of the Natura products based on local raw materials on display*

A kettle, looming, congregation or wake of *vultures*

*Abstract moment as we arrive back at the ferry dock*

*Louise goes to earth* at Aprocamp, a community farm at Santo Antônio do Tauá

A moment with Liliana, Louise, Aileen (in green) and Ines

*Standard transport – if slightly fancy*

*We all had a herbal bath – an extraordinary experience, a blessing*

*A soil restoring plant, though not sure what it is*

*Told I couldn’t eat a certain berry, I daubed my cheeks with it*

*Various forms of Christianity are everywhere*

*A rarer sight these days: A VW Beetle, once endemic in the country*

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_1589-1024x768.jpeg — *Nuts and seeds*

*A commercial stunt – and perhaps symbolising something a little different these days*

*Lunch is served – or at least some small part of it*

*Belém waterfront – where we would later watch bats hunting above the river*

*Different coloured petals on same plant*

*Mural 3 in Vila Madalena, billed as the graffiti capital of the world*

*Four feet: a wall painting’s and Aileen’s*

*A plastic installation at Farm Rio fashion store, Harmonia*

Charles Medawar, RIP

John Elkington · 17 May 2025 · Leave a Comment

Sad to hear of the death of my friend Charles Medawar. I wrote about his work at Social Audit in New Scientist back in 1978 – and I was thrilled when he agreed to be a founder member of the SustainAbility Council in 1996.

Last bumped into him in the Reform Club a few years back – and was reminded how much I had appreciated his wise counsel. A life of very considerable impact.

As I suspect was true of many people, I knew of his parents’ brilliance before I experienced his. The Guardian’s obituary can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/16/charles-medawar-obituary. Go in peace.

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