Journal

Delighted to see Green Swans in Deloitte’s new listing of must-read books, alongside some other excellent choices. Details here. I was also asked to nominate a book – and picked Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future. Delighted to see it in the list.

My first TEDx Talk can be found here. There were tech problems that threw me, but the main problem was that the more formulaic my speaking has to be and the more I am coached the edgier I become.

Don’t do this at home. Elaine and I tried eating yew berries – or at least their golden flesh – this afternoon. But we made REALLY sure to spit out the seeds – even one can be fatal, apparently. Delicious, though.

We were visiting a friend from seriously long ago, namely the early 1970s, when we lived together just off Belgrave Square, in Elizabeth Street. Toby Greenbury and his wife Jennifer. Joyous visit and great walk in their wood/arboretum.

Saw lots of birds, but was very taken by what I think was a wood warbler, the first I have knowingly seen.

Almost certainly this will have been the last longish trip for our Volvo V70, which we have had for well over twenty five years.

The new London ULEZ air quality zone means that it would incur tough daily penalties from the end of the month.

But there’s one thing I won’t miss about the car, much as I have loved it. There’s some sort of energy drain somewhere that means the battery runs down fairly quickly. No-one has been able too find out what or where it is, but the RAC has replaced the battery 3-4 times over recent years.

When I gave a TEDx talk in Glasgow last week, I mentioned the car and the fact that the ULEZ development meant that Elaine and I were planning to do without a car for a while, to see how that goes. Having had car for forty five years now, that’s going to be some sort of Rubicon.

I am rather pleased with this text and audio version of my interview with Simon Longstaffe of The Ethics Centre: https://ethics.org.au/john-elkington-on-business-sustainability-and-ethics/. A good capture of how I got there I am – and where I think things may now be headed.

As my eye continues to improve, as attested by a follow-up visit to Moorfields Eye Hospital this week, I’m beginning to see a bit more of the world. On Saturday, Elaine and I trundled across to Hackney for lunch with Hania, Jake and Gene, and Gaia. Glorious. And delightful, post lockdown(s), to have future generations sitting on your lap as they explore the digiverse. Also picked up a print we had bought recently from Simon Pemberton, who lives nearby.