Search Results for: Tim elkington

We never met him, but Elaine and I owe Philip Barnes a great deal. Founder of the travel charity ACE (Association for Cultural Exchange) in 1958, when we Elkingtons were still living in Cyprus, he died on 27 July. The trips we did to Syria, northern Cyprus and Crete in recent years were all with ACE, and we have another coming up to Istanbul. A fantastic organisation.

Opera House 1 Opera House, 2 Opera House, 3 Opera House, 4 Opera House, 5 Opera House, 6 Opera House, 7 Opera House, 8 Opera House, 9

We have walked around – and over – the Opera House several times now, in sunshine and in the twilight. Glorious.

BI, interior Blurred shot of Elaine and Joel (Bakan), en route to our session

Met Bill McKibben today, after being blown away by his presentation on the 350 campaign. Resolved to get both Volans and SustainAbility involved, if it kills me. Then did the session at BI, the management school, with Joel Bakan, who I first met some time ago when I chaired a discussion panel at the London premiere of his film, The Corporation. Great fun.

Introducing my session, I spotlighted Jorgen Randers, who had kicked off the event, as a “dinosaur”, in the sense that 1972’s Limits to Growth study had been seminal in my evolution, a mere 37 years ago. He got an ovation. Then, to spread the insults around, I noted that Elaine and I just realised that today was our wedding anniversary – another ovation.

Last night, Joel and his wife Rebecca played guitar (him) and sang (her) at the US Embassy, where many of us had repaired for dinner. They hugely endeared themselves to me by doing one of my favourite Grace Slick/Jefferson Airplane songs.

After our Summit debate, Joel and I did a session with students. Then on to the British Embassy for a reception, where we were treated – among other things – to a rap band and a duet playing Tchaikovsky. 

Jan-Olaf at the wheel Elderly couple cut across our bow Andreas takes the wheel A sight that would once have struck terror Vikings

A second yachting venture, this time in the opposite direction, to retrieve two anchors that Jan-Olaf had lost on a previous voyage. He had called in heavy-duty help, in the shape of Odd Fellow II and a diver, who soon found the first anchor, in nine metres of water, but discovered that the second had gone at least 50 metres down, and could well be irretrievable. Later, when we got back, Elaine spotted a yacht called Volans: then she and I headed across to the Hotel Bristol, ahead of the Sustainability Summit tomorrow.

Odd Fellow II Wave on the waves Volans

Figure in reception Reflections

Charmian (Love) and I flew to Cologne yesterday, ahead of meetings and a dinner at Bayer, Leverkusen. Among those we met was Patrick Thomas, who I last worked with when he was at ICI Polyurethanes. The last time I was in Leverkusen was in 1983, I think, when Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth invited me to serve as an independent member of a 3-person group touring Bayer’s operations at the invitation of Dr Eberhart Weise, after Bayer had successfully won an injunction against Greenpeace after the group had blockaded the chemical company because of acid dumping at sea, though Bayer were quick to point out that they had shifted to this option, which offered higher dilution rates, while some competitors still discharged acid wastes direct into the Rhine.

Japanese Garden, Leverkusen, 1 Japanese Garden, 2 Calm Shadows Balloon over Leverkusen Charmian, technically Mrs Gray, with Dorian