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Homo volans in moat

Flew to Schipol on Sunday – then train to Leiden – for my first Board meeting with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).  Held in a little castle with a moat.  Outgoing Board members included Born Stigson of WBCSD and Judy Henderson, who I first knew when she was with Oxfam.  Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, long an ally when she ran the UNEP’s trade, industry and economics department in Paris, was also due to step down – but has mercifully agreed to stay n for a year until the new head of the Paris office has the time to take over.

I confess I was feeling fairly down about the prospects of such initiatives to survive the impending financial storm, let alone thrive and drive the level of change needed in the world.  But an impending KPMG survey suggests that the GRI approach to sustainability reporting continues to make major inroads around the world.  And I have been asked back in September to explore new business models for GRI, which could be interesting.

More positively still, the moat had a wonderful statue of a birdman, a combination of a heron (my lucky bird) and a human figure.  Homo volans, whatever the sculptor may have labelled the piece.  I got my shoes very wet creeping around through the grass to catch a picture of a real heron that had alighted behind the statue, but maned the trick. 

Later, I had to wait 7-8 hours at Schipol to catch a flight home, because my rock-bottom fare tied me to a late night flight, but I used the time to read I bought in Schipol, The Nuremberg Interviews, by Leon Goldensohn – an American psychiatrist wh interviewed two dozen leaders of the Third Reich who were charged with carrying out genocide.  They included Hans Frank, Hermann Goering and Joachim von Ribbentrop. 

A very different form of accountability, but absolutely fascinating.  And sickening how George W. Bush, Dick Cheney et al have managed to undermine the legacy of those who fought to ensure new forms of global justice.

Spiral at gate   Equine reception   Reflection   Guinea fowl in conference   Homo volans 1   Homo volans 2   Homo volans 3   Light and sunset

   

Finally realised a childhood dream of making my way up Maiden Castle.  We walked around the ramparts in a haze, but the experience was spellbinding.  Several times we bumped into a delightful couple, once by the pit that held a series of much-the-worse-for-wear skeletons that Sir Mortimer Wheeler dubbed long-ago war victims.  Whatever the truth, there was a sense of generations of lives lived out here, through thick and thin, and the spearpoint found in one spine was graphic evidence of the distress caused by the Romans turning up in the neighbourhood.  In the distance, Poundbury shimmered through the haze, like something out of that old TV series, The Prisoner.

    Elaine on ramparts   Elaine on path down

Rocking horse   Capably done

A while back, I bumped into Alastair Sawday when I spoke at an event organised by Tomorrow’s Company, and tahnked him for his extraordinary guides – which Elaine has used for years.  Yesterday, we arrived at Frampton House, which was another Sawday treasure, landscaped by no less than Capability Brown.  Wonderfully sunny when we arrived yesterday afternoon, en route to Musbury, but pouring down at times as we got ready to leave this morning – after a wonderful breakfast. 

Brindled   Chien gentil   Indian balsam

I’d be happy for my ashes to find their way up here

Arrived late afternoon at another Sawday find, Manor Barn in Child Okeford, which Elaine had chosen in large part because it looks out onto Hambledon Hill, the extraordinary hill fort where I spent many charmed days during my time at Bryanston, just down the road.  A sloping window allowed a star to peep in as I went to sleep – but that was after we had walked to the top of kestrel-accented Hambledon, in the gathering twilight, taking in the breath-taking views, that are almost 360 degrees,and has supper at the nearby Talbot. 

Ramparts   Elaine on the way down

Andrea and Barry Coleman   Pamela and Charmian

 

Day started with a brainstorm session at SustainAbility on the future of our accountability, reporting and stakeholder engagement work – a timely and vibrant discussion.  Then, after drafting an article or two, walked across to Volans for a session with Andrea and Barry Coleman of Riders for Health.  They updated our team on some of the stuff they are now doing and on their plans for the future.  I really love what they do – and it was interesting that at last night’s dinner someone from a major mainstream organisation waxed lyrical about them, without initially knowing that we knew them.