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‘We are a group of business leaders, who want to accelerate action on the climate emergency and we are working on a voluntary basis. We have set up a not for profit company to run Business Declares as a campaign to the end of 2020. We welcome help and volunteer support from all those who support our aims.‘

So begins the Business Declares campaign, which we launched earlier today at the ICAEW (Institute of Chatered Accountants for England & Wales). A tremendously engaged and supportive atmosphere, with a standing room only audience. In kicking off, I held up a copy of this week’s astounding Financial Times front page, to underscore the point that the business mode on change is itself changing

Afterwards, some 30-40 of us travelled across to Westminster by bike and Tube to take part in the climate protests. A wonderful spirit abroad, with agitation but great good humour. Amazing what Greta Thunberg has managed to kick off. Later, headed home to do a call and continue the final stages of the book.

A wake-up moment for me this morning was when Stephanie Biden of Bates Wells (who are Volans’ lawyers) explained how they had got to the point of declaring a climate emergency. She noted that they had concluded that there were two necessary steps, rather than one: (1) to recognise the Climate Emergency and, (2), to declare what steps they planned to take in response. For me, it was if the clouds had parted.

Tomorrow, I speak at the Confederation of Danish Industry’s ‘Green Transition’ summit in Copenhagen. And it hadn’t escaped my notice that Denmark is the home of Hans Christian Andersen, the writer who gave us the Ugly Duckling – a key concept in my forthcoming book, Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism.

Happily, and with huge thanks to Lisa Goldapple and her team at Atlas of the Future, we now have a 20-minute Green Swans video laying out key elements of our evolving exponential change agenda. Largely filmed at our 23 June event at the Barnes Wetland Centre, it features such people as:

– Mark Campanale of the Carbon Tracker Initiative
– Chris Davis of The Body Shop International
– Nick Haan of Singularity University
– The Rt Hon Nick Hurd, MP, at the time Minister for Northern Ireland and for London
– Andrew Kerr of the Sustainable Eel Group
– Jeremy Oppenheim of SYSTEMIQ
– Cathy Runciman of Atlas of the Future
– Hein Sas, of the flat oyster conservation campaign in Holland
– Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project
– Tanya Steele of WWF UK
– Solitaire Townsend of Futerra

I am delighted with the way the video has turned out, capturing the main themes of the event, but we now also hope to cut it down into more sound bitey sequences to communicate the agenda to a wider audience. I won’t be able to say very much about the video tomorrow, but it seemed like an eminently suitable launch point for the Green Swans campaign that we plan to develop through 2020.

The manuscript of my new book, Green Swans, went off to the publishers a few days after we held the Green Swan Day event at the Barnes Wetland Centre. Can’t exactly say I have been walking on air since, but it has certainly been a considerable relief – and the publishers seem delighted. Now for several months of editing and getting the book designed and set.

One book I quote from in Green Swans is James Lovelock’s latest, Novacene. Read it before attending Jim’s 100th birthday party in The Orangery at Blenheim Palace, on Friday, July 26. It really is stunning – and highly engaging. I found myself laughing out loud at least once.

As we all trooped out in bright sunshine for a massive group photograph on the steps of the Palace, I found myself walking alongside someone I knew I recognised, but couldn’t quite place. Stewart Brand. One of my long-standing heroes, ever since I bought and read all the Whole Earth Catalogs – throughout their life cycle. He was there with his wife, Ryan Phelan, and he told me as we walked into the firing line that he and I had been seated next to each other at lunch. Joy – and what a wonderful conversation!

Have since been communicating with Ryan about her work at Revive & Restore. I am particularly interested in their work on ocean genomics (where I was struck by the Big Ideas proposed for the use of applied biotechnology) and on saving the horseshoe crab.

Then a trip across to Hill House, Little Rissington, to see my ailing mother and her carers, my siblings. She is still there, in part, but it is like talking to a still occasionally lively and funny person through a small letterbox. God only knows what is going to happen when the Baby Boomers hit the same sort of age. I heard from a friend this week that his sister-in-law had opted to have her life ended – and I suspect assisted dying is going to become a rapid growth industry before too long.

After Hill House, I drive back to London for the rest of the weekend, before heading off by train on the Monday to Exeter University for the 3-day (29-31 July) event on ‘The Future of Systems Thinking‘, where I met all sorts of extraordinary people – and caught up with old friends, like Tim Smit and Professor Tim O’Riordan. Fascinating interview of Jim Lovelock by GSI’s Tim Lenton.

Other events in July included a 2-3 day trip to Germany with the team for a deep immersion exercise with Covestro (July 15-16), a speech at the Royal College of Art on the 18th (see image below), a birthday party for Cathy Runciman of Atlas of the Future (20th), a speech for the Academy of Sustainable Innovation at Imperial College (see image below), and visits to Somerset House from people like Rebecca Mills (who I first encountered in the early days of The B Team, see image below), Anna Swaithes (Head of Responsible Business, Government Inclusive Economy Unit) and Ben Yeoh of RBC.

But in the midst of all this came the unimaginable news that Ben Goldsmith’s eldest daughter, Iris, had been killed in a all-terrain vehicle accident. Every time we have walked across Barnes Common since there has been a reminder (as if a reminder were needed) in the form of the impromptu shrine around one of my favourite plane trees (see below, though it has evolved since). I sent Ben a note immediately I heard. His heartbroken reply still rattles around my brain. Truly, there are no words for such times.

June has disappeared in a blur of activity: finishing the book, organising my 70th birthday celebration and travelling – to places as various as Brussels, Paris and Brocket Hall. But the highlight, beyond question, was Green Swan Day on 23 June.

Over time, it had morphed and mutated, ultimately becoming an event linked to the Green Swan theme of the book, hence Green Swan Day. Carlo and Conor of Twist Creative a great help in getting the visuals together.

On the day, we had around 110 people on 10 tables at the WWT Barnes Wetland Centre, chosen because it symbolises regeneration and because of the links with Sir Peter Scott, whose statue stands outside, surrounded by swans.

Gaia had done some extraordinary flower arrangements, with swan’s nests – complete with wooden eggs – for each table.

All around, the Atlas of the Future film crew interviewed some 15 participants for the short Green Swan documentary we are planning to release later in the year, to trail the book. Stonkingly hot, particularly in The Observatory, where Nyetimber (a rare upside of climate change) was served during the reception.

We were over capacity, a heady mix of family, friends and colleagues, literally from around the world. Over lunch in the Water’s Edge room, we had four speeches at different points in the proceedings: my intro, then Andrew Kerr (Chairman of the Sustainable Eel Group), Tanya Steele (CEO, WWF UK) and Sir Tim Smit (Founder, The Eden Project). Fabulous speeches, though Tim’s was for the ages.

After the event wound down, around 17.00, a line of sherpas wound home, including Tim, with boxes of flowers, wines, cards and gifts – despite the ‘no gifts’ policy. The stand-out gift was the Egg, created specially by ceramicist Judith Davies, who Hania knew – a stunning gift from her, Gaia and Elaine.