Search Results for: Tim elkington

Every so often in my life, things seem to go into warp speed, for better or worse. That has certainly happened in the past few weeks, with the diary suggesting that another acceleration is imminent: Germany, Holland and Canada incoming.

Am currently shaking off a bad dose of flu, unsure whether I picked it up in all the air travel this month or whether it came from the 4-way flu jab I had a couple of weeks back as I walked back from somewhere through Fleet Street. Either way, let’s say I haven’t been feeling myself this week.

Still, am also much buoyed by the early responses to my requests for what the publishers cheerfully call “advance praise” for Green Swans. Quite (American sense) moving, some of the comments on the book.

Otherwise, here are some of the things that have been keeping me busy since the last entry – with visits to Amsterdam to speak at the GIIN Investor Forum, Finland to chair the first meeting of the new Neste Sustainability & New Markets Advisory Council, to Copenhagen (to speak at Deloitte’s ‘Dinner on the Edge’ – losing an aircraft engine along the way and having to swap planes at Heathrow – and then, the next morning, to a UN Global Compact breakfast on the future of the restaurant sector), a speech at the London Business School for Michael Norton and a fascinating group of Chinese alumni of the CK Graduate School of Business (speaking alongside Howie Frumkin, head of the Wellcome Trust’s Our Planet, Our Health initiative), and then, on Friday, across to the London Stock Exchange, very early for me, for the launch of their new Green Economy Mark and Sustainable Bonds Market.

Here’s what they say about the LSE initiatives: The Green Economy Mark recognises listed companies with 50% or more of revenues flowing from environmental solutions, while the Sustainable Bond Market (SBM) incorporates new Sustainability, Social and Issuer-Level Segments. These initiatives are designed to support issuers implementing sustainable business models, and investors who are increasingly focusing on environmental products and services supporting the transition to a low carbon economy.

A case of serendipity, the LSE one: was invited by our neighbour Stewart Lloyd-Jones and his partner Tamara Gehring, who works for the LSE.

Delighted to keynote the B Corp Summit in Amsterdam, at the Muziekgebouw. Around 650 attendees, including Sabine Oberhuber, who it was wonderful to catch up with overlooking the water. The Green Swans concept went down a storm. As it did the following day, 24 September, when I was in Brussels, keynoting the SDG Forum in The Square conference centre.

Interesting panel session followed this second keynote, moderated by Annabelle Van Nieuwenhuyse, the Belgian presenter, with (Baron) Pieter Timmermans (CEO of the Belgian Confederation of Industry, FEB), Launy Dondo (UK Belgian Youth Delegate for Sustainable Development), Marc Leemans (Chairman of the Christian Union, a trade union) and Nicolas Van Nuffel (Perspective 2030).

Timmermans could hardly have been more unreconstructed, effectively arguing that industry only creates solutions, not problems. It was almost as if he was trying to be a caricature. At one point he said that Green Swans “might fly, but if they are not fed and watered they will die.” Well, yes. Happily, though, the youth, union and think-tank panellists were all powerfully aligned with the Green Swan agenda. But a perhaps timely reminder of just how far we still have to go in some quarters.

‘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.