BLUE RUBICON

I first met Fiona Joyce from Blue Rubicon in the early 1990s when she was working with the plastics industry.  More recently, as a director of Blue Rubicon, she has asked me to be involved in a number of projects.  This includes introducing me to Morrisons and working with British Gas on Generation Green. 

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CHILLING FACTS

Did you know that as much as 30% of the carbon footprint of supermarkets come from the cooling gases used in their refrigeration systems?  And that's before you take account of the energy for powering equipment.  I've been working with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) on the Chilling Facts campaign set up to highlight the problem.  We want to get public attention focused on the issue so that supermarkets will switch to climate-friendly cooling gases. This is technically possible but the Chilling Facts survey launched at the beginning of February 2009 shows that supermarkets are being slow to switch.  See more about this on my blog .  Also send a letter to supermarkets asking them to do more which can be one on the Chilling facts website.

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EARTHCARE PRODUCTS

Earthcare are experts in reducing the environmental impact of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps.   They have both the technical expertise and knowledge on climate-change friendly coolants and energy efficiency.  And Nick Cox, who runs the organization is involved in the Chilling Facts campaign with the Environmental Investigation Agency. 

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EARTHLIFE

Through Earthlife's wide range of projects it aimed to promote the shift to technologies, lifestyles and economies based on the sustainable use of the planet's resources.  It's main campaign was to raise a large sum of money to underwrite the conservation of one of Africa's richest rainforests in the Cameroon.  I started working with John Elkington at Earthlife in 1986 on the publication Green Pages.  In 1987 we then moved to John's house in Barnes, from where we set up SustainAbility. 

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ECO-LABELLING

I have been involved in eco-labelling since its inception in the late 1980s.  After John Elkington and I wrote the original Green Consumer Guide we  had a number of people approach us to suggest that we set up our own scheme giving a ‘green consumer’ endorsement to products and services. We realized that this wasn’t practical or desirable and could take over our whole operations, so I was happy to join a government initiative exploring how to approach eco-labeling.

This evolved into the UK Eco-Labeling Board, which ran the UK part of the EC Eco-Labeling Scheme. And this was followed by the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE), where I was vice-chair.

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ECOS TRUST

Between 2005 and 2008 I sat on the board of the Ecos Trust, formerly known as the Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development.  This is a charity promoting sustainable building projects and lobbying for stronger regional policies on this issue.  They also have a membership – it's worth joining – and run training courses on eco-building issues.   I am now a Patron of the organisation.

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ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY

The Enviromental Investigation Agency (EIA) contacted me in 2008 for help in highlighting the huge climate change impact of supermarket refrigeration.  I suggested a survey ranking the supermarkets on their performance.   The EIA carried out this survey and with help from Nick Cox and me produced a league table, which was published early in 2009.   Radio 4’s Costing the Earth programme covered the issue and the Chilling Facts campaign was launched.   The idea is to carry out an annual survey and the 2009 results will be published around the end of the year.   Fionnuala Walravens is running the campaign – she is a world authority on climate-friendly refrigeration and represents the NGO perspective at international conferences.

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EXPLORATION ARCHITECTURE - MICHAEL PAWLYN

“Michael is one of the most passionate advocates of sustainable architecture I have ever met” says Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, founder of Grimshaw architectural practice, where Michael worked for 10 years. Whilst there he was a central part of the team behind the world famous Eden Project and when he left in 2007, he set up Exploration Architecture.

In describing Exploration Architecture, Michael says “We draw inspiration from nature to devise solutions that produce radical increases in resource efficiency – creating more from less”.

As well as lecturing on this theme, Michael has come up with some truly innovative and inspiring projects. One of these is a desalination plant, which uses one fifth of the energy of a conventional system, whilst at the same time creating the setting for a Water Theatre. This project was inspired by Namibian fog-basking beetle.

Another of Michael’s projects is ‘The Eco-Rainforest’ which demonstrates how to use waste going to landfill site to create a large and productive greenhouse as a visitor attraction – and make it hugely profitable too.

The commercial opportunities from Michael’s innovative, eco-system approach to sustainability is a common theme, as is his focus on using energy from the sun. And this is demonstrated in the Sahara Forest Project, which he is currently working on. The idea is to produce large quantities of renewable energy, food and water, whilst at the same time reversing desertification, using concentrated solar power to produce zero carbon electricity.

Michael laments the fact that in the carbon age it’s been far too easy to burn fossil fuels and use an excessive amount of resources. He says that we’ve lost the ability to be really ingenious. I think that Michael is the exception. His ideas are full of ingenuity and they inspire real hope for the future.

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FOOD CLIMATE RESEARCH NETWORK

The Food Climate Research Network brings together organizations and people researching the food system and how it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.   They have an excellent email information service with updates on initiatives relating to food and climate change. 

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FOOD ETHICS COUNCIL

I sit on the Food Ethics Council, which is a charity and independent think tank, challenging government, business and society to 'make wise choices that lead to better food and farming'.  I've also chaired the business forum meetings on 'food miles',  'meat consumption' and, most recently, on food labeling.

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GOOD BUSINESS

A strategic consultancy for responsible business practice - I’ve worked with Giles Gibbons, the founder director on a number of projects. 

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HISTORIC FUTURES

I’ve worked with this company on traceability in supply chains demonstrating the benefits - including improved efficiency and cost-saving - of knowing where and how products have been grown and made.  If you are interested in supply chain traceability, have a look at their website - click here

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JOHN ELKINGTON

Shortly after I returned from travelling in 1986, I started working with John Elkington.   In 1987 we co-founded SustainAbility and have written eight books together, including The Green Consumer Guide.  John continued at SustainAbility after I left and is still a director, although in 2008 he set up another organization called Volans Ventures.  

Ever since I met John he has been an inspiration to me.  Without him, I would never have embarked on an environmental career and I am tremendously grateful.  And I continue to be inspired by his huge intellect, his energy and his dedication to environmental causes.  

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JUPITER ASSET MANAGEMENT

Run by Jupiter Asset Management I was a Non-Executive Director of  Jupiter Global Green Investment Trust between 2001 and 2006, when it was rolled into a new fund - Jupiter Green.  The aim of JGGIT was to provide capital growth by investing worldwide in companies that responded positively to the challenge of environmental sustainability or were making a commitment to social well-being. JGGIT was advised by the Jupiter Environmental Research Unit, a team of full time researchers dedicated to the assessment of companies' environmental and ethical performance.  This team is led by Emma Howard Boyd.  In 2006 this fund was rolled into Jupiter Green, which invests in environmental solutions - it has a new board of directors.  

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OUT OF THIS WORLD

OUT OF THIS WORLD - I was a Non-Executive Director of Out of This World between 1994 and 2000, when I stood down.  The idea was to create a chain of ethical supermarkets around the country, as a co-operative. Although only a few stores opened, OOTW had a large membership and in 2002 won an award for the UK's Best established Retail Store.  But in 2007 it had to close down, largely because of competition from larger supermarkets stocking more ethical produce.  There is one shop remaining in Beeston near Nottingham. 

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PEARLFISHER

Jonathan Ford and Mike Branson are directors of Pearlfisher - A leading edge design consultancy that includes Green & Black chocolate and Innocent Drinks as clients.  I've been working with them on packaging issues.  Jonathan is also a Trustee of Haller.

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RESOURCE RECOVERY NETWORK

RRF is an international non-profit network of organizations interested in waste management.  The organisation was set up to research and promote the effective recovery of natural resources from waste, taking into account environmental, social and economic considerations.

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SECOND NATURE

Set up by Charles Perry and Mark Griffiths in 2009, Second Nature is advising companies on sustainability issues.  Clients include Tesco, the Conservative Party and Shell.   We plan to work together on future projects and have already started with Shell.

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STEVEN LOVERIDGE

Steven Loveridge has been brilliant in helping me transform my website.  He has cleaned up the design, re-organised all the data, introduced live updates and rolling photos, as well as made sure all the links and margins are working properly.   He has also improved my google search profile (search engine optimisation) and sorted out the analytics so I know how many site visitors I have.  The other web services he offers include copywriting and optimising websites for business sales.   Find out more by visiting his website - www.stevenloveridge.net, emailing him on steven@stevenloveridge.com or telephoning on 01308 867200.

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UNEP GLOBAL 500

In 1989 both John Elkington and I were elected to the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honour for outstanding environmental achievement. In 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, I joined the Global 500 Committee, which was set up to promote the work of the award winning laureates from around the world.  See Global 500 website for more information.

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