Visiting the rainforests might save them! (Mar25)
I’m not someone who buries their head in the sand—or in this case, the trees—but I can’t stand to hear about the world’s forests being obliterated. Especially the rainforests. They are beautiful, wild, untamed, brimming with life in a way that no human creation could ever be. And yet, we treat them like an infinite […]
The Pantanal changed my life (Nov24)
Have you ever been to the Pantanal in Brazil? I have. It was spectacular. But it was also life-changing. It was 1983. I stood gazing over a magnificent rainforest stretching into the distance overwhelmed by how wonderful it was. I’m not religious at all but for me, this was spiritual. But then I heard the […]
Saving frogs and forests in Ghana (mar24)
Do you love frogs? You’re not alone. I love them too. Last week, I met an inspiring man – Dr Caleb Ofori-Boeteng – who has made it his life’s mission to champion the cause of frogs in Ghana. We were in London at an event organised by Rainforest Trust UK which is supporting him and his work. […]
My Manifesto for COP26 and beyond(Oct21)
I’m delighted that Cop26 is getting a lot of attention. I think it’s great that young people – with Greta leading the charge – are voicing their anger at what’s happening to the climate. It’s incredibly positive that more and more businesses around the world are trying to make meaningful changes. Not so good is […]
Green Consumer Compilation – TV Clips with Julia Hailes from 1988-90
Many people will be surprised to know how much interest there was about green consumerism in the late 80s and early 1990s. It was kicked off by the publication of The Green Consumer Guide, co-authored by myself and John Elkington, in 1988. The book had 11 print runs in the first month, shot to the […]
TV Clips tropical hardwoods and destruction of the rainforests – Julia Hailes 1989/90.
If there was ever a moment when I decided to dedicate my life to the environment, it was witnessing the forests being destroyed in the Mato Grosso in Brazil. I could see dense forest stretching for miles into the distance and then shockingly heard the sound of chain saws. Here are a few clips of […]
COVID 19 MAY BE THE BOILING FROG WE NEED (MAR20)
I remember referring to the boiling frogs analogy in speeches about 20 years ago. Some of you may remember that it was used by Al Gore in An Inconvenient Truth to help us understand why the world is not doing enough to avert calamitous climate change. If you put a frog into a pan of […]
Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (Nov10)
There was a lot of talk about de-coupling. But they weren’t referring to what people get up to in laybys. It was a Unilever inspired session on sustainable consumption, which I watched as a webcast. De-coupling in this case was all about ‘green growth’ – whether it’s possible for a company to both increase profits […]
My goldfish died along with Labour – Here’s my coalition manifesto (May10)
Zac Goldsmith, formerly editor of the Ecologist, gets elected in Richmond Chris Huhne – New Minster for Energy and Environment Caroline Lucas – the first Green MP in the UK My goldfish died in the night. I’ve posthumously named him ‘Gordon’. It seems rather propitious that their floundering exit coincided. And […]
The Environmental Investigation Agency – Fighting Eco-Crime (Mar10)
I’ve been made a lifetime member of the Environmental Investigation Agency or EIA for short. I think this campaigning organisation fighting eco-crime should be getting more attention. Founded in 1984, the EIA is rather unique in its approach to campaigns. Whether it’s illegal logging, smuggling ozone-destroying chemicals or trading in endangered species, they have under-cover […]
Save the rainforests (Jun07)
South American travels Cool Earth has really hit the news this week. So much so that when I went to look at their website it had crashed from too much interest. To me that’s really good news (the popularity of the site rather than the technical problems) because the main aim of Cool Earth is […]