Environmental literacy articles
Our Oaken Bones, by Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison was burned out and in a very fragile psychological state. Additional personal traumas led Merlin and his wife to seek refuge on the family’s farm. There they found calm and healing.
From What Is to What If, by Rob Hopkins
This book reminds us that if we’re to achieve a positive future, we need to be able to imagine it. But we need to do this when, for most of us, this important human trait is undervalued and in danger of being snuffed out.
On a Wandering Planet, by Jean Harrison
The story follows one, lonely driver as she tries to reconcile her initial support for the idea with her increasing isolation and dislocation from nature and from other people.
Godstorm, by Solitaire Townsend
This is climate fiction dressed up in an imagined past where the Roman Empire persisted at least until the 1600s, helped by the discovery and exploitation of oil.
Business Decision Making
I know, – decision making in your business is difficult enough. But this is one of the most important courses we’ve put together.
Doing Business on a Sick Planet
The planet we live on and do business on is sick. Although we don’t need to look too far to recognise this, we still don’t factor it into our business decision-making either in the short or long-term.
Venomous Lumpsucker, by Ned Beauman
If there could be an entertaining read about the horrors of mass extinction, this is it!
A Course I Always Wanted To Write
It’s encouraging owners and managers of businesses to make changes in the way they think about the environment or the way they make business decisions.
Is climate breakdown causing mass migration?
There is no doubt that climate breakdown leads to drought, crop failure and hunger; or floods; or other extreme weather conditions. These, in turn, force people to leave their homes. But does this lead to cross-border migration?
Net zero walking?
I found myself spending some of the day thinking about the environmental impact of hill walking as an activity.
Tree planting in the Dales: an opportunity to view
As a result of my financial contribution, the Trust was able to plant two native broadleaf trees in Ormsgill Wood, near Airton and a few days ago, we attended an Open Day to have a look at the series of woodlands that have been developed.
Friends of the Dales
I was pleased to be invited to talk to the policy committee of Friends of the Dales about climate breakdown.
Build, build, build!
In his attempt to kickstart the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Prime Minister urged us to “Build, Build, Build!” . If this is going to happen, how can we make sure the new houses we need also coincide with our goals for a zero-carbon Britain?
Climate lockdown?
What we can learn from the Covid-19 lockdown for the longer-term restrictions in our normal way of life that are likely to arise from climate breakdown? Are we heading for a climate lockdown?
Sustainable purpose
A meeting was recently convened by Ben Kellard, Director of Business Strategy at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). The meeting drew together a number of eminent thinkers from the field of business sustainability to discuss what they considered to be represented by the term “sustainable purpose”.
The future of the UK motor industry
The future of the UK Motor Industry raises some interesting issues but before we can consider this, we first need to look at the current situation.
Swallows: an update
Since I wrote about the arrival of the swallows on 15 May, I have hardly seen a swallow here.
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