Ed Gillespie (sustainability professional)

Last updated

Edward Roger Martin Gillespie
Born28 June 1972[ citation needed ]
Norfolk, England, UK[ citation needed ]
Occupation(s)Inspirational keynote speaker and futurist
Known forCo-Founded wearefuterra.com, Director of Greenpeace UK
Notable workwearefuterra.com

Ed Gillespie is a British environmental entrepreneur, speaker, futurist, and author. His focus is on sustainability and innovation.

Contents

Early life and education

He grew up in Norfolk, attending Norwich School. Afterwards he was a volunteer for Project Trust as a teacher in Above Rocks, Jamaica. He completed an BSc in marine biology at the University of Wales and continued in this discipline by undertaking a MSc in Marine Resource Development and Protection at Heriot-Watt University.

After this his focus shifted to business as he enrolled in a Professional Masters in Leadership for Sustainable Development at Middlesex University, a course run by sustainable development charity Forum for the Future. [1] While there he met Townsend, with whom he co-founded Futerra. [2]

Career

Gillespie started his professional career as an Environmental Development Manager at London Transport. Before this he had worked for the Survival Natural History Film Unit and as a marine biologist in Australia, New Caledonia and Orkney.

In 2001, he co-founded Futerra Sustainability Communications with Solitaire Townsend. He left the business in January 2019 [3] to pursue other opportunities in public speaking through the London Speaker Bureau, [4] with the Forward Institute - where he works as a facilitator on responsible leadership development [5] and with start-up businesses. [6]

In 2007/8, he traveled around the world without flying, during which he wrote a regular popular column for the Guardian/Observer called "The Slow Traveller". [7] His passion for slow travel led him to invest in, and become chairman of European Rail Business Loco2. [8] This business was sold to SNCF in 2017.

Gillespie has held a number of senior advisory positions and directorships. These include as a non-executive Director for Zero Carbon Food, [9] he was a London Sustainable Development Commissioner for several years, [10] was a director of carbon emissions campaigning organisation Sandbag [11] and an investor in Foodtrade. [12]

He is currently a Director at Greenpeace UK, [13] a Trustee at Energy Revolution [14] and an investor in a wide range of entrepreneurial businesses including Panda Packaging, [15] Piclo, [16] Raw Bottles, [17] Bennaman, [18] Engaged Tracking, [19] Common Objective [20] and Small Robot Company. [21]

Along with fellow futurist Mark Stevenson he is half of the Futurenauts at the Atlas of the Future, and has both spoken at and co-hosted their annual Fixing the Future event in Barcelona.

Publications and public speaking

Gillespie co-presents The Great Humbling podcast with Dark Mountain co-founder Dougald Hine.

Gillespie also co-presents Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts - How to survive the Apocalypse with his fellow futurist Mark Stevenson and 'Britain's 3rd most loved comedian' Jon Richardson.

Gillespie is a regular contributor to The Guardian , which began back in 2007 with his Slow Traveller blog. [22] This developed into commentary on topics around sustainable business, climate change and environmental communications. [23] He still writes on sustainable travel for Conde Nast Traveller.

In June 2014, Wild Things Publishing published Ed's first book, Only Planet . [24] [25] The book is based on his 2007/8 trip and the Independent described it as allowing "the world's flaws and beauty to seep into your soul". [26]

Gillespie is regularly invited to lecture around the world to audiences, including the UN, national governments, multinational corporations and citizen organizations. He has given two TEDx talks, the first in 2010 about the importance of embedding sustainability into business strategy in a talk titled 'Sustainability, the reinvention of progress' [27] and the second in Hackney in 2015 on the future of food in 'We literally are what we eat'. [28]

Gillespie is interested in the power of creative writing to inspire change, writes poetry and publishes other articles on his Medium page.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Monbiot</span> English writer and political activist (born 1963)

George Joshua Richard Monbiot is a British journalist, author, and environmental and political activist. He writes a regular column for The Guardian and has written several books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lynas</span> British author and journalist (born 1973)

Mark Lynas is a British author and journalist whose work is focused on environmentalism and climate change. He has written for the New Statesman, The Ecologist, Granta and Geographical magazines, and The Guardian and The Observer newspapers in the UK, as well as The New York Times and The Washington Post in the United States; he also worked on and appeared in the film The Age of Stupid. He was born in Fiji, grew up in Peru, Spain and the United Kingdom and holds a degree in history and politics from the University of Edinburgh. He has published several books including Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet (2007) and The God Species: Saving the Planet in the Age of Humans (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Steffen</span> American journalist and futurist

Alex Steffen is an American futurist and advocate of 'bright green environmentalism' who writes and speaks about sustainability and the future of the planet. He emphasizes the importance of imagining persuasive, positive possible futures: "It's literally true that we can't build what we can't imagine,... The fact that we haven't compellingly imagined a thriving, dynamic, sustainable world is a major reason we don't already live in one."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathon Porritt</span> British environmentalist (born 1950)

Sir Jonathon Espie Porritt, 2nd Baronet, CBE is a British environmentalist and writer. He is known for his advocacy of the Green Party of England and Wales. Porritt frequently contributes to magazines, newspapers and books, and appears on radio and television.

<i>Metropolis</i> (architecture magazine) American architecture and design magazine

Metropolis is an internationally recognized design and architecture–concentrated magazine with a strong focus on ethics, innovation and sustainability in the creative sector. The magazine was established in 1981 by Horace Havemeyer III of Bellerophon Publications, Inc alongside his wife Eugenie Cowan Havemeyer and is based in New York City. Metropolis's work towards future focused is based in their motto "design at all scales".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuel phase-out</span> Gradual reduction of the use and production of fossil fuels

Fossil fuel phase-out is the gradual reduction of the use and production of fossil fuels to zero, to reduce air pollution, limit climate change, and strengthen energy independence. It is part of the ongoing renewable energy transition, but is being hindered by fossil fuel subsidies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix Dodds</span> British author, futurist, and activist

Felix Dodds, born Michael Nicholas Dodds, is a British author, futurist, and activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitaire Townsend</span>

Solitaire Townsend is a female entrepreneur, sustainability expert, TED speaker and author. She co-founded the change agency Futerra in 2001, now one of the leading sustainability agencies in the world, working with the world’s most influential organisations to activate social justice and environmental restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Goodall</span> English businessman, author and expert on new energy technologies

Christopher Frank William Goodall is an English businessman, author and expert on new energy technologies. He is an alumnus of St Dunstan's College, University of Cambridge, and Harvard Business School (MBA). He was the Green Party candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2024 general election, having run in the same constituency in 2010. He writes Carbon Commentary, a free newsletter on global advances in clean energy. His latest book, Possible: Ways to Net Zero, was published by Profile Books in March 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Wide Fund for Nature</span> International non-governmental environmental organization

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States. WWF is the world's largest conservation organization, with over five million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries and supporting around 3,000 conservation and environmental projects. They have invested over $1 billion in more than 12,000 conservation initiatives since 1995. WWF is a foundation with 65% of funding from individuals and bequests, 17% from government sources and 8% from corporations in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Boyle (Moneyless Man)</span> Irish writer

Mark Boyle, also known as The Moneyless Man, is an Irish writer best known for living without money from November 2008, and for living without modern technology since 2016. Boyle writes regularly for the British newspaper The Guardian, and has written about his experiences in a couple of books. His first book, The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living, was published in 2010. His fourth book, The Way Home: Tales from a life without technology, was published in 2019. Boyle lives near Loughrea, in the west of Ireland.

Arthur Neslen is a British-born journalist and author. Nelsen has especially covered Middle East issues, fossil lobbies' influence on European institutions and climate change. He served as journalist for Haaretz, Jane's Information Group, The Observer, The Guardian, and as a correspondent for the websites of The Economist and al-Jazeera. NGOs credited policy changes at the European commission, international financial institutions and wildlife regulatory agencies in part to Neslen’s work.

Low-impact development (LID) has been defined as "development which through its low negative environmental impact either enhances or does not significantly diminish environmental quality".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HOME (Manchester)</span> Arts centre in Manchester, England

HOME is an arts centre, cinema and theatre complex in Manchester, England. With five cinemas, two theatres and 500 m2 (5,400 sq ft) of gallery space, it is one of the few arts organisations to commission, produce and present work across film, theatre and visual art.

Raileurope.co.uk is an online booking service for train travel in the United Kingdom and Europe. It sells tickets through its website and via its smartphone app which is available on iOS and Android platforms.

<i>Only Planet</i> 2014 book by Ed Gillespie

Only Planet is a book by environment entrepreneur Ed Gillespie about his flight-free adventure around the world. Published in June 2014 by Wild Things Publishing, the book embraces environmentally-sustainable slow travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert (organisation)</span> Environmental certification for film and television productions

Albert is an environmental organisation aiming to encourage sustainable film and television production. Albert began as a carbon footprint calculator for productions at the BBC, a tool which was subsequently donated to a new Albert organisation headed by BAFTA in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow fashion</span> Concept in sustainable fashion

Slow fashion is an aspect of sustainable fashion and a concept antithetical to fast fashion. It is part of the "slow movement" advocating for clothing and apparel manufactured with respect to people, the environment and animals. As such, contrary to the industrial practices of fast fashion conglomerates, slow fashion involves local artisans and the use of eco-friendly materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary health diet</span> Flexitarian diet created by the EAT-Lancet commission

The planetary health diet, also called a planetary diet or planetarian diet, is a flexitarian diet created by the EAT-Lancet commission as part of a report released in The Lancet on 16 January 2019. The aim of the report and the diet it developed is to create dietary paradigms that have the following aims:

Green recovery packages are proposed environmental, regulatory, and fiscal reforms to rebuild prosperity in the wake of an economic crisis, such as the COVID-19 recession or the 2007–2008 financial crisis. They pertain to fiscal measures that intend to recover economic growth while also positively benefitting the environment, including measures for renewable energy, efficient energy use, nature-based solutions, sustainable transport, green innovation and green jobs, amongst others.

References

  1. ↑ "Leadership for Sustainable Development". Forum for the Future. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Lock, Helen (20 September 2017). "Businesses on the couch: the co-founders in couples' therapy". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. ↑ Lock, Helen (20 September 2017). "Businesses on the couch: the co-founders in couples' therapy". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Ed Gillespie – Keynote Speaker". londonspeakerbureau.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "Team & Board". Forward Institute. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Global Goals Accelerator ⋆ Futerra". Futerra. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Gillespie, Ed (18 March 2007). "The slow traveller: A bumpy start". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "team". Loco2. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Team | Zero Carbon FoodZero Carbon Food". Zerocarbonfood.co.uk. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Ed Gillespie". Londonsdc.org. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Who we are". Sandbag. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "ed gillespie". FoodTrade. Retrieved 2 March 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Board of directors". Greenpeace UK. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ed Gillespie". Energy Revolution. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Panda Packaging". www.pandapackaging.co.uk. 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  16. ↑ "piclo.energy". piclo.energy. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  17. ↑ "RAW Bottles". Realising Another World. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  18. ↑ "Bennamann Ltd – Bennamann creates solutions that transform the biomethane value chain" . Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  19. ↑ "Engaged Tracking | Climate Portfolio Optimisation". EngagedTracking. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  20. ↑ "Sustainable Fashion | Do Fashion Better | Common Objective". www.commonobjective.co. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  21. ↑ "Small Robot Company". Small Robot Company. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "Slow Traveller | From the Observer". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ed Gillespie". The Guardian. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  24. ↑ "Only Planet". Only Planet. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Webb, Flemmich (12 June 2014). "Only Planet by Ed Gillespie, book review: Allow world's flaws and". The Independent. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  26. ↑ "Only Planet by Ed Gillespie, book review: Allow world's flaws and". The Independent. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  27. ↑ "Responsible Marketing". VLearn.org. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  28. ↑ We literally are what we eat | Ed Gillespie | TEDxHackney , retrieved 22 December 2019
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.