Footdown helps launch the first World Peace Festival October 2009
Footdown helps launch the first World Peace Festival through Entrepreneurs with Conscience, kindly hosted at the RBS International Banking Centre, Bishopsgate, London on 12 November 2009.
“Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.” – Hafsat Abiola, Nigerian human rights activist...
Children lead the way on tackling climate change 1st May 2009
As I helped myself to a drink at Wednesday’s Project Genie launch by The London Leaders, I was fortunate enough to encounter a number of the 10 and 11 year old children who had spoken so eloquently of their experience of the Project Genie programme earlier in the afternoon. When I asked how their parents reacted to the children’s efforts to interest them in reducing their carbon footprint, they were all keen to share their stories...
Why entrepreneurs?...
Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Winston Churchill
Today’s agents of change are often individual entrepreneurs and increasingly they are listening to their consciences and applying the talents they used in building their businesses to tackle major social problems... Read: Why Entrepreneurs?
Don’t let it go...
On a sunny April evening in Bath, Midge Ure reprised his pivotal 1984 role in pricking the nation’s conscience by urging an audience of entrepreneurs and other businesspeople “not to let it go” in the fight to tackle climate change. Midge was joined on the stage of the Roman Baths by the leaders of three major environmental NGOs, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and The Climate Group.
The main purpose of the evening was to demonstrate to the entrepreneurs in the audience what they could do as individuals, both professionally and personally, and to highlight the astonishing array of business opportunities that the global, long term problem of climate change offers for those with the wisdom to spot them. The main vehicle for communicating this was a specially commissioned film featuring interviews with entrepreneurs already taking advantage of low carbon business opportunities.
Following on from the success of the Bath event we will be organising similar events in other cities in the UK. Our priority for these events remains convincing the UK business community to act by inspiring our best entrepreneurs to take the simple, practical steps in their professional and personal lives to both reduce the causes of climate change and mitigate its effects.
We believe that entrepreneurs, more than any other group in society, are uniquely placed to show leadership in tackling climate change.
Climate change is affecting us now so why aren’t we more concerned?
We experience the effects of climate change as weather and, since April 2007, we have witnessed exceptional annual floods in India, Bangladesh and China that have killed thousands and affected millions more. Closer to home, tens of thousands of people had to live without water and electricity during unprecedented summer flooding in Yorkshire and Gloucestershire. While forest fires rage around the globe destroying lives, property and habitat and turning vast areas of natural beauty into moonscapes... Read: Climate change?
“What a brilliant opportunity to look at the greatest challenge of the 21st century, and there are business opportunities.” Steve Howard, Founder and CEO of the Climate Group
And, with uncanny prescience:
“When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed
of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” John F Kennedy
"If I could get 25 of the biggest music stars in one room to contribute to a song that no one had heard before why can't a group of entrepreneurs get together and use their talents to make a difference?" Midge Ure
