The Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Dame Ellen MacArthur, sailor and well-known long distance yachtswoman, has brought together a panel of experts to help her in her quest for a design and systems revolution.

The Independent Experts Advisory Panel will work with her charitable Ellen MacArthur Foundation as she challenges business and society to ‘rethink the future’ of resources and energy sources, industrial processes and infrastructure.

Panel member Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognised authority on creativity and innovation in business and education. His skills have been employed by governments, international agencies, Fortune 500 companies and the world’s leading cultural organisations.

He is joined on the panel by award-winning policy advisors; authors; energy & environment experts; and leading Oxford, Cambridge, Surrey and York university professors. Members will share the latest research and thinking on a range of issues including economics, the built environment, transport and agriculture.

MacArthur said:

“It’s vital that we can draw upon the expertise of an impartial, cross-sector knowledge base that does not represent corporate interests. I am delighted that we have achieved that with this panel. They are some of the best people in their fields and we welcome their valuable input.”

In the ‘Circular Economy’ model MacArthur endorses, waste becomes food for another cycle or process rather than thrown away; finite resources are kept in a ‘closed loop’ rather than simply being used until they run out. It replaces the linear take-make-dispose model of consumption and requires a redesign of products and services. This means big decisions for business – including Founding Partners B&Q, BT & CISCO, National Grid and Renault – which the yachtswoman says must have the foresight to adjust.

MacArthur – who completed the Vendée Globe solo circumnavigation race and then broke the non-stop solo world record – spent five years engaging government, business, NGOs and the public sector before launching her Foundation in September last year. She has since been recognised as a ‘powerful environmental advocate’ and ‘youth educator’ in both The Observer’s Green Power List and The Guardian’s Top 100 Women.

The panel in detail.

The Independent Experts Advisory Panel remains separate from the Foundation’s governance through its board of Trustees. Its missions are to:

• Help enhance the quality of the content the Foundation produces
• Help remain at the forefront of new developments both in terms of technology and ideas
• Keep an open channel of communication with leading professionals, in order to seek scientific validation or advice

The panel comprises:

Sir Ken Robinson, PhD
An internationally recognised leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources. He speaks to audiences throughout the world on the creative challenges facing business and education in the new global economies. Sir Ken is Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Warwick in the UK and has worked with governments in Europe, Asia and the United States, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. His renowned talks at the annual TED conference (2006 and 2010) continue to be viewed online by many millions of people around the world. In 2003, he received a knighthood from H.M. Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts. In 2005 he was named as one of Time/Fortune/CNN’s Principal Voices. He has received numerous honorary degrees and awards for his international work in education, creativity and cultural development. He is author of New York Times bestseller The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, which has been translated into 20 languages.

Professor Tim Jackson
The UK’s first Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Research group on Lifestyles, Values and Environment (RESOLVE) at the University of Surrey’s Centre for Environmental Strategy. Has been at the forefront of research and teaching in sustainability for over 20 years and has led numerous research and policy initiatives on sustainable consumption and production in the UK and abroad. Co-authored the first Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare for the UK (1996) and has served in numerous advisory positions in the UK Government, the European Commission and the UN. Was Economics Commissioner to the UK Sustainable Development Commission from 2004 to 2011 where he led the Redefining Prosperity programme. This work culminated in the publication of his groundbreaking book ‘Prosperity without Growth: economics for a finite planet’ which has been translated into 12 languages worldwide.

Professor Peter Guthrie, OBE
The UK’s first Professor for Engineering for Sustainable Development and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Cambridge University’s Department of Engineering. Vice-President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the late 1990s; a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; and Vice-Chair of DEFRA’s Scientific Advisory Council until 2011. A founder of RedR, a charity that provides engineers and other personnel to relief agencies in disasters. Awarded an OBE in 1994.

Peter Head CBE, Consultant and Former Chairman of Global Planning, Arup
Arup’s Global Leader of Planning is recognised for his work in major projects, advanced composite technology and sustainable city development. Champions sustainable development principals that can improve the return on public and private investments in the built environment. Peter Head has received an OBE for successfully delivering the Second Severn Crossing; has the Award of Merit of IABSE; won the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal and the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind. Nominated by Time magazine as one of 30 global eco-heroes (2008).

Professor David Banister
Professor of Transport Studies at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Acted as advisor to several government departments including Defra, DfT, DECC, Cabinet Office, and the NAO) and was a member of numerous Research Council Committees. Awarded the Transport Policy Prize for his 2008 Transport Policy paper ‘The Sustainable Mobility Paradigm’ at the 12th World Conference on Transport Research.

Professor James Clark
Director of the Green Chemistry Centre, University of York with over 70 graduate researchers and support staff working on research, industrial collaboration, education and networking in green and sustainable chemistry. Founding Scientific Editor for the world’s leading journal in the field, Green Chemistry, holds the Chair of Industrial & Applied Chemistry and is President of the Green Chemistry Network. James has led the Green Chemistry movement in Europe over the last 10 years and has won numerous awards and distinctions including the 2011 Royal Society of Chemistry Environment Prize.

Colin Tudge
A biologist by education and a writer by trade with a lifelong interest in the philosophy of science, politics, and agriculture. Has worked for New Scientist, BBC Radio 3 and Farmers Weekly and published about 15 books on natural history, evolution, food and farming – of which the latest, published in 2011, is ‘Good Food for Everyone Forever’. In 2009, together with his wife, he founded the Campaign for Real Farming and the College for Enlightened Agriculture.

Dr. Michel Pimbert
Team Leader for Agroecology and Food Sovereignty at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). An agricultural ecologist by training, he previously worked at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India, the University François Rabelais de Tours in France, and the World Wide Fund for Nature in Switzerland. Has also done research for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).

Jean-Marc Jancovici
One of France’s most prominent energy experts, and co-founder of the Carbone 4 consultancy which provides strategic counselling on energy-related matters. He played a key role in the build-up to the French “Grenelle of Environnement”, a national conference bringing together the government, local authorities, trade unions, business and voluntary sectors to draw up a plan of action of concrete measures. He is a guest lecturer at ParisTech Mines (engineering school) and the author of several books.

Original Article

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