Leeds MBA Lecture on Sustainable Business

Yesterday, I delivered a 3-hour lecture on sustainable business to the Leeds MBA students. I was impressed by two things: first, that the sustainable business module is a compulsory part of the MBA, and second, that the class profile was so culturally diverse.

The lecture was followed by a wonderful dinner at what my host - course director William (Xiuping) Sun - assured us is the best (and most authentic) Chinese restaurant in Leeds. As a vegetarian, the Beijing duck (not to mention the pigs' intestines) were a bit lost on me, but there was some tasty "faceless" options too.

I discovered a few great sculptures in Leeds too. For more of my photos of Leeds, see: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026518&id=1294455003

Musings on Georgia

21 Nov 09 - How privileged I am. Here I am in the old town of Tbilisi on a glorious day in Georgia. The air is bitingly fresh and the sky is blue. The city is like a colourfully painted crypt, discovered amidst the rubble of socio-political conflict and economic uncertainty. Many people are poor, and yet there is a rich heritage of traditions, art and history.

Georgia seems to me a country struggling to emerge from the shadow of the world. There is a beauty here, and warmth, but the sun is shining on other places and nobody notices. Tourism is massively underdeveloped and yet holds vast potential.

Georgia is full of stories to delight. Tbilisi itself – which means ‘warm’ – is founded on a legend about a king who was hunting with his falcon. The pheasant he caught fell into the sulphur hot springs and by the time it was retrieved, it was cooked and ready to eat. So he ordered that a town be established around the springs.

For more of my Georgia photos, see: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026266&id=1294455003

Reflections on Armenia

21 Nov 09 - Armenia has a proud and long history, being the first country to be a state-declared Christian nation (in 301 AD). It has all the characteristics of a small nation (3 million) that has suffered many conflicts and yet managed to hold onto its identity.

Both Armenia and Georgia retain the imprint of their communist past, but the people seem to have (for the most part) moved on. It’s almost as if the building still stands, but has been completely renovated and redesigned. The State is most visible now in the excessive presence of the traffic police, as if the exercising of authority had to find an outlet somewhere.

In the short time I was there, I had a chance to explore the Cascades – a real treat for a scultophile like me. Here too, there are stories. One is of a flower-seller who every day used to give free blooms to the beautiful women who passed on the street. As a tribute to his generosity, when he died, the city erected a statue of him.

For more of my Armenia photos, go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026263&id=1294455003

Impressions of Berlin

Berlin is a city of surprises to savour, full of delights to discover. Sadly, this was an ‘all work and no play’ trip. Even so, I am struck by two things.

First, the sense of renewal. Because so much new building and deliberate investment in regeneration took place after the fall of the wall, the city has an ultra-modern façade. Glass architecture proliferates, giving an impression of light and space.

This is reinforced by the actual existence of space. Apparently, as Berlin was essentially an island city, with little opportunity to travel beyond its borders, its citizens treasured the open natural spaces all the more. As a result, post-unification, these open spaces have been vehemently protected.

The second impression is of the avant garde. Graffiti covers much of the city, but has apparently been embraced as art. (Another theory is that the city is bankrupt and can’t afford to clean it up). Besides the graffiti, the city is liberally sprinkled with sculptures, museums and theatres. It’s almost as if the years of oppression and suppression have seeded its opposite - the darkness and claustrophobic replaced by light and space; the rules and restrictions exchanged for artistic freedom and expression.

These may be superficial impressions and unfounded insights, but if nothing else, they have whet my appetite to return and explore more thoroughly.

Westminster Sustainability Photo Competition

On 10 November, I was on the judging panel for a sustainability-themed photography competition, held by the University of Westminster.

It was a great reminder not only that "a picture paints a thousand words", but also that we need creativity to get us across the chasm to a sustainable future. As we so often say at the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, you can't scare people into change. We all need to be inspired by a positive vision of responsibility and sustainability.

The winners will be exhibited at the P3 Gallery, Marylebone, from the 14th – 22nd of December 2009

Women of Africa (video)

I was meant to attend the "Destiny Dinner" in London on Saturday, organised by Zimbabwean Yvonne Marimo, and read this poem, which I composed especially for the event. Unfortunately, work has taken me to Azerbaijan and I am unable to attend in person.

So I recorded this video of me reading the poem, which will be shown. The sound-sync is a bit out - probably something to do with the fact that I recorded it in a hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia - but hopefully you get the idea. For more information, see www.destinydinners.com.

Faustus

I went to see the play of Christopher Marlowe's Faustus at the Mumford Theatre in Cambridge last night. It's such an archetypal story - even to the point of cliché: making a bargain with the devil - worldly success and pleasure in exchange for your soul. This, together with the none-too-subtle religious finger-wagging, meant I went along with low expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the "soul-searching" dialogue was quite evocative, the acting was good and it was not hard to generalise the message beyond its theocratic straight jacket. The play had a modern interpretation, which I enjoyed and some creative miming to animate the 7 deadly sins.

Even so, it left me wanting to go back to the original. Somehow, the medieval language brings the poetry and plot alive. After all, what are the chances of modernising the epilogue below, without losing something in translation?

Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight,

And burned is Apollo's laurel bough,
That sometime grew within this learned man.
Faustus is gone.