Last week I went to Bestival, a music festival on the Isle of Wight. In between the bands, the fireworks and the queuing for portaloos, I found the time to visit the ‘Bestiversity’ tent. Above the noise of the nearby solar-powered bandstand, I listened to a talk given by John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, and his brother Rob, MD at Vestas UK.
The talk was interesting, discussing everything from wind turbines to composting toilets. There was also some lively debate, especially concerning Greenpeace’s opposition to nuclear power.
But that wasn’t all I took from the session. Perhaps it was to be expected from a tent-full of hardcore environmentalists, but the attitude towards corporates in the room was dismissive to say the least. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was heaped with praise for its work on the circular economy, but mentioning partner companies like BT, B&Q and National Grid didn’t win me many points. Even Rob Sauven, extolling the virtues of cheap, clean wind power, was somehow seen as “not one of us”.
This is depressing.
Environmentalists are all too ready to dismiss impressive corporate progress on sustainability as “greenwash”, simply because the man in the business suit is still seen as the enemy.
A circular economy means an end to short-termism and unsustainable growth. It does not mean an end to capitalism. Greenpeace and other NGOs rightly hound the bad guys for chopping down rainforests and spewing poisonous gases. But they could do far more to encourage the good guys – the companies who are really making positive changes.
As Stevie Wonder sang to a rapturous crowd on the last night of Bestival: “You may say that I’m a dreamer; But I’m not the only one.”