THE BACK PAGE
Notes from Selsdon
I
t happens. You wait four years
for a chance to meet an envi-
ronment secretary then two
opportunities present themselves
in the space of a month.
As a constituent of the London
Borough of Westminster, this
magazine’s very own Rob Barton
was invited by his local MP,
Karen Buck to an after-hours
Q&A surgery session with ener-
gy and climate change secretary,
Ed Miliband. Little did Ms Buck
know that Rob works for a cli-
mate change magazine, or that he
would invite as his guest the edi-
tor of said magazine. I’d seen
Miliband speak many times
before. His patter is incredibly
well versed and having only been
in the post a few months, he is
well on top of his brief.
But this was a different sort of
meeting. Ed wanted to talk about
global warming, and “the need
for a partnership. Between gov-
ernment. Business. And the pub-
lic”. The audience – mainly pen- Everybody should paint their house white to
sioners and nosey neighbours –
wanted to know what the govern-
ease global warming. Except Barack. His house
ment plans to do about air quali-
is already white ha ha ha ha...
ty in London. Or in Westminster,
more specifically.
2 hours ago from web
It was all very strange.
Rob and I managed to pose our tomers in meeting new regulation we’d really like him to endorse it
questions to the minister and, like like the CRC. The pensioners and offer a three-minute speech
Twitter-me-not
all good politicians, he did his turned their noses up. They want- on the government’s climate
best to completely avoid answer- ed to know why their rubbish change agenda. I didn’t think it Following the unlikely
ing them. Instead, he seemed to collections had gone fortnightly. had sunk in, as he stared back at musings of those engaged
give an answer to a fictitious me with a glazed-over look. But, in spreading the sustainability
question; one that hadn’t been flanked by two of his trusted pol- message via the social
posed at all. In any case, our ques- icy advisors, he thrust himself networking phenomenon.
tions were out of sorts. Mine was T
he next time I met
Miliband was at his DECC
offices in Whitehall. under the camera’s spotlight and This month: Steven Chu, US
about how the government can Unable to be there in person for delivered a time-perfect speech in energy secretary
use its performance on environ- last month’s SB – The Event one take. What a pro!
mental issues as a vote-winner (something to do with not being
and Rob’s was about companies able to get his expenses signed off
passing on the costs/savings for a £132 train ticket
to cus- to Birmingham, per- T
he Award for Most
Resource Efficient
Business Card of the
haps), he did agree to Month goes to eco
3
.A colleague
record a message for of mine picked this up at
us. When he arrived Sustainabilitylive!
(an hour late) I Basically, it’s a sticker, stuck on
shook his hand, anything that resembles the size
explained to him and shape of a standard business NEXT MONTH
how important card; an old train ticket, or other The next issue of Sustainable
the conference piece of card cut to size. Business will hit your desks
was and that Wonderful stuff, eh? on 3 July
Sustainable Business 35❘ June 2009
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