New music: Shopping - All Or Nothing
One of my finds of 2020 so far has to be Scottish post-punk-funk trio Shopping. What's such a surprise is that it's only with their 4th...
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It's time to create not hate
Create Not Hate is the brainchild of Quiet Storm founder and ECD Trevor Robinson. Reflecting Trev's own journey from a disadvantaged and...
We can't let Covid distract us from the climate crisis
The latest edition of the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey has just been released. Running since 1997, the study...
"And once more for the back: PEOPLE CAN'T BE ILLEGAL"
I'm really not sure why everyone has got their knickers in such a twist over Ben & Jerry's tweets yesterday challenging our Government...
New music: Nadia Reid - Out Of My Province
A new discovery for me, but one of my highlights of the year so far. Out Of My Province is the third album from New Zealand...
Delivering a Zero Carbon Britain
At the end of 2019, the Centre For Alternative Technology launched Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency, a bold but...
Now is the time for an ethical pivot: it's good for the world and good for business
"Businesses cannot succeed in societies that fail" So says former Unilever CEO Paul Polman. Which reflects something I believe strongly:...
Is the post-Covid reduction in choice a problem or opportunity?
Choice. Like it or not, it's at the heart of Western consumerism. And one effect of Covid-19 has been there's less of it to go round....
New music: Moses Boyd - Dark Matter
Continuing my concerted attempt to crack jazz, helped by releases from a new gen of artists that I actually like. So hot on the heels of...
Sometimes the simple solutions are the best
When it comes to problem solving, it's easy to get overly concerned with novel solutions. We become fixated on shiny new things, assuming...
Contracts for the boys
As everyone gets maybe a bit too overexcited by Rishi's latest bargain bonanza giveaways, we shouldn't let this distract from the other...
The battle for trust in an age of rage
I may come across as a bit of a gushing fanboy here, but when it comes to bravery in research Steve Lacey is up at the top of the list no...
Liquid air batteries? If you're not getting excited you should be!
If we're to have any chance of building back better, green tech will need to be at the forefront of any recovery. This is especially true...
New music: The Orielles - Disco Volador
One of my faves of the year so far, Disco Volador is the second outing from Halifax post-punk indie-poppers the Orielles. It wasn't quite...
IPG announces Media Responsibility Principles
Response to the Stop Hate For Profit campaign has already seen nearly 10% wiped off Facebook's market value in a few days. Unilever's...
Do those who work in marketing and advertising have an empathy problem?
For what we do to be successful, marketing and advertising is dependent on one fundamental above all others: that we understand and...
The politicisation of humanitarian aid undermines a just future
The Government has come under a lot of pressure from business leaders over recent weeks to deliver a green and just recovery post-Covid....
Stop Hate For Profit: don't advertise with Facebook
Driven by a collection of civil rights groups and not for profits in the US, Stop Hate For Profit is a new campaign targeting Facebook...
Optimism is a strategy
In the words of Noam Chomsky... “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be...
The benefits of reduced consumption as Britain kicks its coal habit for more than two months
Last week the Drax power station was brought online for regular maintenance. In doing so it contributed some coal-fired energy to the...