Initiatives
Capital Institute ... John Fullerton

Comments on an article by Jo Confino in the Guardian Professional

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

johnfullerton

24 November 2013 2:40am Recommend 4

Thanks Jo for you generous affirmation of our work (in progress).

For me, the most poignant moment of the Copenhagen roundtable I was privileged to participate in came at the wonderful dinner afterward - which you Jo missed the best part of because you dashed for the airport! I was sitting next to an under 30 young lady whose name I will withhold. What she said to me was chilling. She accurately summed up the day where a couple dozen so called 'sustainability experts' (it was an impressive group) who could all agree on the problems yet really could not plot a credible path to realistic solutions or even a viable theory of change capable of tackling the enormous well understood barriers. She said simply, 'I feel like I've lost my innocence.'

We went on to discuss how one feels when one learns their parents aren't perfect. She came to this meeting of 'world renown' experts expecting to get the answers to the problems she knew in her bones. Yet she had to face the reality that collectively we were collectively pretty much clueless about a compelling yet credible roadmap forward. Sobering to her, and to all of us no doubt. This is why the 'new story' is so important. I firmly believe such a new story is emerging, with numerous green shoots everywhere even if hard to connect together into a coherent whole. And capitalism (re-imagined) can emerge into a system that does not depend on exponential material growth in the developed world, while lifting the developing world into a life of dignity and prosperity, all without breaking the planet, but this will require a desperately needed transformation of finance.

For readers interested in the executive summary of 'Regenerative Capitalism', our related 'new story' project, 'Field Guide to Investing in a Regenerative Economy', and our symposium highlights, it can be found at
http://www.capitalinstitute.org/blog/beyond-sustainability-road-regenerative-capitalism#.UpFjqWRDuF5
(or search for 'Regenerative Capitalism' at www.capitalinstitute.org

The full white paper on Regenerative Capitalism is due out in January.

Thanks Jo for your continued path breaking leadership at the Guardian. Open PDF ... The-Eight-Elements-of-Regenerative-Capitalism