Husband of 53 years, father of 2 with 3 grandkids, now 81. Civil engineer from 1966, started by building cooling towers for coal fired power stations! Switched to environmental related work, in, water and sewage, for next 42 years. In 1999-2001, a part time MSc in Business and Sustainability changed my focus to this, particularly climate change. Spent until 2008 retirement pushing for change in my sector. Part-time teaching too, via Visiting Professr role at Cambridge Department of Engineering, and Associate at Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Development.

For the huge changes we need, my best role has been practical action; demonstrating what is possible, and that it is affordable – to show what can be done, and get past that terrible innovation-deadening question: ’can you guarantee it will work?’ Examples:

• 2008 Eco-retrofitted our bungalow in Bucks, reducing CO2 by 80%;
• 2011 – started Low Carbon Chilterns Co-op Ltd: http://lowcarbonchilterns.org/
• 2013-2022 Co-authored or edited 4 books on delivering Sustainable Infrastructure: Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Water, and the latest: https://www.icebookshop.com/product/sustainable-infrastructure-principles-into-practice-second-edition, and article on how to speed up change: https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/ensu.11.00010?journalCode=jensu
• 2015 moved to Lancaster Cohousing, to ‘walk the talk’, living in a zero Carbon home and a sharing, ‘intentional community’ - shared cars, tools, gardens, meals, socialising; but still private homes: https://www.lancastercohousing.org.uk/
• 2018 co-founder of Lune Valley Community Land Trust [LVCLT] , to build low-carbon affordable homes: http://lunevalleyclt.org/
• 2023 LVCLT completed the Lune Walk affordable homes development in Halton, in partnership with South Lakes Housing and with strong support from Lancaster City Council. It has won several national housing awards - for community collaboration, partnership working, an low energy sustainability. See videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESG8Jufm9-E - during construction, and https://youtu.be/BDoHWu98fy4?si=MfXlmb4lnZt-9_la - after completion.