Jonathon Porritt CBE: Low-carbon, sustainable living: just how hard will it be?
Tuesday 9 October 2007
Jonathon Porritt, co-founder of Forum for the Future, is an eminent writer, broadcaster and commentator on sustainable development. Established in 1996, Forum for the Future is now the UK's leading sustainable development charity. Jonathon was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission in July 2000. This is the Government's principal source of independent advice across the whole sustainable development agenda. In addition, he has been a member of the Board of the South West Regional Development Agency since December 1999, and is Co-Director of The Prince of Wales's Business and Environment Programme. In 2005 he became a Non-Executive Director of Wessex Water, and a Trustee of the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy. He was formerly Director of Friends of the Earth, co-chair of the Green Party of which he is still a member, chairman of UNED-UK, chairman of Sustainability South West, and a Trustee of WWF UK. His latest book, Capitalism as if the world matters, was published in November 2005. Jonathon received a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection.
Despite vowing never to return to Winchester after the failure of the Twyford Down campaign, Jonathon discussed sustainable living and the increasing environmental crisis with a full-capacity audience at the University's Stripe Lecture Theatre. Porritt's lecture was attended by members of the local community, including representatives of environmental organisations such as Friends of the Earth and Winchester Action on Climate Change. In her introduction, The University's Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joy Carter " who had recently been appointed President of the Society of Environmental Geochemistry and Health, a leading global environmental research institute " emphasised the central place sustainability takes up in the University's policies and strategies.
Debra Searle MBE: Which one will you choose?
Wednesday 6 June 2007
At the age of 31, Debra Searle already had a first class honours degree, had won medals at World Championship level with the Great Britain Dragon Boat Team, launched two companies, published a book about her experiences and taken part in the Southern Ocean Leg of the Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race. She had presented several BBC sports programmes and is the only female trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Last but not least, she had rowed solo across the Atlantic, for which she received an MBE from the Queen.
The University was therefore extremely proud to welcome her to the Stripe in June 2007, where she captivated her audience with tales of encounters with supertankers and sea turtles on her solo voyage across the Atlantic in a rowing boat. She had set off with her then husband, an experienced oarsman. He however had to be rescued, after which she decided to carry on alone. Focussing her mind on one motto kept her going through the long months her trip took: 'Choose you attitude', and she certainly did. It was a journey of personal growth, discovery and fulfilment. She had never rowed before she started her training, and she was afraid of deep water and sharks, yet she found the physical and mental strength to carry on. Debra's overwhelmingly positive attitude is inspiring, and her modesty endearing.
Professor Mick Aston: Making Time Team; 15 years of archaeology and television
Tuesday 27 February 2007
The University was delighted to welcome Professor Mick Aston; with his signature white mane and stripy jumper, he has become to many Channel 4 viewers the embodiment of archaeology. In his talk, he looked at some of the aspects of trying to make archaeology accessible to the general public through the medium of television.
Professor Aston, a passionate educator and populariser of archaeology, has become a familiar face on the Channel 4 TV series Time Team, where he has acted as Chief Archaeological Advisor. Professor Aston, who received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Winchester in 2004, is currently an Emeritus Professor at Bristol University and an Honorary Visiting Professor at both the University of Exeter and the University of Durham.
He has long been associated with the University of Winchester in his former role as an external examiner and through his collaboration with the Archaeology Department in a number of excavations over the years, including a fascinating ten-year project investigating the manor of Shapwick in Somerset. In the summer of 2005, Time Team and the University of Winchester jointly carried out an excavation at the Roman villa of Dinnington in Somerset, which stood centre stage in Time Team's live week-long Big Roman Dig programme in July that year.