Reflecting on almost 30 years of Forum for the Future and the wider sustainability movement - with Jonathon Porritt, Sara Parkin and Paul Ekins

In this special edition of the Futuring Podcast, Jonathon Porritt [Former Director, Forum for the Future] is joined by his fellow co-founders of Forum, Sara Parkin [Principal Associate, Sustainability Literacy Project] and Dr. Paul Ekins [Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy, University College London]. The podcast comes as Jonathon steps down from Forum, joining Sara and Paul to reflect on its 30 years of operation and how the sustainability landscape has evolved in that time.

Tune in to hear how the idea for a new organisation came to be at the heels of the Earth Summit in 1992 and how that evolved into the international sustainability non-profit it is today. Underpinned by their longstanding friendship and banter, Jonathon, Sara and Paul discuss the pressures and joys of setting up a new and radical organisation for sustainability, a buzzword at the time; the impact of working with the public sector; and the shift towards the business community over the years

Explore Jonathon’s reflections further about “Challenging the status quo, letting go of ‘win-wins’ and finding hope in the next generation” 

All opinions expressed by their interviewees are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Forum for the Future.

Interview recorded on 27th April 2023.

This audio features the song "Boulevard" by Yung Kartz available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.