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Ed Gillespie

Ed Gillespie is a British environmental entrepreneur and author, his focus is on sustainability and innovation and he co-founded Futerra, one of the first specialist sustainability communications agencies in 2001 with Solitaire Townsend .

Career

Ed started his professional career as an Environmental Development Manager at London Transport. Before this he had worked for the Survival Natural History Film Unit and as a Marine Biologist in Australia, New Caledonia and Orkney.

In 2001 he co-founded Futerra Sustainability Communications with Solitaire Townsend and their mission is to make sustainable development so desirable it becomes normal.

In 2007/8 he went around the world without flying and his passion for slow travel led him to invest in and become Chairman of European Rail Business Loco2 . His interest in sustainable development is further shown as a Non-executive Director for Zero Carbon Food , a London Sustainable Development Commissioner , Director of carbon emissions campaigning organisation Sandbag and an investor in Foodtrade .

Publications and public speaking

Ed is a regular contributor to The Guardian which began back in 2007 with his Slow Traveller blog . This has developed into commentary on topics around sustainable business, climate change and environmental communications .

In June 2014 Wild Things Publishing published Ed's first book called Only Planet. The book is based on his 2007/8 round the world trip without flying in order to embrace adventurous but environmentally, sustainable slow travel.

Ed is also regularly invited to do talks and lectures all over the world to a variety of audiences, including the UN and national governments, to multinational corporations and campaigning organisations. Perhaps most notably, Ed spoke at a TEDX event in 2010 about the importance of embedding sustainability into business strategy in a talk titled 'Sustainability, the reinvention of progress' .

Early life and education

Ed grew up in Norfolk, attending Norwich School. After leaving school he was a volunteer for Project Trust as a teacher in Jamaica. He then went onto complete an MSc in Marine Biology at the University of Wales and continued in this discipline by undertaking a MSc in Marine Resource Development and Protection at Heriot-Watt University.

After this his focus shifted to the world of business as he enrolled in a Professional Masters in Leadership for Sustainable Development at Middlesex University, a course run by sustainable development charity Forum for the Future. It was here that he met Solitaire Townsend, with whom he co-founded sustainable communications agency Futerra.