Solitaire Townsend

2 months ago | forbes.com | Solitaire Townsend

Worked in sustainability or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) for less than a decade? Buckle up—because the next few years are going to feel like my first. And if you’ve been here longer, you already know the drill. I’ve spent nearly three decades in this space, and I can tell you with absolute certainty: this isn’t our first storm. It won’t be our last either. What we’re facing now—the ESG pushback, the turbulence in standards, growing Board scepticism—feels familiar.

Nov 14, 2024 | forbes.com | Solitaire Townsend

When I first met Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick, she was definitely over 50-years-old. To my 25-year-old eyes, she was one of the most vibrant, powerful, beautiful and very intimidating people I’d ever seen. As my career in sustainability progressed, it was inspired by other towering icons - like Wangarĩ Maathai, Jane Goodall and Dr. Beverly Wright - global matriarchs of the movement. Earlier this year, I’ve gained the half-century mark myself, blowing out a intimidating blaze of 50 candles.

Oct 13, 2024 | forbes.com | Solitaire Townsend

Earlier this year, I was on an episode of The Apprentice as an ‘eco-expert’ grilling contestants on their green business attempts. That experience convinced me that unscripted TV can be both escapist fun and a fantastic way to normalise sustainability solutions. That’s why I enjoyed this month’s Love Is Blind episode when the contestants started sharing details of their tattoos. So far, so flirty.

Sep 17, 2024 | forbes.com | Solitaire Townsend

Many industries are stalwarts at Climate Week, such as energy, finance, infrastructure, tech and even news media. Next week, these familiar voices will carefully set out how they are building a sustainable future in practical, sensible, and rational ways. But logic won’t get us to a sustainable future without some magic. Alongside the science-based strategies during Climate Week, we also need to welcome imagination, storytelling, mythos and compelling narratives.

Aug 26, 2024 | forbes.com | Solitaire Townsend

An obsession with ‘vibes’ has dominated 2024 political discourse, with searches for the term up by almost a third on Google compared to the 2020 US election. And the vibes themselves are a roller-coaster: driven by social media spikes, clever messaging and political surprises. Arguably, today’s political discourse has simplified into two major vibe lexicons, one with a ‘fear and fury’ presentation and the other leaning into ‘hope and joy’.