Humbled and thrilled to meet one of my heroes today - a woman who has inspired not just me, my mother, my sisters and my daughters but so many generations of women and men in Ireland and around the world. Mary Robinson, The Elders, former President of Ireland; former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Adjunct Professor of Climate Justice here in Trinity College Dublin joined us for a conversation today to mark the start of Trinity Green Week.
Three messages I took away from this conversation:
🌿 Be prepared to pay the price for taking a stand: Talking about the impacts that such decisions have had on her own personal life, the message from Mary Robinson was that doing the right thing may not alway be popular so you need to be prepared to face the consequences. You have to be true to yourself and your values. At 81 years old, Mary Robinson is still making those hard choices and speaking out. What a legend!
🌿 Involving more women in climate leadership is crucial: after the celebration of International Women's Day #IWD25 this weekend, Mary Robinson highlighted the importance of supporting more women-led leadership on climate issues. As co-founder of Project Dandelion, she talked about the collaborative style of leadership that women bring, the action orientation. Across all genders she called for a shift from short term political point-scoring to 'long-view leadership'.
In conversation after the event, I spoke about the importance of gender and diversity in research and the focus of gender in our work in GoNaturePositive! How can we accelerate further the catalytic role that many women already play in nature-positive business movements from green buildings and sustainable forestry to regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, tourism and technology for nature Vera Enzi-Zechner Tetiana Konchenko Giulia Soldano Giulia Cecchinato Esmeralda Borgo Imelda McCarron Nadina Galle Daniela Rizzi Isobel Fletcher Niranjana Bindu Niak Sian Koh Marianne Zandersen Ingrid Andersson Mieke Siebers Rachel E. Golden Kroner, PhD Dr Catherine Farrell Jane Stout and too many more to mention..
🌿 Moving to businesses, when specifically asked about the role of business schools in the current changing geopolitical environment, Mary Robinson's message was unequivocal. Now more than ever business schools need to use their voice and exert any, and all, influence we have to remind businesses about the importance of values. It doesn't matter what labels are used (or not used any more), fundamentally businesses need to be clear on their values and stick with them. Regardless of what way the political winds blow, impact on the environment and society must remain on the table. Trinity Business School
Thank you to the Sustainability Team Trinity College Dublin for hosting this extraordinary conversation Jane Hackett. Looking forward to continuing our move towards #naturepositive
