Declaring that the earth is not a ‘limitless larder’, The Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, called for action on a ‘personal, parochial and political level’ to tackle the challenges of climate change. He urged that this should be an electoral issue. He was speaking in London in the week just before the Copenhagen summit on climate change.

Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai, co-founders of the multi-award winning charity BioRegional Development spoke passionately of the need to reduce unnecessary consumption and live more sustainably when they addressed a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 16 September.

Clare Short, Independent MP for Birmingham Ladywood, spoke of the need to profoundly transform society to tackle climate change and create a more just and sustainable world when she addressed a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 16 June. The forum was chaired by Geoffrey Lean, Contributing Editor (Environment) for the Daily Telegraph.

Emmanuel de Lutzel, head of international microfinance at the French bank BNP Paribas, spoke of the power of microfinance to lift people out of poverty and create a lasting social impact when he addressed a Greencoat Forum in the London Centre of the Initiatives of Change on 8 May. His evening talk was co-hosted by Caux Initiatives for Business.

John Armitt CBE, Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), spoke of the unique social and cultural opportunities that the 2012 London Olympic Games present, when he addressed the Greencoat Forum in the London Centre of the Initiatives of Change on 7 April. He was speaking on ‘Trust and integrity in the Olympic ideal’. ODA is responsible for the construction of the Olympic site and stadiums which, said Armitt, are due to be completed in 2011. His evening talk was co-hosted by Caux Initiatives for Business.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie, founding secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, spoke of the common values shared in multi-cultural Britain and of his hope that communities of all faiths will work together to end discrimination and extremism. He was addressing a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 17 March. 

Jan Arriens, the founder of 'Life Lines', a pen pal matching organisation that encourages people to write letters to prisoners on Death Row, spoke at a recent Greencoat Forum at the London Centre for Initiatives of Change about the organisation. Arriens' organisation now has over 1,400 members offering support and friendship to prisoners through the exchange of letters.

Afghan author, poet and interpreter Shabibi Shah gave a personal insight into her courageous life story at the launch of the latest edition of her book Where do I Belong? She answered questions put to her by journalist Mary Lean at a Greencoat Forum held in the London Centre for Initiatives of Change on 11 November.

When Australia’s Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, stood up in Parliament three months ago to face up to the shameful past policies towards Indigenous Australians and to offer a formal apology, John Bond knew more than most about the decade-long journey of campaigning it had taken to get there. Bond was a guest-speaker at the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 13 May.

Michael Smith’s new book, Trust and integrity in the global economy – stories of people making a difference was launched at a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 15 April.