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A Royal Environmentalist

May 11, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Martina Rowley

This month, on May 6th, saw the official crowning of King Charles III in a coronation ceremony that included all the pomp and circumstance, the pageantry and tradition that has been a mainstay of the British monarchy for centuries. I am too young to have been around for the last coronation of His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, back in 1953, so I did indeed get up early that Saturday to watch the live screening of the ceremony from six a.m. onwards. Something like this is simply a once-in-a-lifetime, grande occasion that I did not want to miss. I am not writing about the coronation, though. As my column title suggests, I want to highlight His Royal Highness’ lifelong passion for and leadership in sustainable development. 

For more than five decades, ever since he was formally presented the title of Prince of Wales in 1969, the then 20-year-old has been talking about and warning of climate change and the need for sustainable action, long before most people and most governments were even starting to notice or talk about any kind of climate action. According to news sources, that caused him to be seen as a little “nutty”. Today, we know better, of course. 

As a champion for the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, he has not only talked the talk but also walked the walk as best as he can. For a royal, I cannot see it truly possible to live with a small environmental footprint when one owns and lives in numerous massive estates and palaces with massive households and is driven or flown all over the country and globe many times to fulfil one’s duties as a working royal. That aside, Charles has and still does a great deal to promote and introduce sustainable practices that help our planet.

Case in point: His country home, Highgrove Estate, in the western county of Gloucestershire, UK, is his and Queen Consort Camilla’s family residence. There, he created an organic kitchen garden, introduced biologically sustainable farming, and the whole estate achieved official organic status in the 1990s. The 15 acres of gardens were designed to be in harmony with nature and are ethically managed. Some of the environmental practices around the estate include: wood pellet biomass boilers to heat Highgrove House and the stables; electricity sourced from a renewable energy supplier and solar panels on the farm barns; all wastewater is filtered in a reed bed sewage system; rainwater is collected and used for the gardens, and some of the toilets; no chemical herbicides or insecticides are used; and all waste materials are recycled. Plant diversity matters, too; the wildflower meadow has 70 varieties of plants that support insect pollinators, and other garden areas include a vast number of tree species and some horticultural innovations.

Charles also started The Prince’s Foundation, which provides holistic solutions and champions a sustainable approach to how we live and builds our communities, inspired by the belief that only by taking a holistic view can we create a sustainable future. The Foundation provides a diverse programme of education and training for all ages and backgrounds, including heritage and craft skills on the Highgrove estate. 

He also implemented the “Sustainable Markets Initiative and Terra Carta” —an “Earth Contract”—with a mission to build a coordinated global effort to enable the private sector to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Clearly, Charles does not trust political leaders to lead the way in terms of climate change action, and I do not blame him for that one bit! Launched in 2020, over 500 companies and 180 global CEOs have already pledged their support to the Terra Carta, and 66 global organizations have been awarded the Terra Seal. The Carta provides a roadmap for businesses to transition into sustainable markets that apply innovation and resources of the private sector. 

Under its mandate, three main market transformations are encouraged: A dramatic shift in corporate strategies and operations, a reformed global financial system, and enabling an environment that attracts investment and incentivizes action. It is meant to complement the goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Accord and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Importantly, it also calls for more action and less talk. That is how I feel about environmental action, too, and it is the only way we will get anywhere (Sustainable-markets.org).

Even during the spectacular Coronation Concert the day after the crowning, several commentaries were made by various announcers about the King’s continued conservation efforts and that we need to be united in leaving a safe and sustainable world for all generations. The final musical act and conclusion of the concert did not feature the usual single-use fireworks but instead used drones to create a light show that created outlines of several wildlife species and scenes, including endangered animals, again highlighting his love of nature. A total of 1,000 drones were used at three main concert sites, Windsor Castle, Cardiff Bay and the Eden Project in Cornwall, and no waste was created. 

Where Charles’ earlier musings in his younger years about sustainability and climate action gave him a reputation as a bit of a nutter, he may now be the first “Climate King”. We can certainly use more people with his level of influence to help push for more environmental action and policies as our global and local climate continues to go a bit nuts around us. 

By Martina Rowley

This month, on May 6th, saw the official crowning of King Charles III in a coronation ceremony that included all the pomp and circumstance, the pageantry and tradition that has been a mainstay of the British monarchy for centuries. I am too young to have been around for the last coronation of His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, back in 1953, so I did indeed get up early that Saturday to watch the live screening of the ceremony from six a.m. onwards. Something like this is simply a once-in-a-lifetime, grande occasion that I did not want to miss. I am not writing about the coronation, though. As my column title suggests, I want to highlight His Royal Highness’ lifelong passion for and leadership in sustainable development. 

For more than five decades, ever since he was formally presented the title of Prince of Wales in 1969, the then 20-year-old has been talking about and warning of climate change and the need for sustainable action, long before most people and most governments were even starting to notice or talk about any kind of climate action. According to news sources, that caused him to be seen as a little “nutty”. Today, we know better, of course. 

As a champion for the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, he has not only talked the talk but also walked the walk as best as he can. For a royal, I cannot see it truly possible to live with a small environmental footprint when one owns and lives in numerous massive estates and palaces with massive households and is driven or flown all over the country and globe many times to fulfil one’s duties as a working royal. That aside, Charles has and still does a great deal to promote and introduce sustainable practices that help our planet.

Case in point: His country home, Highgrove Estate, in the western county of Gloucestershire, UK, is his and Queen Consort Camilla’s family residence. There, he created an organic kitchen garden, introduced biologically sustainable farming, and the whole estate achieved official organic status in the 1990s. The 15 acres of gardens were designed to be in harmony with nature and are ethically managed. Some of the environmental practices around the estate include: wood pellet biomass boilers to heat Highgrove House and the stables; electricity sourced from a renewable energy supplier and solar panels on the farm barns; all wastewater is filtered in a reed bed sewage system; rainwater is collected and used for the gardens, and some of the toilets; no chemical herbicides or insecticides are used; and all waste materials are recycled. Plant diversity matters, too; the wildflower meadow has 70 varieties of plants that support insect pollinators, and other garden areas include a vast number of tree species and some horticultural innovations.

Charles also started The Prince’s Foundation, which provides holistic solutions and champions a sustainable approach to how we live and builds our communities, inspired by the belief that only by taking a holistic view can we create a sustainable future. The Foundation provides a diverse programme of education and training for all ages and backgrounds, including heritage and craft skills on the Highgrove estate. 

He also implemented the “Sustainable Markets Initiative and Terra Carta” —an “Earth Contract”—with a mission to build a coordinated global effort to enable the private sector to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Clearly, Charles does not trust political leaders to lead the way in terms of climate change action, and I do not blame him for that one bit! Launched in 2020, over 500 companies and 180 global CEOs have already pledged their support to the Terra Carta, and 66 global organizations have been awarded the Terra Seal. The Carta provides a roadmap for businesses to transition into sustainable markets that apply innovation and resources of the private sector. 

Under its mandate, three main market transformations are encouraged: A dramatic shift in corporate strategies and operations, a reformed global financial system, and enabling an environment that attracts investment and incentivizes action. It is meant to complement the goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Accord and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Importantly, it also calls for more action and less talk. That is how I feel about environmental action, too, and it is the only way we will get anywhere (Sustainable-markets.org).

Even during the spectacular Coronation Concert the day after the crowning, several commentaries were made by various announcers about the King’s continued conservation efforts and that we need to be united in leaving a safe and sustainable world for all generations. The final musical act and conclusion of the concert did not feature the usual single-use fireworks but instead used drones to create a light show that created outlines of several wildlife species and scenes, including endangered animals, again highlighting his love of nature. A total of 1,000 drones were used at three main concert sites, Windsor Castle, Cardiff Bay and the Eden Project in Cornwall, and no waste was created. 

Where Charles’ earlier musings in his younger years about sustainability and climate action gave him a reputation as a bit of a nutter, he may now be the first “Climate King”. We can certainly use more people with his level of influence to help push for more environmental action and policies as our global and local climate continues to go a bit nuts around us. 

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