Ian Jones / GAMMA / Eyedea Presse
We would like to welcome King Charles, 2007 Times Magazine Hero of the Environment, and thank him for his long-time voice and actions as a sustainability leader. He has been concerned about our environment since he was a little boy. Way back in 1969, the young Prince of Wales wrote a letter to the Prime Minister expressing concern about the decline of salmon stocks. He went on to also address the need for green architecture and integrative health, even creating a clinic offering free holistic health care.
Long before it was accepted or even fashionable, Prince Charles converted his farm to organic in 1986 and sold its organic produce to a company he created that provides the revenue to charity. He began warning about climate change as early as 1990 and was a key voice at COP26. In 2020, then Prince Charles created the Sustainable Markets Initiative, in which more than 500 CEOs are making commitments towards a greener future. And he has been reducing his own footprint while donating large amounts of money for environmental and health causes.
Finally, he has acknowledged that in his role as King, he is subject to different rules when it comes to taking a political stance. As he said, “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply”. At the same time, his friends say that he won’t slow down on climate action, according to the BBC. We hope he will keep speaking out as a Sustainability Champion.