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Annual Clifton Lecture

Thursday May 15th 2008

"Moving to the Ecological Civilisation"

The Clifton Lecture Series; aims and objectives

Clifton College platforms an annual lecture, the object of which is to engage pupils, parents, alumni and the wider community in topics of shared interest and concern. This is an extremely highly regarded and popular event especially as it attracts a wide audience which has significant influences in a wide range of spheres (media, law, medicine, research, education, government and business).

The Clifton Lecture 2008 Ecological Civilisations

This year the Clifton Lecture will take the format of a lively, chaired debate between Peter Head, the Director of Arup who is leading the project on Dongtan, the sustainable city they have designed for the Chinese government; and Nigel Tuersley, from Classical-Renaissance, the philanthropist who is building sustainable rural communities in Spain. They have different solutions for different reasons one being an engineer the other a property developer but both are passionate about the future and have fascinating views on the causes of, as well as the solutions to, 21st century environmental issues.

The Speakers

Peter Head OBE FREng FRSA, Director of ARUP

Peter is a champion for developing global practice that demonstrates the way we invest public and private money in the built environment could be made very much more effective if the public and private sector adopted sustainable development principles and this approach combined with bio-mimicry can be used to drive rapid carbon emissions reduction.

He is a civil and structural engineer who has become a recognised world leader in major bridges, advanced composite technology and now in sustainable development in cities. He has won many awards for his work, including the Royal Academy Silver Medal, Award of Merit of IABSE and the Prince Philip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind. He has extensive experience of successful global scale innovation in both construction and manufacturing sectors.

He joined Arup in 2004 to create and lead their planning and integrated urbanism team globally. He was appointed in 2002 by the Mayor of London as an independent Commissioner on the London Sustainable Development Commission and leads the planning and development sub-group of the Commission.

Peter is project director for the planning and development of the Dongtan Eco-city on Chongming Island in Shanghai and other eco-city developments in China for the client Shanghai Industrial Investment Co. Peter was named by the Guardian Newspaper in January 2008 as one of the '50 global Green Heroes who could save the planet' elected by a global peer group.

Nigel Tuersley BA CEO, Classical Renaissance

Nigel, the founder of Classical Renaissance, has over 30 years experience in property development and sustainability related activities. He studied ecology at university in Wales. "I knew I'd make no real money as an ecologist, and I wanted to change things, so I decided early on as a student that I would put myself in a position where I could do just that," he says.

Nigel has been responsible for several major property development projects including the first major proposals for the development of the London Docklands, master planning proposals for West Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands, and most recently a master plan and redevelopment project for Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

He has also co-founded and led organisations involved in conservation and sustainability initiatives developing community-scale sustainable, mixed use villages in areas of outstanding natural beauty in Spain. The footprint ratio for these rural villages will typically be only 1% of the land acquired; the remainder designated as nature reserve fulfilling conservation objectives.

Nigel has strong views on climate change and is well known for expressing his opinions: "The latest IPCC study is, gratifyingly, more outspoken than its predecessors, but still trails leading opinion" (Independent Sept 2007).

The Format of the Evening Lecture May 15th 2008

The evening starts with a memorable champagne reception for 350 people in the South Quad, followed by a thought-provoking lecture and discussion in the Redgrave Theatre. The function provides exceptional networking opportunities and a chance for our pupils to widen their horizons and understanding of the world "beyond the parapet".

We would be delighted if you would like to apply for tickets please reply promptly as last year tickets were all allocated within ten days. This year we are requesting a small donation for attendance of 5.00, payable on arrival, and all the proceeds will go to a relevant charity.

Fiona Hallworth Director of External Relations

Clifton College

Phone 0117 3157 440 / 0797 1189 366

e-mail: fhallworth@clifton-college.avon.sch.uk

11 April 2008

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