Mike Berners-Lee is the founding director of Small World Consulting, which works with supermarkets, construction businesses, councils, hotels, farmers, universities …you name it - mapping carbon in supply chains, and helping people and businesses work out what to do. After a physics degree at Oxford, Mike’s first career was as an Outward Bound instructor. From there he moved gradually indoors and into management and environmental consulting. When Small World first started working on responses to climate change, it was a shock to find that there was almost no one around to help businesses get a handle on their climate change impacts – even in broad terms. Over the years he has developed carbon footprinting and carbon consulting expertise through academic work with Lancaster University and through his business research.
"There’s no point in saving the word if it’s no fun to live in." he says. "And we humans are useless at swallowing nasty medicine or being told what to do. So the way we deal with climate change is going to have to be fun and liberating as well as effective. Too bad!"
Mike lives in Kendal, the Lake District, England with his wife and two children. He gets to work by train, folding bike and the occasional carpool. He tries not to leave lights on but doesn’t beat himself up if he forgets.
How Bad Are Bananas? is an environmental best seller, about which Bill Bryson wrote “I can't remember the last time I read a book that was more fascinating and useful and enjoyable all at the same time.” And Chris Goodall, author of Ten Technologies to Save the Planet, wrote “Mike Berners-Lee knows more about carbon footprints than anyone else in the UK”.
