Heather is one half of artistic duo Ackroyd & Harvey (Dan Harvey), who create interdisciplinary works that combine art, activism, biology, ecology and history. Besides local ecologies and anthropogenic climate change, they have a long-standing interest in the processes of germination, growth and decay, explaining why their artworks frequently feature living plant material. From the start of their collaboration in 1990, the artists have received international awards and prizes and been widely commissioned for monumental living architectural interventions in the public sector. They have exhibited at the Hayward Gallery, London (2023); Isabella Stewart Royal Academy of Arts, London (2022), Somerset House, London (2022), Tate Modern, London (2021), The Ashmolean, Oxford (2018), The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge (2016) and more.

Tom is the Chief of Legal Affairs at the Blue Marine Foundation and Associate Professor in Property Law (specialising in marine conservation) at the University of the West of England. Through his research and advocacy, Tom seeks to spur greater civic engagement in the sea and extend the protections enjoyed by the terrestrial environment to underwater landscapes. Besides publishing extensively on the law of marine conservation, Tom’s research was instrumental in removing bottom-towed fishing gears from the Dogger Bank and he continues to work with lawyers in continental Europe to seek protection for the European portion of the Dogger.

Helen is not just a farmer but an icon and pioneer. Since she was a small child, she has felt passionately about nature and farming, explaining why she believed she could make her mark in the male-dominated industry. Besides running an organic farm in Wiltshire with dairy, beef, pigs, cereals, agroforestry and small scale horticulture, her products are retailed under her own food brand, Helen Browning’s Organic, as well as through the hotel and restaurant/pub on her farm. She has been Chief Executive of the Soil Association since 2011, and is currently a Commissioner and trustee of the Food Farming and Countryside Commission. In 1998, Helen was awarded an OBE for her services to organic farming.

Charles made his name as an author and environmental journalist writing principally for The Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. He was Environment Editor of the latter for twenty-two years. His book ‘The End of The Line’ (2004) and the award-winning major documentary film of the same name (presented by Charles) highlighted overfishing as a global problem and inspired him to co-found the Blue Marine Foundation. At EA Sustain 2023, he introduced his new book, ‘Rewilding the Sea’, the follow-on from ‘End of Line’ proposing solutions for biodiversity loss and carbon capture.

A multi-award-winning author and naturalist, Cocker has published 13 books, among them two epic works – Birds & People (created with wildlife photographer David Tipling) and Birds Britannica, an acclaimed compendium of birds that masterfully condenses the character, morphology and folklore of 350 birds into their defining essence. He has also written about the history of British environmentalism and extinction of indigenous peoples. Cocker’s forte is illuminating the twin narratives of natural history and cultural anthropology in all of his writings. He has published over 1000 articles for Britain’s leading broadsheets and has written a regular Country Diary column in the Guardian since 1988. He has written prolifically on East Anglian nature and landscape and is arguably the nature writer most closely associated and inspired by the region.

Mary is an author, producer and campaigner for nature, whose articles have appeared in the Guardian, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Country Life and many other publications. She spearheaded the establishment of a GCSE in Natural History in 2022. She has made documentaries for the BBC Natural History Unit and published three books, John Muir – the Scotsman Who Saved America’s Wild Places, Curlew Moon and Beak Tooth and Claw. She has won numerous awards for science communication and conservation, including, most recently, the RSPB Medal, in 2022. She is passionate about the protection of curlews in particular. In March 2021 she was appointed Chair of Curlew Recovery Partnership England and she set up the charity, Curlew Action, in 2020.

Alastair is a Partner and Head of Venture at Cibus Capital, one of Europe’s leading agri-tech funds and a pioneer in the field. After 18 years in investment banking in London and Hong Kong, he left Morgan Stanley and completed the one-year Farming Course at the Royal Agricultural University. Alastair then built up and managed an extensive organic farming business, including arable, livestock, conservation, renewable energy, retail and online delivery. Alastair holds a BSc in Zoology from Exeter University, England.

Pam is the Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate for Colchester. She has been the Head of the Sociology Department and Graduate Dean at the University of Essex, and Director of a southeast England social science doctoral training consortium. She was elected to Colchester City Council in 2021 and has served as Cabinet Member and Portfolio Holder for Heritage & Culture. She has presented two BBC television series on labour history, one on servants and another on shopgirls. Of those experiences, “I was very pleased to be able to tell the stories of women who are so often ignored in standard accounts of the past,” she says.

Professor Vincent Gaffney, Anniversary Chair in Landscape Archaeology at the Department of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at the University of Bradford, has gained a major international profile in archaeological and heritage research. His current research projects include mapping the inundated landscapes of the Southern North Sea and the “Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes” Project, where he leads the UK team creating 3D and virtual imaging of the largely unmapped world heritage landscape. Professor Gaffney has received national and international awards for his work including the European Heritage Prize for contributions to global heritage, the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education, and the “Best Publication” prize at the British Archaeological Awards for his book, “Europe’s Lost World”.

Sara is a co-founder of British Pasture Leather, the first supplier of leather that is traceable to regenerative farms in the UK. Before British Pasture Leather, Sara was VP of Programs for Glynwood, the agricultural non-profit in New York’s Hudson Valley, where she oversaw initiatives to support regional farming and food culture. Now based in the UK, she is developing British Pasture Leather to fulfill its vision of linking leather with exemplary and sustainable agriculture.

Emma and Joe live and farm in Essex and also run the North Essex Farm Cluster, a community of farmers and landowners working together to deliver greater benefits for soil, water and wildlife in the beautiful north Essex landscape. Taking in the River Pant and Blackwater catchments, the Cluster provides access to collaborative projects, expert advice, funding, project management and events for its farmers. The Cluster was formed 12 months ago and is currently running its pilot project, Pant Valley Spaces for Nature, which sees 10 neighbouring farms working together to create a wildlife corridor along a 9 km stretch of the River Pant.

Adam is a Senior Specialist at WRAP, the government-funded NGO assisting the country’s transition towards a circular economy, and a technical lead on several projects within the world-leading UK Plastics Pact including creating a circular economy for flexible plastic packaging; non-mechanical recycling, the recyclability of black plastic packaging and packaging design. He has experience in both public and private sector sides of the waste industry, with a strong working knowledge of local authority procedures and practices as well as waste legislation.

Torik is a Hallsworth Research Fellow at the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) at the University of Manchester and a member of the team which authored ‘One Bin to Rule Them All’, a three-year project about how to increase plastic recycling by combining the expertise and research of social science, materials science and business.Torik’s research focuses on systems of provision, consumption, disposal, and recovery. He approaches these areas of study as a sociologist with a keen interest in everyday practices and sustainability.

Dominic is one of Britain’s edgiest and most creative jewellery designers. His razor-sharp, rock n roll aesthetic has inspired loyal fans including Karl Lagerfeld, David Bowie, Rihanna, Harry Styles, Snoop Dogg, Florence Welch and Beyoncé. What’s less well-known is his profile as an ardent environmentalist, who has been an Ambassador for environmental conservation charity The World Land Trust for over ten years. Now, he is spearheading 886, the new fine jewellery collection of The Royal Mint, and arguably, the world’s most ambitious sustainable jewellery project, utilising e-waste to create timeless pieces redolent of the Mint’s history and iconography.

William is a renowned brand builder and entrepreneur who created The New Covent Garden Soup Company and made Green & Black organic chocolate a household name. William invests in and advises many consumer businesses, e.g., Cawston Press (premium soft drinks), LA Brewery (kombucha) and Samworth Brothers (a family-owned food manufacturer). He is a campaigner for better and more locally produced food and founder director of The Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival. He and his wife farm organically at Maple Farm (Kelsale, Suffolk) where they have developed a successful example of local food production and marketing.

Mattias is an internationally recognised photographer and filmmaker whose oeuvre centres on the environment. A household name in Sweden, he is a regular contributor to publications like Audubon, Geo, BBC Wildlife, Terre Sauvage, Stern, Der Spiegel and The New York Times, not to mention National Geographic, for whom he has done 13 cover stories and many articles. He has published 17 books, including The Human Quest: Prospering Within Planetary Boundaries (2012), with Professor Johan Rockström and a foreword by President Bill Clinton, and The Perpetual Calendar of Life in collaboration with Dr Jane Goodall, and filmed 13 documentaries. Among his countless honours and distinctions, he was awarded a medal by the King of Sweden for his contributions to the environment through photography and is an Ambassador for IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and WWF.

Tracy is Director of the Essex Plant Innovation Centre (EPIC) and Director of Plant Phenotyping at the University of Essex, with over 25 years’ experience in photosynthesis research. The overarching theme of her research has been studying the efficiency of photosynthesis, especially in regard to stomatal behaviour. EPIC brings together the research skills, expertise and technologies across faculties (e.g., Life Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science, Essex Business School) to address the grand challenges facing farmers, technologists and all those in the agricultural and horticultural sectors.

As the Green Party’s first MP, Caroline has represented Brighton Pavilion since 2010. She was previously an MEP for 11 years, an Oxfordshire councillor and elected both as Party Leader and Co-Leader. She’s Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Climate Change, Co-Chair of the APPGs on Limits to Growth and the Green New Deal, and active in the Refugees and Drug Reform APPGs, alongside serving on Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee and on the UK Trade and Business Commission. Caroline is one of the Environment Agency’s Top 100 Eco-Heroes of all time and in 2015 published Honourable Friends: Parliament and the fight for change.

Patrick is the most sustainable designer showing at London Fashion Week and one of the most sustainable independent British fashion designers of his generation. Besides repurposing textile waste and incorporating scientifically cutting edge materials to make glamorous and inventive demi-couture, Patrick has abandoned the conventional business models of the fashion industry in favour of collaborations with large, established brands in order to minimise waste while increasing the popularity of sustainable fashion.

Paul is arguably the UK’s top demographer, writing and speaking about major demographic trends across the world, both contemporary and historic. He is the author of Tomorrow’s People, The Human Tide and Demographic Engineering and his work has been translated into nine languages. He has written for and been interviewed in the Financial Times, the Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Toronto Globe and Mail, Der Spiegel and BBC Radio 4, among his many media appearances. Paul has been an associate research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London, and a senior member at St. Antony's College, Oxford.

Frances Morris, curator, writer and broadcaster is currently Director Emerita, Tate Modern, after leading the institution as Director for 7 years. Notable exhibitions she has curated include retrospectives of Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama and Agnes Martin. More recently she co-curated Hilma Af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life, for Tate Modern and the Kunstmuseum den Haag. As Director of Collections, International Art from 2006 to 2016 Frances led the transformation of Tate’s International Collection, strategically broadening and diversifying its international reach and representation. Since 2019 Frances has championed Tate's responses to climate and ecological emergency, exploring how cultural institutions can best respond and adapt to the complex planetary and societal impacts of the crisis. As Board member of CIMAM Frances was the founding chair of Cimam’s Sustainability Working Group until November 2022.

Tim is Group Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge Assessment. He is considered a leading expert on curriculum design, development and assessment and advises the UK Government on the development and implementation of the National Curriculum. He also has an extensive knowledge of how other high performing jurisdictions structure their curricula. In 2015 he was awarded a CBE for services to education.

Ken is the new Curator of Art and Climate Change at the Sainsbury Centre. The position is the first of its kind for any UK museum institution. In this groundbreaking role, Ken will produce exhibitions that promote sustainability and engage with the climate crisis for a global audience. In addition, he is a researcher at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia. In 2014, Ken graduated from Zurich University of the Arts with a Master of Advanced Studies in Curating before going on to Goldsmiths College, University of London to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Curating, with a focus on Art in the Anthropocene, in 2016.

John is a farmer based outside of Bury St. Edmunds and one of the best-known practitioners of regenerative agriculture. John took over the family farm, Shimpling Park, in 1985 and continued farming in the conventional mould until he experienced an epiphany which caused him to rethink farming from the ground up. In 1999, he converted Shimpling Park into an organic operation. An important success story that shines the light on the way forward, John is a popular and eloquent speaker at Britain’s top farming conferences and shows. He is former Chairman of Suffolk FWAG, NFU Organic Forum and is a consultant specialising in agroecology.

Jules is one of the nation’s top environmental scholars and leaders. Indeed, he is among the top 0.1% most cited scientists in the world. At the University of Essex, he is Professor of Environment and Society and Director of the Centre for Public and Policy Engagement. His sole-authored books include The Low-Carbon Good Life (2023), Sea Sagas of the North, The East Country, The Edge of Extinction, This Luminous Coast, The Earth Only Endures, Agri-Culture, The Living Land, and Regenerating Agriculture. Among his many roles and awards in civic-environmental life are Deputy-Chair of the UK government’s Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, Chief & Founding Editor of the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, the British Science Association Presidential Medal (Agriculture and Food), former trustee for WWF-UK and an OBE for services to sustainable agriculture. He was appointed President of Essex Wildlife Trust in 2019 and is Chair of the Essex Climate Action Commission. Last but not least, he is host of the podcast, Louder Than Words.

As Senior Farm Adviser at Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) expert in identifying and monitoring wildlife, Jenny leads the Farm Advice Team and is Facilitator for the Wool Towns Farm Cluster. She has extensive wildlife knowledge and a working understanding of the practicalities of managing productive farms for nature. Before joining SWT, she managed 20 nature reserves in Hertfordshire for the Wildlife Trusts. Brought up in Suffolk, Jenny is passionate about the region’s wildlife and landscape scale conservation.

Emilie is the co-founder of Doggerland Foundation, established in 2022 to protect and restore the marine ecosystem of the North Sea by ensuring compliance with national, EU and international conservation obligations, principally through legal action. Emilie has worked on international marine conservation and, specifically, the North Sea, for the past 17 years. She proposed and advocated a North Sea network of Marine Protected Areas, fought off the construction of massive energy islands on the Dogger Bank and pioneered the restoration of oyster reefs in the North Sea. Emilie has a BA Political Science from the University of Amsterdam, MSc. Environment and Resource Management from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and MSc. Marine Biology from Dalhousie University.

Miles is the CEO of DS Smith, one of the world’s largest paper packaging companies (FTSE 100). The company is present in 34 countries and employs 30,000 people. It specialises in supplying multinational and regional customers largely in the FMCG sector and has implemented a clear strategy to become a leading supplier of sustainable packaging solutions, with the purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world.

Martin Seeley became Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich in the Spring of 2015, after nine years as Principal of Westcott House, a theological college in Cambridge. He is responsible for the 446 parishes and around 160 serving clergy in the Diocese. He entered the House of Lords in March 2022 where his current focus is on energy and the environment. He is the incoming chair of the Suffolk Agricultural Association.

In 2016, Sekules set up Groundwork Gallery in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, the UK’s first and only commercial art gallery exclusively dedicated to environmental art. To accompany Groundwork’s environmentally themed exhibitions, Veronica convenes expert symposiums to educate audiences about the issues raised by the artworks. Before Groundwork, she was the Head of Education and Research and Deputy Director of the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia. She has worked in education and heritage and consulted on many national and international projects besides being a published author in art history, cookery and education.

Iain is the pioneer of stockfree (animal free) organic farming and has been at the forefront of the UK organic farming movement for over 45 years. His 8-ha farm is a model of sustainability, from its utilisation of green manures and diverse rotations to the wood chip composts and integration of agroforestry to the vegetable system. By integrating crops, adopting a systems approach to pest and disease management and fostering biodiversity, Iain has developed a durable and replicable agricultural system. Moreover, his pioneering work with wood chip substrates for propagation has enabled growers to consider moving away from peat-based materials. In June 2023, Iain was awarded an MBE for his services to agriculture.

Neil Ward is a professor at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. He was previously UEA’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (2014-21) and Director of Newcastle University’s Centre for Rural Economy (2004-08). He is author of Net Zero, Food and Farming: Climate Change and the UK Agri-Food System and is a co-convenor of the UK research councils’ new Network+ on Agri-Food for Net Zero. He has served as a Cabinet Office advisor on agricultural policy and has appeared before numerous parliamentary select committees.

Charles is the founder and Chair of River Action, the UK-based environmental charity committed to addressing the severe problem of river pollution, especially from agricultural and food industry practices. Charles is a business leader who has held senior leadership including CEO of Financial Dynamics (2001-2012), Chairman of the Karma Communications Group (2012-2015) and Chairman of Teneo International (2015-2020). In June 2020 he exited the commercial sector to focus primarily on environmental conservation, sustainable development and impact investment.

Stevie Wishart is a composer and musician whose current work is inspired by birdsong and nature, and largely relies on improvisation. Twinned with her love of nature, cultural sustainability is equally important, explaining why Stevie has chosen to perform and write music for the hurdy gurdy, the medieval stringed instrument dating back to the 10th century that produces sound by a hand-cranked wheel rubbing against strings. Stevie analogises the hurdy gurdy to nature itself. “It is classless and nomadic [because its origins have never been clearly ascertained]. You can't really write for it. Finally, it needs protecting - like the environment.”