Richard Sandbrook Trust
Registered charity No:1133385
Established by family, friends and colleagues of Richard Sandbrook to keep his memory and his campaigning passions alive.
Who was Richard Sandbrook?
Richard Sandbrook OBE was born in Bath in 1946, and died in London in 2005. Combining his expertise as a biologist and a qualified accountant, he became one of the most innovative and energetic campaigners for sustainable development. A founder of UK Friends of the Earth, Richard joined Barbara Ward at the International Institute for Environment and Development in 1976, becoming Executive Director between 1988 and 1999. He was closely involved with the drafting of Our Common Future, the 1987 ‘Bruntland Report’ where the 1980 concept of sustainable development entered the lexicon of every country in the world, and contributed to many organisations as Treasurer, Trustee, Patron or friendly cajoler.
Although a behind-the-scenes man, Richard had a profound influence on the green movement and the world of international development. He understood how human and environmental degradation shared the same causes and that the solutions lay in changing human behaviours – something that could only happen through dialogue and partnership. His own warm personality, engaging but without guile, helped seal many an improbable deal.
Richard was at his happiest and most effective when setting up new organisations - like FOE - or bringing together people who normally didn’t meet around a key sustainability problem, like the International Council on Mining and Metals. Growing new generations of campaigners was dear to his heart. Words without action, and lack of cooperation between organisations and sectors, he could not bear.What sort of charity is RST
The charity is a company limited by guarantee (No. 6715339) established in
December 2009. In brief its objects are:
- to promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public
- to advance the education of the public in subjects relating to sustainable development
What does the RST do?
The Trustees carry out the objects of the RST by raising the profile and promoting the work and ethos of Richard Sandbrook through initiatives they consider to be in the same spirit. In particular, to make strategic use of Richard’s capacity to stimulate engagement of a wide range of people and organisations around tough issues, his talent for continually germinating and scattering new ideas wherever he went; and his passion for investing in the next generation of campaigners.
In its first three years, therefore, the RST aims to meet its objects through the following activities, some of which are in progress already.
- build the capacity of young people with leadership potential through support for education, internships and other opportunities to grow their knowledge, and experience.
- Forum for the Future Leadership for Sustainable Development Masters Richard Sandbrook Memorial prize
- Exeter College Richard Sandbrook Scholarships for internships with NGOs in the developed world (e.g. IIED)
- Forum for the Future Leadership for Sustainable Development Masters Richard Sandbrook Memorial prize
- increase the influence of and opportunities for the new generation of sustainability-oriented leaders through intellectual ‘hothouses’ or innovation ‘surgeries’.
- A ‘founding’ event in September/October 2010 to bring together the core supporters of the RST. The event will have three objectives: to consolidate the RST ‘community’ and engage it with the activities of the Trust: raise funds; and set in train an annual (to start with) multigenerational event designed to generate ideas. Trustees will select the best for a small (c. £2-3K) development award.
- A ‘founding’ event in September/October 2010 to bring together the core supporters of the RST. The event will have three objectives: to consolidate the RST ‘community’ and engage it with the activities of the Trust: raise funds; and set in train an annual (to start with) multigenerational event designed to generate ideas. Trustees will select the best for a small (c. £2-3K) development award.
- strategic interventions to broaden the territory on which Richard’s approach to solving the challenges posed by unsustainable development is understood and debated. In the first instance:
- An annual lecture, again meeting the spirit of Richard’s personality – i.e. prospective, challenging, international, and so on. Two have taken place already. For 2010 it is proposed that Ashok Khosla be invited (former Director UNEP, long standing friend and co-conspirator of Richard) to give a lecture in Spring 2011. The event will be as high profile as possible, with the RST community charged with bringing along one ‘new’ person in a senior role in any organisation. Careful organisation will aim to make this a must ‘net-working’ occasion.
- establishing and running RST with modern methods
- a website that takes Richard’s life as the spine for an archive of the history of the intellectual journey of the sustainable development movement, capturing the learning through documents but particularly the oral history that needs to inform both the ideas and the campaigning methods of today.
- a viral but strategic approach to contacts and communications that takes and grows Richard’s international circle of friends and contacts and uses that to advertise events and otherwise communicate RST activities and achievements where they will be most effective (i.e. obtain most public benefit
- a website that takes Richard’s life as the spine for an archive of the history of the intellectual journey of the sustainable development movement, capturing the learning through documents but particularly the oral history that needs to inform both the ideas and the campaigning methods of today.
If you have any enquires or to find out more please email sandbrooktrust@edenproject.com.