Our mission

As an independent not-for-profit company we create and communicate innovative responses to climate change and related sustainability issues. Our focus is people and the positive impact they can have. Our mission is to assist people and their organisations in the transition to a low carbon sustainable future.

The team

Peter Martin specialises in engaging people in carbon and strategies for sustainability. He has worked on culture change, organisational development and behaviour change for companies, NGOs and in the public sector. He is a skilled facilitator and trainer and has an MSc in Environmental Change. He was Sustainability Director at Carbon Visuals 2009 - 2015 and also previously worked for the NHS, BP, various consultancies, at the Office for Public Management and as a Visiting Lecturer at several universities. He is also currently a director at Real World Visuals.

Antony Turner built a successful career launching innovative technologies worldwide before directing his energies towards sustainability and the challenges of climate change. In 1999 he helped set up the ‘Business & Sustainability’ courses at Schumacher College, which he managed for five years, and in 2000 he wrote the industry submission on wave and tidal power for the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee. Antony launched CarbonSense in 2003, became CEO of Carbon Visuals in 2009 and is currently MD of Real World Visuals.

Our trustees are Peter Redstone, Tom Carnac and Mark Standeven.

Partners

We are currently working closely with Real World Visuals. Other partners have included Carbon Visuals, Constructing Excellence, Earth Charter UK, Forkbeard, GovEd Communications, Schumacher College, Theatre4business, TYF, Voice International and XCO2 Energy.

Funding

We have previously received project funding from DEFRA, DFID and Green Goals; and from the Technology Strategy Board and a Sainsbury family trust for projects in conjunction with GovEd Communications for early work on the Carbon Quilt and for a Carbon Visuals development project. If you have project ideas that you would like to discuss with us please do get in touch.

History

At the beginning of the Millennium, the importance of climate change was becoming more widely recognised. However, many people had little sense of what it might mean for governments and companies, and for their own lives and their families. The concept of sustainable development was being usurped by economists at the expense of environmental concerns and in the corporate world constructs such as triple bottom line and corporate social responsibility were being used as presentational aids rather than as the basis of a genuine reappraisal of human impacts on global systems.

Antony Turner wanted to promote a wider understanding of climate change and inspire creative solutions from people and businesses around the globe. He came to the view that a focus on carbon could help bridge the gap in understanding and action. With the support of a steering group including Dave Hampton, David Hirst, Mary Lidgate, Andy Middleton, John Murlis, Stephen Sterling and Robert Webb and with operational support from Peter Martin, CarbonSense was launched in 2003.

A multi-disciplinary team was brought together with expertise in behavioural change, communications, community theatre and leadership development and as well as science, engineering and the entrepreneurial flair that had already enabled several of the founding associates to establish successful businesses.

The combination of social and environmental purpose, fresh thinking, insight and a deep-rooted integrity quickly developed into a business delivering strategy advice, leading edge research, carbon analysis and innovative training to clients in the UK and Europe.

Many of the initiatives being developed by the team lacked commercial clients and challenged the status quo. Therefore the not-for-profit CarbonSense Foundation was set up to operate alongside CarbonSense. As the balance of work gradually changed and Carbon Visuals was launched as a separate business, non-commercial work was carried forward by the CarbonSense Foundation, eventually completing the assimilation of the heritage of the original company in 2015.