Bevis Watts, Managing Director of Triodos Bank UK, has been invited to give this year’s Burntwood Lecture at the Institution of Environmental Sciences in London on 29 November.

The distinguished lecture series was named after Lord Burntwood, a founding member of the Institution, and the organisation’s first chairman. Previous speakers have included Baroness Parminter, Liberal Democrat life peer, Steve Rayner, Professor of Science & Civilization at Oxford University, and acclaimed environmentalist Jonathon Porritt.

The Burntwood Lecture provides an opportunity for an eminent speaker to talk on a current, critical and often controversial environmental theme. An invited audience is made up of members of the professions, universities and government.

Titled ‘The Magic Money Tree: How our financial system could support, not undermine, a sustainable future’, the lecture will explore the potential to develop a more diverse financial ecosystem – a subject the Chartered Environmentalist and ex-Wildlife Trust CEO feels passionately about.

Bevis Watts, Managing Director of Triodos Bank UK, commented:“Banks are not currently serving the needs of society – in fact they undermine our long-term ability to sustain ourselves. However, I firmly believe the UK’s financial system has the potential to be a force for good. Where you spend, save or invest money is a vote for your values. In that sense, money is actually a very powerful form of democracy. We can all be part of the change that we want to see in the world.”

Bevis has had a 20-year career within organisations that have a positive impact on the environment and society in the private, public and voluntary sectors. He was previously Chief Executive of Avon Wildlife Trust and was Head of Business Support at The Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP). A fascination with the role of money and using it to stimulate behaviour change or growth in a sustainable economy has been a common thread throughout.

The event will take place on the evening of Wednesday 29 November and is free for IES members. For more information, please visit www.the-ies.org/events/burntwood-lecture-2017.

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About the Institution of Environmental Sciences
Founded in 1971, the Institution of Environmental Sciences is a charitable organisation which raises awareness of environmental science by supporting professional scientists and academics working in this crucial area. Membership of the Institution offers stepping stones on a career path - from student to Chartered status, attracting professionals of high standing with significant specialist and interdisciplinary experience.

www.the-ies.org

About Triodos Bank 
Triodos Bank is a global pioneer in sustainable banking using the power of finance to invest in projects that are good for people and the planet. Triodos uses its €13.5 billion (2016) in assets to create social, environmental and cultural value in a transparent and sustainable way.

With UK operations based in Bristol, Triodos Bank has branches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany and an agency in France. Globally, Triodos Bank has microfinance projects in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and is a founding member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), a worldwide network of 43 banks seeking to transform finance into a vehicle of positive influence.

www.triodos.co.uk
www.knowwhereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/
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Triodos Bank NV (incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands with limited liability, registered in England and Wales BR3012). Authorised by the Dutch Central Bank and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.