Access to Inspiration

Sue Stockdale talks to Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) about his adventurous and philanthropic background, and how experience on an expedition to Borneo inspired him to give back to the environment. Mike also describes his work at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, its function as a small charity, and how he believes that it is not enough for the charity to just inform and influence things, the organisation needs to inspire people that it is possible to change and create solutions that are appealing and ambitious.

Mike has been Chief Executive since 2008 and during that time Mike has been instrumental in informing policy through joined-up, collaborative action, particularly in sustainability and climate change. In 2006 he established Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), the largest coalition ever formed in Scotland, which was so instrumental in delivering the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Climate Justice Fund, and the 2019 Emissions Reduction Targets Act. He is an advisor to Government and trustee on several boards, mostly in the spheres of education, agriculture and transport, and is hosting a series of Climate Emergency Summits with more than 40 organisations to identify suitable responses to the emergency, and to inform government thinking.

He is an Honorary Fellow of Scottish Environment Link and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), and has won a number of awards for his contribution to climate change, including the 2001 Best Renewable Energy Initiative, the 2009 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for the Environment, and the 2017 Bernier Medal of the RCGS.

Connect with Mike Robinson on LinkedIn and Twitter and via the RSGS website

Key Quotes

• "Felix could name every plant in the rainforest and had something to do with every plant. Everything had a use and he knew all of it and it was absolutely inspiring."
• "It's possible to change"
• "One of the great joys in my role is I think we're focused on the best of people"
• "You need scale, so whatever you do- it could always be bigger, it could always be better, it could always be more"
• "I am most proud of Scotland's climate change leadership"
• "Ambition is not meant to be achievable - because an ambition that's achievable isn't ambition."
• "I believe that if everybody understood what I know they'd probably want to do something about climate change."

Partners and Supporters

We partnered with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society to bring you this series. Take a look at their Climate Solutions course, developed by leaders and experts in climate change and endorsed by the Institute of Directors.

We are also supported by Squadcast –the remote recording platform which empowers podcasters by capturing high-quality audio and video conversations.

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Actions to take after listening to the podcast

• We have created a list of questions to help you reflect on the podcast episode and what you heard
• Sign up for our Zoom listener discussion on the topics raised in this series on Friday 21st July from 1300 to 1345hrs BST.

Credits:

Sound Editor: Matias de Ezcurra
Producer: Sue Stockdale