Our London HQ is for the birds! | October 2018

Back in 2015, when we were looking for a new London headquarters, we had to think carefully about where it should be. Those who know London will know it is a city of many contrasts. The city reflects its industrial and economic legacy very well. It has parts that are very dense with population and work spaces; while other parts (basically where the wealthy live/lived), have wonderful green spaces.

As the former "workshop of the world" in the 19th century, London had also become the most polluted city in the world with horrific living conditions for its inhabitants. But as the result of highly effective campaigners over the decades, the city became a healthier place to live and also 'greener'. The air and water was cleaned up and the population gained access to clean water and modern housing and sanitation. The devastation from two world wars, combined with poverty and poor living conditions, led to London experiencing a declining population despite improvements to living conditions. This changed by the late 1990s, when a revived economy and globalisation started to push the population back up again. But with a growing population has come increasing air pollution, mostly from vehicles. 

Our work made us think very hard about how the urban environment affects human health. And we decided we didn't want to be bathed in that air pollution that had grown since the early 2000s. We also like to keep fit and encourage those we work with to do the same. So, rather than be monstrous hypocrites and locate ourselves some place that is 'trendy' but polluted and unhealthy, we set up our new HQ in a bird sanctuary surrounded by wonderful green space for excercise and long, thoughtful walks. 

But, what about our studio? That's in Iceland, a country where 100% of its energy comes from renewable sources. A stunningly beautiful place where you can swim or lounge in geothermal heated pools in both urban and rural areas. We find the atmosphere there restorative.

Some amazing people have been attracted to this location. And one of them is journalist Beth Gardiner. Her new book, Choked, tackles the very thing we were trying to reduce our exposure to: air pollution. In Choked Gardiner travels the world to see how its rapid urbanization is also coming with a 21st century air pollution crisis. Read more here: https://www.bethgardiner.com

 Pictured: NOT our HQ but we can always dream, can't we?!Well, we are almost as nice as this.

Update on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 12:07PM by David South

English not your first language? No problem. Various search engines now do translation. For example, into Mandarin Chinese.

The book on Mongolian rock and pop was published in 1999 in the Mongolian language.