Paul Sullivan

My passion for sustainability stems from the need to address the blindness of our current leadership (corporate, public and otherwise) who are reluctant to reshape the way things are done.

What was the most valuable thing you got out of CSL?

Understanding, support and enthusiasm from leading changemakers

Why are you passionate about sustainability? What was the moment or event that made you decide to become a 'change maker' in your field?

Humanity's impact on the planet is visible and grows every day. These actions result in pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems globally, but action on issues such as climate change despite rising seas and decreasing ice covers and food waste, despite a third of all food produced on planet earth being waste,d is at best laboured. My passion for sustainability stems from the need to address the blindness of our current leadership (corporate, public and otherwise) who are reluctant to reshape the way things are done.

Why is leadership for sustainability is important?

The majority of the developed world is satisfied with the status quo, a status quo that has resulted in perverse outcomes from climate change to biodiversity loss. Leadership is required to reorientate the direction of humanity's life support systems towards a more sustainable path.

What do you plan to do next on your sustainability journey?

I am just setting out on my next sustainability journey with Pollinate Energy in India. Pollinate Energy (pollinateenergy.org) empowers local micro entrepreneurs to sell solar lights to the urban poor of India who lack access to modern forms of energy. Having provided sustainable solutions to over 500 slum communities across Bangalore, my role is to expand Pollinate operations to Hyderabad where there are over 1,000 slum communities. Our mission is threefold: to improve the lives of India’s urban poor by giving them access to sustainable products that make their lives better, to empower local Indian entrepreneurs to be a positive force for change in India’s urban poor communities and to make social business mainstream by raising awareness about the communities we work with and supporting the next generation of social entrepreneurs.