Imagine former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had been invited to give a speech at a university conference on sustainability. Imagine her topic was the discrepancy between the clean, green image created by the ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ campaign and the environmental reality. Imagine she wanted to inform the audience, persuade them it is economically damaging and morally unacceptable, and motivate them to take action. As a scientist and politician, Thatcher knew the importance of commerce, governments and environmental groups working together. As an effective public speaker, she knew the power of words. Imagine this was her speech. Continue reading →