Daisy Green , 05 November 2009

Dale Vince – ‘If I ruled the world’

The ballet-dancing boss of Ecotricity on wind power, breaking the ice speed record and making the 'rich list'

Dale Vince is the multi-talented founder of green energy firm, Ecotricity. Voted most inspirational business leader by the New Statesman, he has a past – and a present – that’s the stuff of story books.

The plot includes a passion for ballet dancing, fledgling record-breaking attempts and a journey from life as a drop out to a place on the Rich List. Oh and the small matter of ploughing millions into alternative energy projects.

It’s not hard to see why Jo Wood suggested we make him our next Green God…

We hear you used to live as a drop out. Now you’re head of one of the UK’s biggest energy companies. How did that happen?

One of the UK’s biggest green (emphasis on the green) energy companies (actually the biggest) just to clarify that. How did it happen? That’s a very long story. Condensed it adds up to just over a decade of dogged perseverance, a very steep learning curve, many battles and a good measure of luck.

And you’ve attempted to break a land speed record in a wind powered car. Tell us about that. Weren’t you just a little bit afraid? Are you going to try again?

The idea was a bit scary. As it happens the team got a weather window just as I took my first holiday for two years and so I missed the record run. It was probably a one in ten year window, they so had to take it. The next attempt will be the ice speed record this winter. See Greenbird.co.uk for updates.

Do you still do ballet?
Every week. I love it.

Would you go on Strictly Come Dancing if you were asked, like Jo Wood?
I really don’t know. Haven’t seen the show as I don’t have a TV, but I have heard of it in the news. Maybe if it was Strictly Come Ballet…

Your company builds a lot of wind turbines. Do you believe wind turbines should be combined with other forms of alternative energy?
Yes, definitely there are other forms of technology that have a role to play and energy efficiency also has a key role – we need to use less energy and source that which we do use from renewable means.

But wind energy is by a very long way the UK’s most abundant, available and economic renewable source – in practice it has to bear the lion’s share of the burden, other technologies are either still too expensive or are at the R & D stage – that may evolve but I don’t see wind energy being displaced in the next decade or two – if ever.

How can we build as many wind turbines as we need and still keep our countryside beautiful?
Windmills are beautiful. Most people hold that view. They are graceful structures whose beauty is enhanced by virtue of the job they do (making energy without pollution from a fuel source that will never run out) – and they enhance our countryside. Even if you dislike the look of them, which a few people do, seeing windmills in the landscape is a small price to pay for the benefit of having an environment that we can actually live in – ie one in which we avoid catastrophic climate change.

You seem to have pretty strong views on stuff. Have you thought about going into politics?
Actually once or twice in the past I thought of it. But really the opportunities to bring change that way are quite limited. First you have to join one of two parties – to have a chance of getting in government. Then you have to make your way through the ranks, hope you’re in the right place when your party takes it’s turn in power and so on.

And then what real change do governments bring? I think often they prefer to follow the lead of people, if they think people want something, it will become a policy. So staying out of politics probably gives you the best chance to bring about change – on the whole.

What would you do first if you ruled the world?
I would ban factory farming and fishing for the horrendous harm they do. I would reform company law so that company’s purpose in life was not to provide shareholder returns but actually social and environmental returns – all companies would become social enterprises. I would reform stock markets and so called free markets in all things and take back the power they have over all of our lives. I would freeze all airport development. Introduce a real carbon tax and apply it across the board. And teach real nutrition is schools (and maybe ballet…).

Are you still a vegan? Is that for environmental reasons, compassionate reasons, or both?
Yes. It’s for both those reasons and also it’s on health grounds (meat and dairy are bad for us) – and it’s because the idea of treating animals in the way we do, subjecting them and their families to this incredibly violent and cruel ‘holocaust’ year in and out – is just so barbaric and immoral. We do it because we can, not because we need to.

You’ve made the ‘rich list’ now. Is it hard to resist buying loads of stuff even though reducing consumption is a key way to be green?
Yes and No. I don’t buy a lot of things but sometimes can’t resist a gadget maybe or something else. Consumption is definitely an issue for the environment. I’m conscious of it, always have been, but it’s not the only one – how we power our homes, how we travel and what we eat are responsible for 80% of everyone’s carbon footprint – I try and focus on those three things as a big picture.

Are you frightened by the future, or excited by the potential for solutions?
The future is always exciting to me even if it’s also scary. I embrace change and love the chance to problem solve.

Jo Wood picked you as one of our next ‘Green Gods’. Have you ever met Jo?
No – though we’ve tried a couple of times to find a date for that. We’ll get there I’m sure.

Who would you like to nominate as your ‘green goddess’?
Hey that’s a tough one - Safia Minney, Jo Wood and all the girls from Climate Rush for sure. All lovely people, all making a real difference. As is my partner Katie – she’s less famous though…

Source: Dale Vince - 'If I ruled the world'

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