Peter Quinn joins ELCAN’s board of trustees as our newest member.
With a wealth of experience in business, environmental management, nature conservation and in leadership positions for boards including the Scottish Committee of UK Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, he has spent the last six years as director for the access, outreach and nature conservation charity, the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust.
His first impressions of the region were as a businessman, selling ash from the Cockenzie Power Station lagoons while running the award-winning low carbon cement business ScotAsh from 2003 to 2010. 15 years later and coal stacks long gone, it is his true calling as an environmentalist and business organiser that brings him back to East Lothian.
He comes with a life-long love of nature and a belief that youth has the answer to our current climate crises.
Here’s what inspired him to join and what lessons he brings to the board.
What is your earliest memory in your love of the outdoors? Is there an earliest point you remember realising that climate and nature needed help?
My earliest memories of the outdoors were holidays to Cornwall when I was a small boy. I grew up watching Animal Magic and Zoo Quest and became interested in Natural History. I joined WWF when I was 10 and this was my first realisation that species were endangered and needed help. Like the Giant Panda.
Like any small boy, I was fascinated by dinosaurs, this led to fossils and rocks. So, I did a lot of youth hostelling in teens walking over interesting rocks and studied Geology at university. It was the time oil was discovered in the North Sea, and Geology was on prime time mid week BBC1 7:30pm – On the Rocks.
I worked in copper mines in Zambia straight from university and came back to the UK to do an MSc in Environmental Technology in 1985, specialising in the environmental impact of mining, where I first learnt about renewable energy systems.
Started working in the Quarrying Industry in the late 80s, just at the same time everyone was trying to be more environmentally aware with green policies. Ended up as UK Environmental Manager for a large multi national aggregate materials business.
I collected a MBA and a MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation in an attempt to break into the wildlife conservation sector, but it didn’t happen. I did, however, spend time volunteering on the board of the RZSS.
In 2004 wile running a company (ScotAsh) that made low-carbon cement from power station ash the business won multiple environmental awards and even led to a dinner with Al Gore and Jonathan Porrit after seeing the film Inconvenient Truth in 2006.
What lessons have you been able to take from your time in Perth & Kinross?
- To get anything done you need funding and community support. Sometimes depending on projects, landowner permissions are required too.
- Partnership is always working better than flying solo.
- Never give up, there will be a way!
You stepped down as permanent Director of Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust in September. Is there an achievement you are most proud of with the PKCT?
The achievement I’m most proud of with PKCT was securing seed funding and establishing the multi-agency Nature Connections Partnership.
During my tenure we also expanded PKCT to deliver Outreach and Nature Conservation / Biodiversity projects. We secured core funding through to 2028.
Part of this was establishing a Youth Council for PKCT. Why are youth networks important to community climate action?
Youth networks are vital in regards to climate action. It will be today’s young people that will be most affected in the future, so they will be most willing to take action now. For older people 2050 is a long way off and some won’t be around then.
Lifelong heroes
Living heroes
Alex Ferguson – “Leadership.”
David Attenborough – “Passion and communication skills.”
Bruce Springsteen – “Just a great songwriter.”
Dead heroes
Ernest Shackleton – “Bravery and leadership.”
David Livingston – “Courageous and never gave up.”
William Smith – “Father of geology.”
Laurel and Hardy – “Just so funny.”
