Technological answer for the polluted planet

Feb 6 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

Life changed for Gareth Kane literally in the cold light of day. He talks to Environment Editor TONY HENDERSON

LIVING 200km north of the Arctic circle was the rarified location for Gareth Kane to realise where his vocation lay.

Gareth and partner Karen Johnson taught English in Murmansk in the far North West of Russia.

They travelled to nearby Monchegorsk, a major copper and nickel-producing town, which, because of the industry, was surrounded by some of the worst- polluted land in Russia.

“The place had a big nickel smelter, and the devastation was incredible to see. It was massive,” said Gareth, who had graduated in engineering at Cambridge University.

He had been elected as green officer for the students’ union and introduced a recycling system and energy audits.

“It was something I felt strongly about but I didn’t see myself making a career of it,” he said.

Not even a post-university, three-month trip to Ecuador as part of an ecological expedition changed his mind.

The team ranged across the diverse country, from the coastal plains and mangroves to the Andes and the upper Amazon basin, recording 1,200 butterfly species and discovering four new ones.

But in Russia, Gareth recognised that the pollution could be solved through engineering and technology.

He said: “I realised that I, and engineering, had a role in the environmental movement by fixing or stopping the problems from happening in the first place.

“It fired me up,” added Gareth, 38, a Newcastle city councillor for the Ouseburn area.

He now runs his Terra Infirma business, which advises and provides support for businesses to help them improve their environmental performance – and their bottom line.

His new book, The Three Secrets of Green Business, published by Earthscan at £16.99, was launched in London on Thursday.

On returning to the UK from Russia, Gareth and Karen – who comes from Blyth – settled in the North East.