The Prince's Mayday Network is a group of businesses committed to taking
action on
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and was founded by
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
in
2007.
The Network is convened by
Business in the Community and over 3500 businesses have signed up to date. The 'May Day' name is derived from the
May Day distress signal, and was chosen deliberately to communicate the urgency of the climate change message
The Prince's Mayday Summit
2007 Summit
The first Prince's Mayday Summit on climate change took place on 1 May 2007.
It was held as a call to action on the urgent issue of climate change. Over
1,000 business leaders made over 5,500 pledges to take action on climate change
at the event.
The Summit networked one hub event at St. James's Palace and nine
regional events across England through video conferencing technology. Companies discussed the science behind climate change and the business
imperative of taking action on the issue, with contributions from the Prince
of Wales,
Jonathon Porritt and
Crispin Tickell.
This initial event was followed by 2 further Summits in Scotland and Wales in
November 2007.
2008 Summit
The second Prince's Mayday Summit was held on 1 May 2008. Over 1,600
business leaders attended the Summit at 12 locations across the UK which were
linked by satellite to a 'hub' event attended by 160 Chief Executives of leading
businesses. Attendees were asked to commit to up to 6 pledges on climate change.
Nearly 7,000 pledges were made on the day and:
* 76% of attendees committed to calculate their
carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carbo ...
over the next 12 months
* 60% of attendees committed to report their carbon footprint over the next 12 months
2009 Summit
The third Prince's Mayday Summit attracted over 1700 delegates, with another 300 watching it live online and included contributions from
Pen Hadow
Rupert Nigel Pendrill Hadow known as Pen Hadow (British, born 26 February 1962), is an Arctic region explorer, advocate, adventurer and guide. He is the only person to have trekked solo, and without resupply by third parties, from Canada to the ...
,
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. Miliband ...
,
John Ashton John Ashton may refer to:
Entertainment
* John Ashton (composer) (1830–1896), Welsh musician
* Will Ashton (John William Ashton, 1881–1963), British-Australian artist and art director
* John Rowland Ashton (1917–2008), English author
* John ...
and
Stuart Rose
Stuart Alan Ransom Rose, Baron Rose of Monewden, Kt (born 17 March 1949) is a British businessman and life peer, who was the executive chairman of Marks & Spencer until 2010, remaining as chairman until early 2011. He was knighted in 2008 ...
.
Mayday Journey
Since 2009, the focus of Mayday has moved away from annual events to being what it terms an everyday organisation. A major part of this is the Mayday Journey. The Mayday Journey is an online resource that combines a carbon calculator with guidance designed to help companies develop a carbon strategy. The Journey is divided into four areas: reducing cost, engaging employees, suppliers and customers, building resilience through biodiversity and adaptation and developing a vision, termed transform.
Mayday case studies
Businesses in the Prince's May Day Network are encouraged to take action on climate change by sharing best practice through publishing case studies of best practice. Over 150 companies have provided case studies, including
Adnams Brewery
Adnams is a regional brewery founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. It produces cask ale and bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels.
In 2010, the company established the Copper House d ...
,
BT Group and
Unipart.
Mayday report-back
Every year, the Prince of Wales requests that every business in the
Prince's May Day Network report-back on the progress they have made against
their May Day pledges in the May Day report-back. Over 300 businesses reported back in 2011, which formed the basis for an annual report of members activity.
The Prince's Mayday Network Annual Report for 2011
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References
External links
May Day Network
May Day journey case studies
Prince's 'mayday' climate alert BBC.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince's May Day Network
Environmental organisations based in the United Kingdom
Charles III