Meet Dan Burgess of Naked Planet

Dan Burgess is the founder of Naked Planet, an innovative communications agency in London that works with brands to help them create more sustainable initiatives within their business. Inspired by both his kids and the possibility of a sustainable future, Burgess is convinced that there are serious business opportunities in doing good stuff. His mission is to convince big brands of the same thing. With clients as wide ranging as Nokia, Coca Cola, Freecycle and Green Thing, Naked Planet's award winning work is helping "build meaningful, deeper relationships between companies and their customers."

Planet Green: How did you get into this line of work?

Dan Burgess: I've always been into innovation, trying to do stuff differently and make it better. I started my career in the music industry, then I started a consultancy that made records with brands. Following that, I founded one of the first web radio stations in the UK. Post web crash, I spent several years in marketing agencies, as a qualitative researcher at 2CV, and then a strategist at Naked Communications, working on future brand and product innovation stuff. At Naked I wanted to see if I could get companies excited by innovation in sustainability, to create business and brand opportunities by doing good stuff. Stuff that matters. That's why I started Naked Planet, that's the mission. Communications through doing.

PG: When did the green bug strike?

DB: Since I was a kid, I've always been most at ease outdoors, near nature. Early on this decade, I found myself becoming more aware and increasingly troubled by the globalization machine. I was traveling extensively, talking to all sorts of people, researching (more) new (often unnecessary) product concepts. It was becoming clear that people weren't really very happy despite loads of shiny things to buy. Once my son Findley was born, that was the tipping point to try and apply my energy to something with a bit more purpose. As well as developing the practice, I'm in the midst of a MS in Sustainability & Responsibility at Ashridge Business School.

PG: Who is your green hero?

DB: People I admire within the business world I work in. I've got a lot of respect for David Hieatt who started Howies. Having a true purpose beyond just business, continuously trying to make great products with minimum impact, using the business to tell stories and raise awareness of things that are genuinely important. And John Grant for his innovation based approach to sustainability. His thinking and writing is always inspiring. And then there's my neighbor Hugh Flouch who started Harringay Online, not a green thing so to speak but a social innovation, using social web tools to reconnect a community of people at a hyper local level, which is going to be critical in a low carbon world.

PG: What is your ultimate green goal?

DB: With Naked Planet, to get proper big marketing budgets diverted away from increasingly pointless advertising and committed to doing something meaningful, useful and with impact. I believe you can do creative, interesting stuff that your customers can get involved in while tackling an environmental issue or social problem. To prove that business can build deeper more long-term relationships with their customers through a more conscious approach to commerce and marketing.

PG: What is your motivation?

DB: My kids.

PG: What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?

DB: That we are all connected to the natural world. Every person, every business. Pretty much everything we do through our behavior and the resources that we use impacts the natural world. If we could just get people to become more conscious of that.

PG: What is the most challenging part of your job?

DB: Keeping optimistic. Keeping calm. Convincing an often skeptical audience that there is a better way

PG: What is the most rewarding?

DB: When a challenging idea finally gets realized. Our work with Nokia and mobilizing the Freecycle Network is a good example. A global business supporting and increasing the reach of a grassroots co-operative movement through technology support. Difficult to make happen, but a really positive example of communications.

PG: Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?

DB: There are impressive people everywhere doing brilliant things, but specifically in my work, my old client at Nokia, Anastasia Orkina was awesome. She has an endless energy and determination to make things happen which is so important in this space. Also Joanna Yarrow and Jonathan Smales at Beyond Green, great people, passionate with a strong positive vision of why a sustainable culture and way of life could be really brilliant.

PG: What green thing do you do everyday?

DB: Ride a bike all year round. Bikes rock. I'm convinced everyone would be a lot happier if they rode a bike.

PG: What do you wish you could do?

DB: Experience a world where well-being and a good standard of living is evenly distributed. This is very much at the heart of my view of 'sustainability'--a more balanced life where things like family, community, health and well-being are values deemed as important as economic growth.

PG: What is your biggest eco-sin?

DB: I still fly occasionally, mainly for work. But still. When I look at my kids I realize that they won't experience the freedom of flying that we have done in the last 20 years.

PG: If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

DB: Unhappiness and the constant need for economic growth. They're clearly linked.

PG: What is your best green advice?

DB: Get excited by the possibilities of a more considered life.

Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here.