Wildlife champion

Deborah Meaden takes a break from Dragon’s Den to talk about the adder

Why champion the adder?

A lot of people have an intrinsic fear of snakes and can only see a slithery creature capable of delivering a venomous bite. I see a shy animal that wants to be left alone. When I was a child, my mother would always warn against running in the long grass because there were adders. I was desperate to see one and when I finally did I was struck by how beautiful and enigmatic it was.

Tell us an adder fact...

The word adder comes from the Old English word for the species: naeddre. Over time this became ‘nadder’ and ‘a nadder’ soon became ‘an adder’.

Why should we value wildlife?

Nature is trying very hard to share this planet with voracious humans – it works for us and keeps our air and our environment healthy. In our busy lives this can sometimes be forgotten. Even if you don’t care about wildlife in a compassionate way, you should in a selfish way – we wouldn’t be able to survive without it.

What action have you taken to save our planet?

I am a great believer in doing what you practically can so that it forms part of everyday life. At home, we manage our land and even our buildings to encourage wildlife, including adders. We ban harmful sprays and pesticides, look for environmentally sensitive products where possible, avoid single-use plastic, generate solar power and try to encourage friends and family to do the same.

How does your passion for the natural world influence your business decisions?

There are certain investments I would never make if they went against my own personal business rules in terms of the environment. Sustainability is also on the agenda for all the businesses I am involved in and many of them lead from the front in industry innovation. One of the companies I work with sells ‘no nasties’ children’s and baby products and recently introduced a bio plastic bottle, the first in its industry.

How much responsibility do businesses have to protect the environment?

We all have a responsibility to protect the environment and companies are often best placed to make a wider impact, both in terms of action but also education. Sustainability and the environment should be physically on the agenda and discussed at board level – that way it becomes part of the ‘DNA’ of an enterprise.

Why does it make good business sense to reduce environmental impact?

I feel that, certainly in the UK, there is a greater awareness and concern for our environment than there has been in my lifetime. Even if a business owner doesn’t care about the environment, their staff almost certainly will, and in a competitive employment market a strong environmental statement wins. Finally, reducing waste is something enterprises should be very good at! Jo Price

S Sustainability should be physically on the agenda and discussed at board level. T