The Earth convention live: land and soil

Following the runaway success of The Earth Convention over the last five years, 5x15 and Greenbank are delighted to invite you to the Society for a series of events on some of the most important themes of our time.

Our third panel focusses on Land and Soil, and features bestselling author and leading conservationist Isabella Tree, author of Otherlands, a bestselling, monumental history of life on earth, Thomas Halliday, the former president of the National Farmers' Union, Minette Batters, and conservationist and acclaimed author of Our Oaken Bones, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison.

What can we learn from the distant past about the possible future for our land and soil? How can we nourish our soil and reground our societies?

The importance of restoring biodiversity, and preventing further losses, is not in question. Nor is the need to feed the 8 billion humans living on our planet. But can the answers be found in regenerative agriculture or rewilding? Grass-fed beef or vat-grown proteins?

Featuring a line-up of expert writers, thinkers and practitioners, and hosted by 5x15 co-founder Rosie Boycott, this panel addresses the importance of understanding the past and finding solutions and the innovations for the future.

Booking information

To book tickets, please visit Eventbrite.

This event has not been organised by the Society. If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking please contact the event organiser, via info@5x15stories.com

About the speakers

Isabella Tree is an award-winning writer and conservationist who lives with her husband, Charlie Burrell, in the middle of a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex. She is the author of six non-fiction books, including the award-winning book Wilding, which was made into a documentary film in 2024.

In 2020 Isabella was awarded a CIEEM Medal for her contribution to ecology and environmental management, and in 2021 received the Society's Ness Award.

She is currently writing The Return of the White Stork, about the reintroduction of white storks to Britain after an absence of more than 600 years.

Thomas Halliday is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Birmingham. His PhD won the Linnean Society's John C. Marsden Medal for the best thesis in the biological sciences in the UK, and he won the Hugh Miller Writing Competition in 2018.

He is also the author of Otherlands, a history of life on earth, which was a Sunday Times bestseller, a Foyles Book of the Year 2022, and longlisted for Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

Baroness Minette Batters is the Former President of the National Farmers' Union, a position that she held between 2018 and 2024, where she was the first woman to hold the post. She has been an active campaigner for a thriving rural economy and food standards – notably bringing together a range of chefs, environmentalists, consumer groups and animal welfare experts in a 2020 campaign, which led to over 1 million people signing the NFU Food Standards Petition.

She has been included in BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour Power List, and in 2021 was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant to Wiltshire. She was made a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords in 2024.

Merlin Hanbury-Tenison is a Cornish conservationist and veteran who founded The Thousand Year Trust, Britain's rainforest charity. The charity's mission is to catalyse the movement to triple Britain's rainforest cover to one million acres in the next thirty years.

His work has been featured in National Geographic, the Guardian and on the BBC. His highly acclaimed book, Our Oaken Bones, is an honest and intimate true story about the astonishing healing power of nature, and our duty to heal it in return.

About Greenbank

Greenbank has been helping to drive change in finance, business and society through ethical and sustainable investment for over 20 years. We strive to be the natural home for investors seeking to align their investments with their values, providing sustainable investment as a standard, not an add on.

We build sustainable and ethical investment strategies around the values of our clients, joining together to help make a positive impact on the world around us.

About Rathbones

At Rathbones, we see it as our responsibility to invest for everyone's tomorrow. That means doing the right thing for our clients and for others too. Keeping the future in mind when we make decisions today.

Looking beyond the short term for the most sustainable outcome. This is how we build enduring value for our clients, make a wider contribution to society and create a lasting legacy. 

About 5x15

5x15 is one of the UK's leading producers of public-facing spoken-word events. Renowned for the quality of curation, skilled storytelling, and inspirational and informative speakers, our events bring together world leading figures to spark ideas and inspiration.  

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org