About The Future Is Beautiful
How will you create beauty in the world?
Every one of us has ideas and personal experiences to share that can lead us to a brighter future. In the pages of this book, over two hundred people reveal their vision of the world they want to live in and the ways in which we can think, act and vote to create it. Beautifully illustrated, this is a personal, political exploration of what we value, and how we can live these values our daily life.
This book is an invitation to you, wherever you are in the world, to imagine the future of your choice and inspire us to build it with you. Our global future is created by all of us, together. The Future Is Beautiful is the start of a new conversation for making that happen.
Let your imagination run wild. We are the Future.
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“Imagination is the most precious currency we have. This anthology is a priceless, awe-inspiring companion in a time for new dreams.”
Jonathan Robinson (Founder of Impact Hub)
Edited by Amisha Ghadiali, artwork by Illustrating Rain. Contributions from many new voices and established ones including:
Abrar Agil, Student and British Palestinian Refugee
Bruno Pieters, Fashion Designer, Honest By
Daisy de Villeneuve, Illustrator and Writer
Dan Snow, TV Historian
Ed Gillespie, Co-Founder of Futerra Sustainability Communications
Graham Hill, Founder of Treehugger
Jo Royle, Ocean Advocate and Skipper
June Sarpong, TV Presenter and Entrepreneur
Justice Williams MBE, Social Entrepreneur
Katharine Hamnett CBE, Fashion Designer
Kriss Akabusi MBE, Coach and Former World Champion Athlete
Lucie Barat, Founder of Little Episodes
Lucy Siegle, Journalist and TV Presenter
Lynne Franks, Author, Entrepreneur and Lifestyle Guru
Max Lugavere, TV Presenter and Musician
Melissa Sterry, Design Scientist
Michael Norton, Social Entrepreneur
Peter Gregson, Cellist
Phillip Levine, Creative Consultant and Artist
Rick Edwards, TV Presenter
Rowena Davis, Journalist and Councilor
Wayne Hemingway MBE, Fashion Designer & Curator
Zara Martin, TV Presenter and Model
Foreword by James Parr, Creative Director of The Imaginals
Introduction by Amisha Ghadiali, Yoga Teacher and Founder of ?!X
Afterword by Sam Roddick, Founder of Coco de Mer and Activist
Originally published as The Future We Choose in 2012. New Edition – The Future Is Beautiful, 2016.
Love for The Book:
“What keeps us trapped by the mistakes of the past? Often it is the inability to imagine the world being truly different, a lack of example or inspiration to follow, or simply not believing that we can make a difference. The Future Is Beautiful from Think Act Vote has a cure for each of these ills.” Andrew Simms, New Economics Foundation
“An idea that will send a transforming fire to the future.” Ben Okri, author & poet
“Knowing what is possible inspires change, and we are capable of so much more than most of us dare to even dream…” Bruce Parry, film maker & author
“At the vanguard of re-imagining the future, this book charts the beginnings of a collaborative revolution in politics.” Tamsin Omond, Green Party
“It is rare that someone writes a book with passion where the effort is aimed not at knowing the answers but understanding the question. We live in a world that has fractured intimacies yet ever growing digital closeness where ideas about how we want to live are undermined by notions of wealth, consumption and the measurability of happiness. Don Quixote would have wept. This marvellous book is at once a challenge for us to try to describe the sunny uplands we wish to reach as well as being a plea for a plurality in that vision. The joy to me is that shining through it all is a series of reference points called kindness, generosity and courtesy. These are the planks most of us want to stand on as we set out on this journey. I feel a new form of democracy stirring and it is exciting and vital. Go make a difference I say. Read this book and start now.” Tim Smit, The Eden Project
“Every revolution needs and creates a book. A beautiful revolution needs and creates a beautiful book. This book is it. Buy it, steal it, borrow it, share it and be beautiful.” Neal Lawson, Compass
“The Future Is Beautiful gives rise to a future we can all look forward to.” Indra Adnan, Soft Power Network
“Martin Luther King did not stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and say “I have a plan”. Without dreams of a better future we are destined to the obedience of cynicism, and a miserable life that is. Eleanor Roosevelt nailed it: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” – people like the contributors to, and the readers of, this inspiring book” Mark Stevenson, We Do Things Differently
“Drawing on a cleverly conceived, beautifully executed project, The Future Is Beautiful offers a critical challenge on the current state of the world.” Tessy Britton, Social Spaces
“The fact that a radical ‘course correction’ is both urgent and necessary doesn’t necessarily make it desirable. We need people (and young people in particular) to be excited and passionate about the idea of living more sustainably, in every sense of that inspiring idea. ‘The Future is Beautiful’ opens up that very prospect.” Jonathon Porritt, Forum for the Future
“A splendid collection of inspiring thoughts and ideas.” Satish Kumar, Resurgence Magazine
“Don’t hesitate to pull this down and get inspired.. it’s the upper to help us make today beautiful.” Tessa Tennant, green investment pioneer
“We’re told all the time that society has never been more apathetic; that rich, poor, young and old have given up on changing the world in which they live. This book and the wisdom it contains show why that’s not true. The future we choose is a future we must fight for. By inspiring each other, we make it all the easier.” Will Straw, IPPR
“This book is a collective description of a world that we can all feel connected to. It makes me hopeful of stepping into tomorrow.” Samir Doshi, The University of Vermont
“In the pages of this book lurk some wickedly positive futures that would leave a world fit for our future generations.” Halina Ward, Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development
“The Future Is Beautiful makes it clear that we can all make a huge difference, and also shows that huge numbers of people – well known and not so well known – are actively trying to make the world a better place.” John-Paul Flintoff, author of How To Change The World
“I warmly welcome this imaginative attempt to engage more of us in politics in the broadest sense.” Carole Stone, Author and Broadcaster
This book is available as an ebbok which is our gift to you.
Paperback and hardback edition are also available.
+ Download yours here.
