Jonathon Porritt

Jonathon Porritt
Porritt receiving honorary degree from University of Exeter in 2008
Born	6 July 1950 (1950-07-06) (age 66) London, UK
Fields	Environmentalism
Alma mater	University of Oxford

Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE (born 6 July 1950) is a British environmentalist and writer, known for his advocacy of the Green Party of England and Wales. Porritt frequently contributes to magazines, newspapers and books, and appears on radio and television.

Porritt was born in London, the son of The Lord Porritt, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand. Lord Porritt, who served as a senior officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II, was also the bronze medalist in the 1924 Summer Olympics "Chariots of Fire" 100 metres race. As well as receiving a life peerage, Lord Porritt had previously been awarded a baronetcy. Jonathon Porritt succeeded to the title of 2nd Baronet Porritt on 1 January 1994.

Porritt was educated at Wellesley House School,Broadstairs, Kent, Eton College, and Magdalen College, University of Oxford.

Despite training as a barrister, Porritt decided to become an English teacher at St Clement Danes Grammar School (later Burlington Danes School) in Shepherd's Bush, West London, in 1974.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Porritt was a prominent member of the Ecology Party. As chair of The Ecology Party (now the Green Party) from 1978 to 1984, he presided over changes that made the party much more prominent in elections. Under his stewardship, membership grew from a few hundred to around 3,000.