He was Specialist Adviser to parliamentary Select Committe for Environment Food ^¸ Rural Affairs (EFRA) for their report on "Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK" for six months in 2009.

He has three degrees in agricultural science, a BSc (Agricultural Zoology) from Newcastle University, an MSc (Applied Plant Science) and a PhD (on the effects of herbicides on soil fauna) from Wye (now Imperial) College, London University. He also has a Teaching Certificate (PGCE) and a "D32" (now 'Assessor Unit').

He has co-written two books about food, "More than we Can Chew" and "P is for Pesticides", both with (now Prof.) Tim Lang. He was Chair of Lancashire College of Agriculture in the early 1990s having hill-farmed in Lancashire in the late 70's.

He is also becoming one of the world's leading authorities on sustainability. With 30 years experience in all three parts of sustainability - social, economic and environmental aspects, he dedicates his life to working, researching, promoting and advising the government, environmental and labour groups. He retired as a Senior Lecturer in Trade Union Studies from Blackburn College and worked as a Senior Training Advisor at Goundwork Blackburn. Since then he has developed a wide range of web-based learning materials, all about how work and the environment interact through our behaviours.

He co-wrote the original "Workers Education and the Environment" learning materials for the Intenational Labour Organisation (ILO) in the early 90's. In the later 90's he devised and wrote a level 3 Award "Certificate in Environmental Practice" for a national Awarding Body.

In 1999, he set up his own company - Environmental Practice @ Work Ltd, which specialises in producing web-based learning for people at work to find out - and do more, about the environment. Clients include LearnDirect, IKEA restaurants, Cooperative Retail, Sainsbury's, Action Energy, Kent NHS, Lantra Awards, Enworks, Soil Association.

He was a member of the UK government's expert 'Advisory Committee on Pesticides' from 2002-6. He is a member of the Co-operative Retail's Pesticide Advisory Committee and also their 'Responsible Retailing" Advisory Panel (RRAP). He joined the Board of Pesticide Action Network-UK early 2008 and chaired their Rachel Carson Lecture 08.

He represents the Farmworkers Union on the Health & Safety Executive's "Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee" and is the NW Representative on Unite's Rural & Agricultural Workers National Trade Group.

He was a Temporary Adviser to World Health Organisation Europe for online materials for Health, Environment & Safety in the workplace, and WHO World to help develop Food and Nutrition course programme. In July 2004, he trained french nutritionists to deliver the WHO course in francophone Benin, Africa.

He joined the Food Ethics Council in 2007 and is now a Trustee (09-) where he chaired a Business Forum on "Protecting Workers". He was interviewed recently on Radio 4 Food Programme about sustainable food in Lancashire (CC on Food Prog interview).

He published an article in Outlooks for Pest Management Aug 08 called "Environment, Social and Economic aspects of Sustainable Food Supply, with special reference to pest management" about "How do pesticides fit in with the wider debate about “more sustainable” agriculture? Pesticide use over the next few years may change in ways that reflect emerging debates about agriculture, science and sustainability." pdf of article

In 2010 he took up a place on the new England Council of Lantra Sector Skills Council Board

Recent presentations

He recently completed a "mini module" on Sustainability for City University

May '10 he had a piece in the Guardian with Tim Lang called "Food can help the fiscal deficit" complete with others' comments.

June '10, Charlie gave keynote presentation @ Socialist Health Alliance Conference Every person a Well Fed Person about his voyage of discovery over last 50 years trying to work out why everybody is not a well fed person.

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