LFG is Europe’s only NGO campaigning to bring the brains of the public, government and science together to challenge the brains behind socially and environmentally bad practice. By standing up and encouraging change in our behaviour towards the environment and society we believe we can address the most important task facing humanity at the present time: reducing the future stresses on our children and their children if they have them.

BY GOVERNMENT, FOR GOVERNMENT

Our main goal in bringing the brains of the public, government and science together to challenge bad practice is to give government a voice.

At the end of the 20th century following momentous political change western governments of all hues struggled to find direction; they lost their voices. After a short period however a new political compact began to emerge between governments, charities, NGOs, civil-society and academics with the aim of leading people towards better living through raised awareness, healthier living, and more sustainable behaviour. Founding members of LFG were there from the start but seperately we began to notice the growing importance of neuroscience in providing answers to the most intransigent questions about healthier living. We formed LFG in 2011 to fill the neuroscience-shaped gap in evidence-based policy research.

BY YOU, FOR YOU TOO

With our position in the new compact determined by its internal parameters LFG necessarily receives the major part of its funding (92%) direct from the European Commission via the Department of Social and Environmental Affairs and its Office for Environmental and Social Council Support’s Special Fund for Behavioural Insight. Using the insight of common sense, however, we know that relying on income from too few sources can jeopardise impartial science. This is why your participation is vitally important too. Join in and make sure your voice is heard! Sign the pledge here.

THE TEAM

MARCUS TOYNBOYALÉ

“Evidence, data, trials, numbers, data, facts, proof!” Richard Feynman

Before taking on stewardship of LFG full time, Marcus spent a couple of years as a film-maker (and even, for a short while, did the rounds as a stand-up comedian!) Prior to this he lectured part-time at the College of Food Enterprise, Lincoln, drawing on his three years as a campaigner with the UK Conservation Trust (UKCT). Here, among other things he commissioned the first report on the sustainability of East Lincolnshire’s food systems, was UKCT’s North East Lincolnshire representative on the Landcare Council between 2004 and 2008, and worked closely with Ian Dickinson’s Lincolnshire Sausage Company on conservation and sustainability issues. Nowadays a Lincolnshire lad through and through, he was born and raised a hundred and twenty miles south of the county in Clacton.

ANTHONY GIDDEY

“Not acting is not an option. The only option is to act and to mime-act” Act One for the Activist

Anthony is a senior fellow of the London School of Environmental Studies where he lectures on science communication and green futures. A vociferous advocate for action on climate change over the last 30 years he was co-founder, in 1976, of Sustainable Text & Pictographs and was communication sustainability architect at PR communications firm Fosters Huntingdon from 1992 to 2006. He has been called “a 21st Century Zero” by Impact magazine, and ‘one of London’s 2500 most influential micro climates’ by Wind. Most recently Anthony gave evidence on communicating climate change to the Cleaner Futures Committee of Southampton City Council.

LAURA KLEE

“When my mother was pregnant with me she worked as a prostitute. Still, at least I got regular womb service”

Laura is a stand up comedian but usually with less cheesy jokes than above, which was deliberately cheesy she has asked us to point out. She has played Edinburgh with her award-winning show Method, Aims & Conclusions 2 years running and is working on a new show ‘Dawkins’ for 2014. She is deeply enthusiastic about higher education as a right, and a champion of book reading.

ELIZABETH CHOSEN

“For millions of years mankind lived just like animals, Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination, We learned to talk” Stephen Hawking, via voice simulator for Pink Floyd

Elizabeth (soon to be Baroness) Chosen is Policy Director at Remind, the West Wales mental health charity for mental health workers, and also Director of Campaigns and Media including media relations, public relations, campaign strategy, digital campaigning, activism, children and young people participation, co-creation, advocacy, lobbying, policy and influencing, people management, team leadership, social marketing for vulnerable volunteers and staff facing hardship associated with stigma, injustice and discrimination in mental health provision while also leading on media and PR, managing agency relationships, budgets, driving strategic messaging and achieving widespread coverage. Celebrity engagement. Coalition working. Exceeding targets.

MARY ANN JARVIS

“Everything in moderation, except moderation” Daley Thompson, Olympic gold-medallist

Mary has worked for the British Liver Action Group, Action on Insulin, and Public Health Derby and is currently Head of Policy & Advocacy for Sanguine, the blood-sugar campaigning alliance optimistic about reducing sugar levels in processed food. Her research background encompasses habituated consumption, food addiction and self-harm, and after graduation she qualified as a British corn foods nutritionist. Mary was also a key advisor on the introduction of No Lumps day in Leeds.

ADAM CONNOLLEY

“Who you are is nothing but a pack of neurons” Francis Crick, Ruby Walsh, Ben Whishaw, Seal, Pete Paphides, Gregor Fisher, Melanie Sykes, Carl Rove, Jason Manford, Lionel Shriver, Francis Spufford, Terence Malick, Vince Cable, Verity Sharp, Percy Thrower, Bert Jansch, Prince, Tom Hollander, Alison Krauss, Jenni Falconer, Gerhard Schroder, Jim Jarmusch, Geraint Evans, Evander Hollifield, Trent Water, Beck, Celine Dion.  

Adam spent fifteen years as a junior then senior neuropsychologist under the helm of Bjøb Trojd at the Brain Research Unit in Oslo University before embarking on his current tenure at The Future Foundation in Oxford where he specialises in the cognitive management of gross risk. Aspects of Adam’s work have added to our insight into the evolutionarily determined nature of human behaviour, and in 2006 he discovered his own automaticity: he is living with bipolar affective disorder. Despite the difficulties of his mental illness Adam pursues the philosophy that we can achieve equanimity in the face of neuro-realities.