It was a global protest held in towns and cities across the world but, when young eco-activists in Stroud joined millions of others to demonstrate against climate change this spring, they did something entirely unique.

Hundreds of the town’s teenagers gathered outside the office of the local football club chairman and started chanting his name.

They held up traffic while calling for millionaire Dale Vince, who owns League Two side Forest Green Rovers, to come out to make a rallying speech.

“It was very… unexpected,” recalls the 57-year-old. “Amusing, flattering, slightly embarrassing. But lovely. I was in a meeting with the accountants when it started. I popped out and [the activists] offered me the microphone but I didn’t speak. These kids don’t need an adult telling them what to do.”

Instead, as a barbecue was cranked up on nearby grass verges, he had vegan burgers delivered for all. “Their energy, the sense of anarchy,” he says. “I love that.”

If this sounds like no ordinary interaction between student environmentalists and a local footy baron, that may be because Dale Vince is no ordinary chairman.

Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Show all 46 1 /46 Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London City of London Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19 Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country's main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Protesters with the words 'glued on' written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group AFP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20 Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new "citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice" Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19 Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Heathrow airport Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge epa07511673 A demonstrator gestures the hand heart as protesters from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group block Waterloo Bridge in central London, Britain, 17 April 2019. The Extinction Rebellion are holding a number of protests across London to draw attention to climate change. EPA/NEIL HALL NEIL HALL EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Jeremy Corbyn's Home Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn's house Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Marble Arch Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police forces carry a protester AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Canary Wharf station A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Extinction Rebellion demonstrators on Waterloo Bridge, London, after police issued a Section 14 Public Order Act 1986 warning. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 17, 2019. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Climate. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Jonathan Brady PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge epa07512336 Extinction Rebellion climate change demonstrators protest on Waterloo Bridge during climate change protests in London, Britain, 17 April 2019. The Extinction Rebellion are holding a number of protests across London to draw attention to climate change. EPA/ANDY RAIN ANDY RAIN EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge epa07512368 Extinction Rebellion climate change demonstrators protest on Waterloo Bridge during climate change protests in London, Britain, 17 April 2019. Waterloo Bridge remains closed as protests continue. EPA/ANDY RAIN ANDY RAIN EPA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in Oxford Circus, London, as more than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 17, 2019. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Climate. Photo credit should read: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire Kirsty O'Connor PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: An Environmental campaigner is carried by police officers at Oxford Circus during the third day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on April 17, 2019 in London, England. More than 100 arrests have been made, with demonstrations blocking a number of locations across the capital. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Leon Neal Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge AFP/Getty Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers Reuters Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Protestors sit on the road AP Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Waterloo Bridge Extinction Rebellion demonstrators on Waterloo Bridge, London, as more than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday April 17, 2019. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Climate. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire Yui Mok PA Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protests cause chaos in London Oxford Circus Police forces carry a protestor to arrest him at Oxford Circus in London, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The group Extinction Rebellion is calling for a week of civil disobedience against what it says is the failure to tackle the causes of climate change. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Frank Augstein AP

The one-time New Age traveller, who made a mint setting up the UK’s first renewable energy company – called Ecotricity and started with a single wind turbine on the back of a truck – has spent the last decade turning Forest Green Rovers into the world’s only UN-recognised carbon neutral sports club.

Here, the pitch is organic, the kits are bamboo, and the stands have solar panels on top. Ticket prices include a carbon-offsetting levy, while even the soap in the stadium toilets is made with grass cuttings from the playing field.

Most notably of all, perhaps, fans wanting a half-time pie or burger are offered vegan options only. The stadium is meat- and dairy-free, a state of affairs that has resulted in one of English football’s more surreal chants. “Where,” sing away supporters, “have your hot dogs gone?”

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Walking into the Forest Green Rovers’ 5,100 capacity stadium, The New Lawn in Nailsworth, there are immediate signs that this is a club on an eco-mission.

Wild planting borders the ground; a wind turbine stands in one corner; the hoardings advertise things like Quorn and the Sea Shepherd conservation society.

Vince, himself – T-shirt, jeans, earrings – buzzes about, speaking to players, groundsmen, kitchen staff. Somehow, he gives the impression of being both entirely energised and laid back to the point of being horizontal. During his 20s, he had repeated run-ins with police at a range of environmental protests, and, despite now living in a £4m mansion, still has the vibe of a man who’d consider chaining himself to a tree if push came to shove.

The Independent is here because, if the UK is to achieve its now legally enshrined target of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050, there’s probably no one better qualified to understand the possibilities and potential pitfalls than Dale Vince.

After all, if he can make sustainability work in the entrenched, macho world of professional football, everything else should be a piece of dairy-free cake, right?

“I would say 2050 is easily doable,” nods the father-of-two over coffee – liquid oats instead of milk – in the club’s green-walled boardroom. “Actually, I think in five years’ time, we could see that target coming down to 2040, which would still be achievable. But the super-important thing is that we now have this target because it’s an acknowledgement there’s a problem and that we have to get to grips with it.”

He has previously donated money to both the Labour and Green parties but says he would work with the current Tory government on reducing climate change. He met Theresa May a couple of weeks ago to workshop ideas and would be available if he got the call from Boris Johnson. “This is the biggest problem facing the planet,” he says. “And it will only be solved by people working together.”

Forest Green Rovers in action against Crawley Town (Forest Green Rovers FC)

That turning soccer sustainable hasn’t been easy, there can be little doubt.

Rovers fans, certainly, have been known to voice scepticism about Vince’s methods since he took over the club in 2010. Specifically, they have voiced scepticism about their match-day sausage rolls disappearing.

“I had someone say to me they used to be able to come here and have a pie and a pint,” smiles Vince. “I said you can still have a pie and pint – but our pies don’t have animal bits in and our pints aren’t made with fish bladders.”

Another fan told him his ideas were feminising football. “I said I’ll take that and wear it as a badge of honour,” he says.

Is he forcing his values on others, though? “Look, there’s a football match here for two hours once a fortnight. So we’re not starving anyone off meat. We’re saying use that opportunity to try something different. And it’s super-tasty. Most people have come on board.”

Fans visit from other clubs just to try the food, he reckons. Jamie and Jimmy have been here for their Friday Night Feast. When I later tuck into a burger and nut salad, I can see why. Put it this way, it knocks the socks off a cup of Bovril.

Probably more significant in easing these changes through, however, is that they have come alongside – and probably helped bring – success.

When Vince, who is originally from Great Yamouth, took over Rovers in 2010, they had just survived relegation to the sixth tier of English football and were facing a winding up order because of mounting debt.

“The club asked for £30,000 to help survive that summer,” he recalls. “It’s been here 125 years and is a big part of the community, so why not help? Then in the autumn, that had run out. They said: you need to be chairman. And I said: I really don’t, I have enough going on. But it became clear it was a choice between taking responsibility or it folding. So, there was no choice, really.”

There was never a set decision to take the club green as such, he adds – but he also saw no reason why his new project shouldn’t adhere to his lifelong belief in being low impact.

Today, nine years on, the club is financially stable, established in League Two following promotion in 2017, and is currently applying to build a new stadium – a sweepingly beautiful design by Zaha Hadid, made all from wood and surrounded (but of course) by trees.

Artist’s impression of the proposed new stadium (Zaha Hadid Architects) (zaha hadid Architects)

Players and coaching staff have bought into Vince’s revolution pretty much from day one. They talk about feeling more energised because of their diet; of suffering less soft tissue injuries; of recovering quicker between games.

“This is the way football is going,” manager Mark Cooper tells me. “Top players like Sergio Aguero have gone vegan to stay sharper longer, and more will do it. We’re just ahead of the curve.”

The eco-identity, meanwhile, has created an overseas fan base among supporters who share the philosophy. This season’s new kit has sold in 16 different countries – unheard of for a club at this level. Last season, media from Russia, Japan, the US and Germany were all in the press box at some point.

“You’re aware when you come here you have to buy into the principles and be willing to be educated” says defender Matt Mills. “And that breeds success. You’re constantly striving to improve because you’re part of a project that is so ambitious.”

So ambitious, indeed, that the UN has now asked the club to lead its new Sport For Climate Action initiative, an international project which will see professional and amateur clubs across the world encouraged – and offered practical help – to reduce their carbon footprint. Many of the ideas shared will be taken directly from Rovers.

Rovers manager Mark Cooper (Forest Green Rovers)

“It’s pretty amazing,” says Vince. “We’ve gone from a rescue mission of a local football club to, nine years later, advising a global programme of work with the UN.”

He shakes his head. “I wasn’t expecting that,” he admits.

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The journey to here, indeed, has been even more extraordinary when one considers that Vince himself spent much of his youth and young manhood living, as he calls it, “off grid”. As a teenager he dropped out of school early and then spent a decade travelling the country in an old army truck converted to use battery power.

In 1991, he parked up on a hill in Stroud for a bit, realised a mini wind turbine he’d installed on the back of his vehicle was generating more electricity than he was using, and had something of an epiphany.

“I just had this moment where I’ve been living this low-impact lifestyle for 10 years,” he says. “And I thought I could spend another 10 years doing the same or I could drop back in to the world and try and build a big windmill on this hill, and do some good for the world.”

He chose the latter; got permission off the landowner (who was persuaded after Vince hooked up his caravan with electric lights); and spent five years constructing that windmill. His first customer, signed up in 1996, was a college in Cheltenham.

“I told their energy manager, ‘You’ll be the first place in the country using green energy’,” he says. “I think he mainly just asked what the bills would be.”

From there, Ecotricity, as he named the fledgling company, expanded rapidly.

Today, it has 186,000 customers across the UK powered by 70 turbines, generating 80 megawatts of power. It has also opened Britain’s first solar farm, a five-acre site in Lincolnshire which adds another megawatt, and operates a vast network of electric car recharging points.

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And for the future?

The company is confident it will continue to expand as more people – such as those young climate change activists – choose renewable, while Forest Green Rovers are aiming for nothing short of reaching the Championship: they kicked off the new campaign on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home to Oldham. All while continuing to prioritise sustainability in everything it does.