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the new foods guide cover.

Consumer & Lifestyle
We dedicate this section of the website to the memory of Liz Knights, our editor for many years - and later publisher - at Gollancz. On several of our books, Liz was almost a third author.

1999
The New Foods Guide: What's Here, What's Coming, What It Means For Us
John Elkington and Julia Hailes, Victor Gollancz, London, paperback.
As food-related issues ran off the scale in Europe, The New Foods Guide explored the fascinating, complex worlds of genetically modified (GM) foods, functional foods (designed to have some health or medical effect) and organic foods.

manual 2000 cover.

1992
Holidays That Don't Cost the Earth: The Guide to Greener Holidays
John Elkington and Julia Hailes, Victor Gollancz, London, paperback
At a time when people were enjoying greater freedom to travel than ever before, the questions focused on such areas as: the best ways to travel; how to choose accommodation; how holiday activities affect the environment; the good, bad and ugly of world destinations; and what leading airlines, hotel chains and tour operators were doing to stop the rot. Based on extensive survey work, Holidays That Don't Cost the Earth set out to provide answers. We launched the book with a 'Holiday Extravaganza' featuring the likes of sci-fi author Douglas Adams.


 

1990
The Young Green Consumer Guide
John Elkington, Julia Hailes and Douglas Hill, with illustrations by Tony Ross, Victor Gollancz, London, paperback (plus foreign editions).

This book was originally Liz Knights' idea. Douglas Hill tailored it for children and Tony Hill provided the wonderful illustrations. We launched the book with a competition, sponsored by Varta, the German battery company which had pioneered in taking mercury out of its products: The UK Greenest School Competition. As the various editions of the book rolled around the world, we were suddenly in touch with children and teachers in places as far apart as Finland, Alaska and New Zealand.


 

1989
The Green Consumer's Supermarket Shopping Guide
John Elkington and Julia Hailes, Victor Gollancz, London, paperback (plus foreign editions).

Analysing hundreds of products for their environmental friendliness, and giving at-a-glance recommendations, this book went much deeper into the issues and the potential solutions. Based on the results of what at the time was the biggest-ever environmental survey of UK supermarkets, the book focused in on both retailers and manufacturers. Our 99-page questionnaire to supermarkets help trigger a range of initiatives in the sector.



 

1998
Manual 2000: Life Choice for the Future You Want
John Elkington and Julia Hailes, Hodder & Stoughton, London, paperback.
Among the life choices explored in John and Julia's seventh book together were: What new risks are there in 'gene foods'? Are pesticides poisoning us - and, if so, should we go organic? Should we allow employers - and insurers - to see our genetic records? Should we be turning animals into machines? Are ethical investments and pensions worth the money? Will we be forced out of our cars? Will we lose our jobs to computers? How can we rebuild a sense of community? Do children need protecting from the modern world?


1988
The Green Consumer Guide: From Shampoo to Champagne - High-street shopping for a better environment
John Elkington and Julia Hailes, Victor Gollancz, London, paperback (plus foreign editions).
A publishing phenomenon. In its various editions, The Green Consumer Guide sold something like a million copies around the world. The first paragraph ran as follows: "Every day, whether we are shopping for simple necessities or for luxury items, for fish fingers or fur coats, we are making choices that affect the environmental quality of the world we live in." As Anita Roddick put it in her foreword: "The new type of consumer can be found everywhere, in pin-striped suits, white coats or boiler-suits. And this trend is still in its infancy. Even so, one of the most exciting things about The Green Consumer Guide is the way it pulls together so many different areas in which real progress is now being made." One innovation in the book was the way that, instead of focusing on issues, it walked the reader down the high street or main street: hardware and DIY store, garden centre, garage, electrical shop, supermarket, chemist/pharmacy, travel agent and gift shop.



the green consumer guide cover.