Julia Hailes MBE

Sustainability Pioneer

Search

John Elkington to lunch (Mar07)

The blog idea came from my publisher but I rather like it. Reminds me of writing a diary which I did for nearly 20 years. When I read them later I realise I put an awful lot about what I ate, so will have to avoid that in my blog! But today maybe an exception.

John Elkington, his wife Elaine and Pamela Hartigan, Managing Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship came to lunch. John reminded me before hand that he was a fish eating vegetarian. I said that I’d already planned a fish pie, knowing his dietary predilections rather well since I spent at least 2 years virtually living in his house, as we worked on the original Green Consumer Guide and set up SustainAbility Ltd (www.sustainability.com).

My friend Tricia Walsh (my youngest son, Monty’s godmother) says I mustn’t forget the delicious tarte au citron she made. She’s just come back from Timbuktu, where she’s been exploring the potential for twinning this town, which was once thought of as the most inaccessible place in the Sahara, with Glastonbury, in Somerset. As it turned out Hay on Wye won the prestigious twinning initiative – see their website for more information (www.hay2timbuktu.org).  I wrote my first blog ever about Timbuktu and within seconds someone complained. I was absolutely amazed, as I thought I was sending my blog into nowhere and was hugely surprised that anyone read it, let alone respond within minutes. It’s rather spooky.