Only a few hardcore hessian-wearing hippies want to go ‘all the way’ on the green scale. And yet there is a strong groundswell of interest in all things ‘green’ as fears about the food chain, climate change, plummeting biodiversity and the sustainability of our current lifestyles take hold. So if you want to change the world without completely changing your life what do you do? Buy Shades of Green. Shades of Green is an easy-to-use, A-Z guide. Each entry has a short introduction then as many ‘shades of green’ as are appropriate for the entry. Some subjects (holidays) are more complex than others (grapes). It is written in a punchy, wry and humorous style and pokes gentle fun at both the people in suits and the people in sandals. Reading this book will inform and amuse: it lays out the facts and practicalities on everything from carrots to cars and avoids the po-faced apocalyptic preachiness of many ‘green’ books. This is essential and often surprising reading - because being green has never been black or white.