Pan Mac unveils new sustainability imprint One Boat

Pan Macmillan's has unveiled its new sustainability imprint One Boat, headed by Bluebird publisher Carole Tonkinson, with plans to launch its first title, Eat to Save the Planet, in December 2020.

The imprint's name, logo and first acquisitions have been revealed to coincide with Bluebird’s fifth anniversary. Bluebird’s nine-strong team, headed up by Tonkinson, will work on both imprints.

"Great British Bake Off" winner Nancy Birtwhistle and nutritionist and recipe writer Annie Bell have been signed to One Boat, which aims to go "beyond the London bubble" and advocate "meaningful" change.

Tonkinson said: "When it comes to the climate crisis, we are all in the same boat. We can either see that as something negative or we can try to harness the energy of our common cause. This imprint will focus on incremental changes everyone can make which will add up to a meaningful impact: from how we shop, eat, cook, clean, to how we advocate for change at scale. We want to get beyond the London bubble with these books, introducing step changes and advice for every reader whether they are simply concerned about their grandchildren’s future or a committed member of XR."

One Boat "references the power of ‘one’—one person can make a huge impact, one habit can make a big difference, and of course there is only one planet Earth," said the publisher. Pan Macmillan also unveiled the logo for the imprint, featuring a white boat on a blue background.

Tonkinson has pre-empted world rights to Eat to Save the Planet: 80 recipes and ideas for eco-friendly cooking, eating and food-shopping by Annie Bell, with a foreword by a leading climate scientist, from Lizzy Kremer at David Higham Associates. The book, which will be published in December 2020, is based on the recommendations developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission.

"This research brought together 37 world-leading scientists to answer the question ‘is it possible to feed the world’s growing population healthily and without further destroying ecosystems?’," reads the synopsis. "The answer, they found, is yes. Bell, a nutritionist and recipe writer for the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine and other leading publications, has translated the PhD recommendations (more whole grains, fewer potatoes, more nuts and legumes, small amounts of meat, fish and dairy, plus fruit and vegetables) into delicious and nutritious dishes the whole family can enjoy. Eat to Save the Planet will also include a month-long plan for kick-starting this new, climate-friendly approach to food."

Bell said: "The Planetary Health Diet is a world first, that offers a way to eat a healthy diet that supports environmental sustainability, to feed the world’s projected population of 10 billion by 2050. And we don’t need to completely give up animal protein, but we do need to transform how we eat it. This book shows you how, and why we need to act."

Bluebird commissioning editor Hockley Raven Spare has acquired world rights to Clean and Green: 75 Hints and Tips for a More Sustainable Home by Nancy Birtwhistle, from Anna Bruce at Yellow Poppy Media. Birtwhistle rose to prominence as the winner of the "Great British Bake Off" in 2014, and has attracted legions of fans on Instagram for her eco-friendly cleaning tips. Clean and Green will publish in March 2021.

Bruce said: "We are delighted to be working with the team at One Boat to bring Nancy’s no-nonsense, simple, eco-friendly tips to life. Hockley and her team have a passion for the project that has been evident from the start and we can’t wait for Nancy to help make everyone’s cleaning a little greener!"

Raven Spare added: "Clean and Green is the answer to the problem of cleaning our homes with knock-on effects to both our immediate and wider environment in mind. Nancy shares genius hints, tips and cleaning recipes that will have readers wondering why they hadn’t considered these easy eco-friendly swaps and tricks before."