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Your Shopping Superpower: Follow Your Values and Better Your World One Purchase at a Time
Your Shopping Superpower provides an insightful guide and strategies for shoppers to align the contents in their carts with their personal values.
Are there harmful toxins in your food and body care? Who makes the products you purchase and under what conditions? What impact does the production of these items have on the environment? If 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending, then every purchase we make has a physical and social impact on the world. Unfortunately, our shopping choices can unintentionally contribute to climate change and social injustice. Many people wish they could do more to combat these unjust and unsustainable outcomes. So what is the connection between our purchases and this impact? Your Shopping Superpower explores this important question and offers a comprehensive guide that navigates toward positive and sustainable shopping practices by providing pragmatic tips, tools and revealing how our habits can help reduce climate change, support companies with equitable workplace conditions, and foster diverse, local businesses.
Broken into categories including People, Planet, Community, and Health, Diane Osgood expands on key issues regarding climate degradation, labor exploitation, products containing carcinogens and toxins, and the importance of supporting local, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses while covering an array of products that include food, fashion, gifts, household items, and personal care. Addressing shoppers’ doubts about whether consumer choices truly have an impact and their concerns about costs and accessibility, Osgood shows how making these easy changes fosters happiness. With helpful diagrams and firsthand stories on climate and social injustice, Your Shopping Superpower informs and guides shoppers on how
Implement one change per week Identify trustworthy certifications, rating systems, and apps Detect greenwashing and other misleading marketing Determine which purchases to switch for maximum impact Handle and approach choices that aren’t easy or affordable
By changing what we buy, we can initiate the change in our economy's environmental footprint and social impact. To enact change, we must start simple; it’s about progress, not perfection.
Are there harmful toxins in your food and body care? Who makes the products you purchase and under what conditions? What impact does the production of these items have on the environment? If 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending, then every purchase we make has a physical and social impact on the world. Unfortunately, our shopping choices can unintentionally contribute to climate change and social injustice. Many people wish they could do more to combat these unjust and unsustainable outcomes. So what is the connection between our purchases and this impact? Your Shopping Superpower explores this important question and offers a comprehensive guide that navigates toward positive and sustainable shopping practices by providing pragmatic tips, tools and revealing how our habits can help reduce climate change, support companies with equitable workplace conditions, and foster diverse, local businesses.
Broken into categories including People, Planet, Community, and Health, Diane Osgood expands on key issues regarding climate degradation, labor exploitation, products containing carcinogens and toxins, and the importance of supporting local, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses while covering an array of products that include food, fashion, gifts, household items, and personal care. Addressing shoppers’ doubts about whether consumer choices truly have an impact and their concerns about costs and accessibility, Osgood shows how making these easy changes fosters happiness. With helpful diagrams and firsthand stories on climate and social injustice, Your Shopping Superpower informs and guides shoppers on how
Implement one change per week Identify trustworthy certifications, rating systems, and apps Detect greenwashing and other misleading marketing Determine which purchases to switch for maximum impact Handle and approach choices that aren’t easy or affordable
By changing what we buy, we can initiate the change in our economy's environmental footprint and social impact. To enact change, we must start simple; it’s about progress, not perfection.
288 pages, Paperback
Published April 22, 2025
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 10, 2025
*Thank you to NetGalley and Health Communications Inc for the free copy*
This book is similar to other ‘search for eco-friendly products’ books, but what stood out was the detailed list of organizations and stamps to look out for on products, why they’re there, and other supplementary websites to help decide what products and companies to buy from.
I do appreciate the lengthy amount of alternative websites, apps, and stores to consider, although it’s mostly USA-centric. While I’m glad there’s some suggested tools to use when the reader may shop Target or Amazon, I was kind of hoping the author would mention that retailers like those should be a last resort. Some of the listings are also repetitive, as some orgs are mentioned more than a few times than necessary.
This book is similar to other ‘search for eco-friendly products’ books, but what stood out was the detailed list of organizations and stamps to look out for on products, why they’re there, and other supplementary websites to help decide what products and companies to buy from.
I do appreciate the lengthy amount of alternative websites, apps, and stores to consider, although it’s mostly USA-centric. While I’m glad there’s some suggested tools to use when the reader may shop Target or Amazon, I was kind of hoping the author would mention that retailers like those should be a last resort. Some of the listings are also repetitive, as some orgs are mentioned more than a few times than necessary.
May 17, 2025
Review: Your Shopping Superpower by Diane Osgood
Overview
Diane Osgood’s Your Shopping Superpower: Follow Your Values and Better Your World One Purchase at a Time (April 2025) is a transformative guide that reframes consumerism as a force for good. Blending practical strategies with ethical inspiration, Osgood—a sustainability expert with 30+ years of experience—empowers readers to align their spending with their values, turning everyday purchases into acts of global impact.
Key Strengths
-Actionable Framework: Osgood demystifies ethical consumption with clear steps, from decoding labels to supporting equitable supply chains. Her “values-first” approach makes conscious shopping accessible without preachiness.
-Balanced Tone: Neither overly idealistic nor cynical, the book acknowledges systemic challenges while spotlighting real progress (e.g., corporate sustainability initiatives).
-Global Perspective: Case studies span industries and continents, proving how individual choices ripple outward—whether buying fair-trade coffee or carbon-neutral apparel.
Considerations
-Niche Appeal: Readers seeking dense policy analysis may find the focus on personal action too narrow.
-Dated References: As a 2025 release, some examples (e.g., fast-fashion brands) might feel outdated if industries evolve rapidly.
Score Breakdown (0–5 Stars)
-Practicality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Instant applicability, from grocery lists to investment portfolios.
-Narrative Flow: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Conversational but occasionally repetitive.
-Inspiration: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Leaves readers energized, not guilty.
-Research Depth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Robust sourcing, though light on contrarian views.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5/5) – A compass for the morally curious shopper—pointing toward wallets with purpose.
Ideal Audience
-Ethically minded consumers overwhelmed by greenwashing.
-Entrepreneurs and policymakers seeking grassroots demand-side insights.
Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Diane Osgood for the advance copy. This book is a manifesto for reclaiming capitalism’s soul—one receipt at a time.
Overview
Diane Osgood’s Your Shopping Superpower: Follow Your Values and Better Your World One Purchase at a Time (April 2025) is a transformative guide that reframes consumerism as a force for good. Blending practical strategies with ethical inspiration, Osgood—a sustainability expert with 30+ years of experience—empowers readers to align their spending with their values, turning everyday purchases into acts of global impact.
Key Strengths
-Actionable Framework: Osgood demystifies ethical consumption with clear steps, from decoding labels to supporting equitable supply chains. Her “values-first” approach makes conscious shopping accessible without preachiness.
-Balanced Tone: Neither overly idealistic nor cynical, the book acknowledges systemic challenges while spotlighting real progress (e.g., corporate sustainability initiatives).
-Global Perspective: Case studies span industries and continents, proving how individual choices ripple outward—whether buying fair-trade coffee or carbon-neutral apparel.
Considerations
-Niche Appeal: Readers seeking dense policy analysis may find the focus on personal action too narrow.
-Dated References: As a 2025 release, some examples (e.g., fast-fashion brands) might feel outdated if industries evolve rapidly.
Score Breakdown (0–5 Stars)
-Practicality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Instant applicability, from grocery lists to investment portfolios.
-Narrative Flow: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Conversational but occasionally repetitive.
-Inspiration: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Leaves readers energized, not guilty.
-Research Depth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Robust sourcing, though light on contrarian views.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5/5) – A compass for the morally curious shopper—pointing toward wallets with purpose.
Ideal Audience
-Ethically minded consumers overwhelmed by greenwashing.
-Entrepreneurs and policymakers seeking grassroots demand-side insights.
Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Diane Osgood for the advance copy. This book is a manifesto for reclaiming capitalism’s soul—one receipt at a time.
June 22, 2025
I want to know who to trust, where to shop, and who are the vendors consistent with my values. Diane Osgood has given me a treasure trove. I have been flummoxed on how to detect greenwashing and the authenticity of the certifications that abound on social media. Diane Osgood has crafted a great resource. But more importantly, this book is an essential invitation to get started on the perfectly imperfect journey to make better shopping choices.
I have learned that making these better shopping choices takes a new sort of personal accountability. For example, I learned about ‘bluewashing,’ and really how gullible I have been to the marketing platitudes that are more noise than signal.
It would be easy to say the problem of unsafe and unethical work conditions is too pervasive to make a difference with the actions of one person. But this book asks the hard question— ‘Do I want to support companies that address the problems—despite some concerns about their immediate impact? Or do I prefer to buy from companies that have taken a stance and moved their business or innovated to no longer require the problematic product of ingredient?’
This book has made a difference in my shopping, and it is just a start—
• I have stopped buying single-use plastics
• I am avoiding palm oils
• I am now paying attention to which products include mica
• I am eager to identify and buy from women-owned businesses
• I am aware of the Dirty Dozen
I have learned that making these better shopping choices takes a new sort of personal accountability. For example, I learned about ‘bluewashing,’ and really how gullible I have been to the marketing platitudes that are more noise than signal.
It would be easy to say the problem of unsafe and unethical work conditions is too pervasive to make a difference with the actions of one person. But this book asks the hard question— ‘Do I want to support companies that address the problems—despite some concerns about their immediate impact? Or do I prefer to buy from companies that have taken a stance and moved their business or innovated to no longer require the problematic product of ingredient?’
This book has made a difference in my shopping, and it is just a start—
• I have stopped buying single-use plastics
• I am avoiding palm oils
• I am now paying attention to which products include mica
• I am eager to identify and buy from women-owned businesses
• I am aware of the Dirty Dozen
June 26, 2025
Diane Osgood's Your Shopping Superpower is a fabulous find. I appreciate all the resources available to me for researching and purchasing things sustainably. There is an ease about her process of making one small change a week!
I highly recommend this book to everyone. We need resources like Your Shopping Superpower to create positive change in the world!
I highly recommend this book to everyone. We need resources like Your Shopping Superpower to create positive change in the world!
December 16, 2025
This book is a rich resource for anyone who wants to live more sustainably. There are a lot of practical tips and specific apps provided, but the book also recognizes that progress is better than perfection. Life is busy and expensive, so switching many things at once feels overwhelming and NOT sustainable; I appreciate that the author suggests making one swap per week. I may not be able to implement all of the suggestions in this book, but I feel good about making progress!
Thank you to NetGalley, Diane Osgood, and Health Communications Inc for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.
Thank you to NetGalley, Diane Osgood, and Health Communications Inc for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews