The Virtuous Consumer: Your Essential Shopping Guide for a Better, Kinder, Healthier World

by Leslie Garrett, Peter Greenberg (Foreword)

Is laminate flooring good or bad? Should one buy beverages in plastic bottles or cans? And how can one crack the code of little numbers in triangles on the bottom of plastic containers? Virtuous Consumer is for busy people who want to buy responsibly but are not sure where to start. There's surprisingly little useful information available, so in this book Leslie Garrett provides the answers to commonly asked questions. Each chapter in this practical, easy-to-read book reveals how a particular sector of the economy impacts the planet and its people. Those who want a greater understanding of the issues can read the whole thing — those who don't can turn straight to “The Buy Line,” a section at the end of each chapter that clearly and succinctly explains what items to put on one's shopping list. What’s more, the book is sprinkled with bizarre trivia, fascinating personality profiles, and quick tips — all focused on living a greener, cleaner life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Green

212 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2007

Reviews

[Raz Godelnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to begin and say that I agree with the book's description - just like Festivus, it is definitely for the rest of us. I guess some fellows I personally like, such as Mark Boyle won't find it handy, but many others who struggle with consuming issues and eventually buy some stuff will find this book very useful.

This is definitely not a guide that drives you to shop. No Sir! Garrett is well aware of the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) - for her this is a viable part of the choice to live consciously and she brings it to the reader's attention whenever possible, as well as the fact that buying less is always a reasonable option.

I've read many guides that provide you with great information and recommendations on the best choices you have as a consumer. Still, I found The Virtuous Consumer different. It is thorough, detailed, brings you information straight from the experts and is very comprehensive - it talks about almost everything, from cleaning products to parties and celebrations. But what really got me into this book is Garrett's attitude - she's funny, realistic, frank and always personal, providing examples from her own experiences.

This attitude makes The Virtuous Consumer much less of a textbook and much more of a friend you want to hear her advice. All I can say is that although I read about it in many places, this is the first guide that actually got me to move my butt and check the labels of some of the cosmetic products I use to see if they have 'fragrance' on the list of ingredients (unfortunately the answer is yes..), and to consider for the first time other options that are better both to me and to the environment. And I'm sure this is not the last time this book will push me to check products I buy and consider better alternatives.

Lat but not least, I also want to mention that this book is printed on 100% post consumer-waste recycled paper.

Bottom Line: A useful and enjoyable guide that I recommend with all my heart!

The full review can be found at http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2010/03...

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that many of us believe that we are doing our part to preserve our world for our children and grandchildren. We happily recycle what we can. We donate our old clothes to good will. We enjoy local foods and even buy organic sometimes.

The Virtuous Consumer shows the consumer that there is so much more that we could be doing. This book examines better options in every single consumer category from food and clothing through energy consumption and pesticide free gardening to adopting a pet and buying a car. Reading this information for me was rather eye opening. I really hadn't thought about how my pads and tampons were adding to the landfills. I had never even considered that there might be other options. Likewise, I had never spent even a single moment thinking about the pesticides used to grow my cotton clothing, what my laminate flooring was really made of, or the chemical composition of my children's toys.

The Virtuous Consumer is an interesting read. I don't see myself following the author's guidelines to the letter or worrying about how every purchase I make effects the world. However, I did find a handful of things that I could conceivable do within my regular routine and a few new products that I'd like to check out. I am also armed with a little more information that will likely affect my buying practices and choices.

[Kandise · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information in this book was great, so I wish the author had left it at that instead of adding all these (stupid parenthetical asides about her life.) (It's not supposed to be an autobiography). As it started to drone on I found the book repetitive and all in all the editing could have been much tighter. I also could have done without the author throwing feminism back by 100 years with comments like how she was too stupid to understand various things (because brains are, like, for boys! Tee hee! But still I got a book deal!) and the unnecessarily snide comments made towards men. I also have a great dislike of the "we girls" Cosmo Magazine confessional-style writing which permeated this book. At least now I know which things in my bathroom are likely to kill me.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have got to read this book! Garrett really breaks down the issues facing consumers today in topics ranging from cosmetics to children's gear, to pets and more. She has a great sense of humor and manages to give just the right amount of information. She lists all kinds of resources as well as many of her favorite products. Of course, we can't do it all, but just being aware of what we are bringing into our home environment and making little choices can really make a big difference...

[Lilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leslie Garrett brings to the forefront some of the main concerns of our ailing planet and ways we can help without preaching and fundamentalism. No matter how busy you are, this book gives you no reason not to take your stand in the healing of Mother Earth. There are simple techniques, lists of resources and ideas and so much more. This is a book that everyone in the US, if not world, should own. Blessings to Leslie for writing such a persuasive and sensible guide!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I allowed to review my own book?? This book is, quite simply, a brilliant guide to making choices that are better for yourself and the planet. The author (me!) is perhaps a wee bit arrogant...but she really researched this book like crazy and desperately wants people to embrace the notion that living well and doing well go hand-in-hand.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this copy is from 2007, all of the information still applies. Leslie covers just about every possible consumerism type there is. This volume will be added to my permanent reference library.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the book does provide some useful food for thought, I was really let down when I read the author's recommendation of clothing made from bamboo fabric. Her explanation was that because bamboo is fast to grow and requires less water than other fabric sources, it is a relatively environmentally-friendly fabric. However, a huge amount of toxic chemical processing is used to turn bamboo into that super-soft fabric, and half of those chemicals are dumped directly into the environment after processing. Bamboo rayon is one of the LEAST environmentally-friendly fabrics on the market. Save the bamboo for flooring and other hard products!

I bought my copy used and have already jettisoned it, so I am not sure if this recommendation is made in the newer editions, but the oldest edition was made in 2007, when the problems with bamboo rayon were already known. Reading it caused me to lose trust in the rest of the book, making me wonder how thoroughly researched it really is. If I cannot trust that the other recommendations in the book are solid without independently researching them myself, the book has lost most of its value, since I would have to research the different options regardless.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is way too much stuff in this book to tackle all the recommendations at once. A few parts could be more helpful. I know I should buy locally grown food, but where? Still, the book is filled with tons of useful and motivating information.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite complete - skip over what you don't need

[Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good review of what we can and should be doing, but I felt like it was preaching to the choir.

[Cnoblefl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book-if you can get past the snarky digs on America by a Canadian author......