Adria Vasil's terribly-named book (and Now Magazine column) Ecoholic, is one of the most important reference books to appear on the newsstands in this decade. It's subtitle describes it better: Your guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products and services in Canada.
The
book exhaustively reviews just about anything you can imagine buying,
explains (patiently, in lay terms but naming the bad chemicals) the
environmental considerations (cradle to grave, from the way it's
produced to how it's disposed of) of that type of product, warns you of
what not to buy, and why not (including a lot
of greenwashed products), and then tells you what you might want to
buy, in moderation, if you really need it. It's refreshingly blunt and
opinionated, but well researched, and it balances the pros and cons
carefully (e.g. local vs. organic foods). And it's printed on 100%
recycled, ancient forest-friendly paper.
The book is written for
Canadians, but the buying considerations are global, as are many of the
products criticized and endorsed. Refreshingly, no section of the book
says all your alternatives are equally bad, though in some cases it's a
matter of choosing the best of a bad lot. In some cases make-your-own
recipes are included.
Topics covered:
- Personal care
products and services: shampoo, soaps, bath products, hair dye, hair
removal, deodorants, tooth, makeup and nail care
- Apparel: clothing, shoes, jewellery
- Health care products and services: pharmaceuticals, natural health remedies, bug repellents, menstrual and sex products
- Foods
(with an excellent intro on industrial agriculture, food processing and
labeling): meats, vegetarian, seafood, dairy, sugar, chocolate, coffee
and tea, water, alcohol
- Baby products, toys, school stuff, and pet supplies
- Home
products: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, furniture, electronics, cameras,
cellphones, lighting, cleaning, laundry, air purifiers and pest control
- Home
improvement: renovations, flooring, cabinets, counters, carpets, paint,
wallpaper, heating, cooling, insulation and green energy
- Lawn, garden and patio products (including water saving)
- Transportation: cars, alternative fuels, motorcycles, bicycles, flying, tourism
- Recreation: sports, camping, holiday celebrations, flowers
- Financial: ethical investing, green jobs, greening your office
Read
this book and you'll think twice about eating soy, buying from some of
the most famous 'green' product lines, and wearing Gore-Tex. Every page
is packed with useful, sometimes astonishing information. Buying green
is hard work, not as simple as reading the claims on the label, and
this book arms you to the teeth with what you need to be a responsible
shopper. Word of warning, though: The best choices may take some
searching to find, and you won't find many of them in the big box
stores or supermarkets. So plan ahead and don't make a separate trip to
get everything you need, or you'll consume in gasoline what you save in
product waste and toxins.
The book concludes with a discussion
of the big environmental issues: climate change, endangered species,
the end of oil and water and forests (including a well-deserved swipe
at the Alberta tar sands, Canada's ecological holocaust), the dangers
of chemicals and the disastrous food production industry.
This
was clearly a labour of love, going far beyond the material in Adria's
weekly columns. I plan to carry it with me everywhere I shop (along
with my Boycott List),
and use it as an essential research tool. It is, alas, not (yet)
available online in a searchable database format. I'd pay for it if it
was, and was kept up to date.
In short, it's indispensable. I
just stumbled on it in the bookstore (not well publicized), and I've
bought five copies for others already. Even if you're not Canadian, buy a copy, and use it. Brava, Adria!
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