Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services

by Adria Vasil

Book Overview

Ecoholic is an eye-opening guide to separating the green from the greenwashed in the maze of products lining our shelves. Unlike other eco guidebooks, Ecoholic names names and gives you the dirt on what not to buy and why, as well as the dish on great clothes, beauty products, home supplies, and more.We all know that the earth is in trouble, but we're often left scratching our heads over how to change things. How do we avoid poisoning the planet and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393334287
• ISBN13: 9780393334289
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 386 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.6" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Green Living Handbook

This book is a wonderful resource, and it has already become my constant go-to reference whenever I have a question about a product or practice. Thank you so much for bringing us this terrific resource!

Ecoholic

Ecoholic is THE book that anyone who is concerned about environmentally friendly products needs to read. This book is "your guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products & services". Ecoholic is broken down into chapters on bathroom confidential, what not to wear, green's anatomy, food for thought, no kidding around, homeward bound, home improvement, outer space, I get around, it's all fun and games, you work hard for your money and big issues. Each chapter discusses several products in general and how safe they are. Then it lists specific products that it recommends as environmentally friendly. It also lists what products & companies aren't environmentally friendly. Have you ever wondered just what's in your mascara? Are antibacterial products really good for you? Just what's in that lotion you put on your baby's skin? How organic is that food you're buying? Which company's products are produced in sweatshops? What are genetically engineered seeds? Who is Monsanto? These questions and hundreds more just like it are answered in Ecoholic. These are a few facts I learned: We used to eat 10,000 different species of food plants, and now 90% of the world's diet is down to 120. Nearly a third of all the garbage Americans toss each year is packaging.

Solid and Thoughtful Guide

I first learned about this Canadian eco-bible a couple of summers ago on a trip to Toronto. At the time, I swore I would move up there if the impending election went awry. But then change came our way, Ecoholic was published stateside, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I like to think of myself as green: I recycle, I compost, I buy organic groceries and beauty products, I drink tap water. I didn't realize that there's so much more I could do--or not do--to lessen my carbon footprint. Also, I didn't realize exactly why I had adopted new, seemingly better habits, I just adopted them semi-blindly. This book explains the why and helps you distinguish between actual green living and green-washed living. It's very well researched, and the writer has a lot of creative ideas about how to deepen one's commitment to the earth. It's a lot of information to swallow in one go, so I would recommend using it more as reference guide. If you're the type who puts bricks in your toilet tank, or insists on using composting toilets, you might already be in tune with a good chunk of the information in this book. If, however, you're more like me, it's just the right fit.

LOVE this book!

It's not often one finds a book that is not only informative but well written and entertaining. Adria Vasil's "Ecoholic" is like the Sex and the City column of the environment. It's witty, smart and well researched and I just can't get enough. So I was thrilled when the US book edition was released and wasn't disappointed. Without coming off as preachy or condescending, Vasil shares her knowledge in a relaxed framework, complemented with quirky anecdotes, humorous tidbits and the down and dirty facts. But what I also love is that she makes it seem easy. She's not out to conform us all to tree hugging, sun worshipers, but rather extends her hand, letting us set our own pace as we embrace change, one baby step at a time. Reading this book, I really get the impression that Vasil not only cares about the world she lives in, but how her readers can relate to everything she's saying and trying to do. Living green never seemed so sexy. What next Vasil?

cost of book

I read stipettes from our local Canadian newspaper and I love what this author has to say. I would like to buy a dozen copies to give as gifts, but not at the $29.99 price. Will this be available in paperback soon at a lesser price$. Thanks in advance for your reply Sara at mthrtrkr@eastlink.ca