The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference [Paperback]

Ellis Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2006

This is the only comprehensive guide for socially and environmentally responsible consumers available. It contains over fifteen years of comprehensive research distilled into a pocket-sized, shopping-friendly format, ranking every product on the shelf from A to F-turning your grocery list into a most powerful tool to change the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ellis Jones has been teaching students to make a difference in the world for the past 15 years. A scholar of social responsibility, social change and everyday activism, he founded and directs the Better World Network, giving presentations throughout the US. He currently teaches sociology at University of California, Davis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Society Publishers (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865715769
• ISBN-13: 978-0865715769
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I don't mean to be a traitor . . ., October 10, 2008

By 

M. Harry (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Better World Shopping Guide - 2nd Edition: Every Dollar Makes a Difference (Paperback)

I have to admit I'm feeling a little bit evil and trecherous for not giving such a great book and excellent concept a five-star review, but I will explain.

I am a long-time vegetarian and long-time environmentalist. I have been following Dr. Jones' "vote with your wallet" concept for many, many years (more than I care to admit), and I firmly believe that our voice is most greatly amplified when we speak daily from our role as consumer.

The GREAT thing about this book is that it is a concise, easy-to-carry, easy-to-consult-on-the-fly score card for most everything you might want to buy, from just about every company you can buy it from, and even from most of the places you'd be buying it. If you're already a well-informed green shopper and you have some experience with the politics of responsible consumption, then this is, indeed, a five-star book.

The downside to the book is that in order to make it a "pocket guide," it contains very little background information or explanation for why a particular company received the score they did. If you're new to the concept and find lots of your favorite products are getting Ds and Fs, then you are left almost on your own to find out why. (Of course, I'm all for doing your own research!) There are SOME explanations, but it's just not possible to detail the myriad reasons for corporate irresponsibility in a 177-page pocket-sized book.

There IS a web site for the book, but I don't think it's been updated for the second edition of the book, and it has very limited functionality. There is no search function, for example, and if there are details about specific company scores, I couldn't find them.

An example: I need some new pajamas. I have always liked shopping at Marshalls, not only because of the good prices and selection, but because I feel like my consumer dollar means less there---whatever I buy is usually past-season and is no longer part of the mainstream consumer chain. However, I checked my Better World Shopping Guide (page 134, Retail Stores) and find, much to my dismay, that Marshalls ranks a D minus! However, because they aren't the worst company on the page (that dishonor goes to Wal-Mart), there's nothing on the detail page to explain why Marshalls did so poorly.

I went to the web site and looked for nearly 15 minutes, and I still couldn't find anything to explain what a retail store had to do to rank a D minus. In fact, the listing under Retail Stores is from the first edition of the book, and Marshalls isn't even on the list. The small-print explanation beneath the chart discusses only how the data is collected and processed, and not WHY the companies received the grades they did. Since there's no search function, either, I couldn't simply type in "marshalls" and hope to find the answer to my question.

We NEED books like this, and we need people and organizations who can help us, the average consumer, understand how large corporations operate in relation to our world.

Big companies like Philip Morris (the world's largest tobacco company, who owns Kraft, Nabisco, and a few hundred other brands) don't make it easy for consumers to link their brands with the parent company. Lots of people, even you maybe, would be surprised to know that something as seemingly innocent as buying an all-American favorite like Kraft Mac & Cheese helps Big Tobacco's bottom line.

Even the grocery manager at my local Whole Foods didn't know that Back To Nature was a Kraft Foods holding when I asked him why Whole Foods Market even carries it and currently has the whole brand on store-wide sale. I've got the same question in to Whole Foods' corporate customer service, but I haven't gotten my answer yet.

I LOVE this book and will continue to carry it in my purse every time I go shopping, and will continue to consult it before every shopping trip (like today). However, what's missing is adequate back-up information for new users and for those of us who want to know WHY we're doing what we're doing. I wouldn't mind if the back-up was on the web site and not in the book itself, but it's not easy to find anywhere, and I don't think that's a good idea when your goal is to educate consumers to make better decisions. I also think that most people who buy a book like this are, by nature, the kind of people who ask the same questions I'm asking, and who want to know the facts.

I'm looking into The Better World Handbook to see if that is a recommended companion, so maybe the answers to my questions are there.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate Eco resource, November 29, 2006

By 

KW Wright (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference (Paperback)

We purchased this book directly from the author at the Green Festival in San Francisco in November 2006. We were very excited to find it as we ourselves have done research into many of these companies for our own purchasing needs. We try our best to live responsibly but are by no means hippies, we each own a car (although rarely drive them) and live a comfortable existance. We try to consume as little as we can but the reality is that we don't want to look like tramps who just rolled off a box-car. We like to dress nice, drink good wine, and live in a nicely furnished place. This book has been a great addition to our lives, it takes the wonder and even some of the guilt out of shopping. The letter grading of the companies is excellent and could not be any clearer, the additional information (like the "corporate villian" and "corporate hero") next to the ratings is terriffic and concise. We have shown this book to friends and they all want a copy. This is an invaluable tool and we never shop without it. Bravo Mr. Jones!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable!, November 30, 2006

By 

S. Ralls (Springfield, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference (Paperback)

This is an invaluable quick-reference guide for ethical and eco-friendly shopping. It's comprehensive, listing popular national brands, regional brands, and smaller organics, among others. It's fantastic for shopping, as it's small and portable, but packed with info and easy to use, with simple A-through-F grades. I do try to be an educated, careful consumer, but when shopping without time for researching first, it's great to be able to look the item up and get a quick answer. I've bought a few extra for Christmas gifts!