Customer Reviews

The Better World Shopping Guide - 2nd Edition: Every Dollar Makes a Difference

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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!

If you are a conciencious person who wants to "vote" with your dollars when you shop, you may feel frustrated by the myriad of choices facing you at the supermarket. It's hard to remember which companies are environmentally and socially responsible and which are not. Even worse, many brands are owned by terrible companies which are not indicated anywhere on the packaging. For example Kraft and Nabisco are owned by a company called Altria which owns Phillip Morris cigarettes. Most people have heard how bad Phillip Morris is, but might not know that the same company owns many common brands of food. This book helps you make decisions about which products to buy by rating companies and brands on their social and environmental records. The book is organized by product type, making it easy to use while shopping. Though it includes most major brands, some companies are not rated in this book, and that is the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5. This is the first edition of the book, and I'm sure future releases will be more complete.

A fabulous concept, gives some lowdown on MAJOR name brands and companies, but really lacks most of the brands and companies I typically shop. Although it does give a website to visit to find more reviews, I don't carry an internet connection in my pocket, although I'm sure a lot of people do. Also some of the content seems almost contradictory... such as listing Burt's Bees as an A- brand for "body care" even though it is owned by Clorox, which is rated as an F, and tagged as a corporate villain. This would be a great gift for someone JUST entering the "green" mindset.

This is a great little guide to help you shop "green". You won"t find every company and every product here, but you will find a great many of them. The book is easy to use and small enough to take along when you go shopping. It makes a great gift.

This guide will help you to make better choices on how to spend your dollars. If you care about the social integrity of a company -- and where your money goes, buy this book and keep it with you to use at the store. I love this book , although I used to love it more -- the older version had detailed charts so you could see in which areas companies performed well or didn't. Now the authors don't provide the charts, they turn the details into a grade. The upside is that the book is smaller and easier to use. Maybe they could print a fatter one with all the charts, too!? I would buy both!

I devoured the Better World Handbook and purchased the Better World Shopper without thinking twice about it. While I knew it was compact (for portability's sake) I am a bit disappointed that there is no additional information on each company reviewed. I was under the impression you could go to the website and see more of the authors research to make better informed decisions. For example, exactly does Morningstar Farms receive such a bad grade? The reader is not informed of the details, the author simply "graded" the company based on his (admittedly thorough) scale and the reader is supposed to trust it's accuracy. Other than that, this is very helpful. If you do not want to know details, this is the book for you.

Anyone who is working on being a better consumer with a social conscience will benefit from this very helpful book. After I read and used it, I gave copies to three friends. Two of them now take the book shopping with them as they try to make better purchasing choices.

Money Talks, and nothing speaks louder than which products you buy. This book will help simplify your buying choices.