The Better World Handbook : From Good Intentions to Everyday Actions (Paperback)

~ Ellis Jones (Author), Ross Haenfler (Author), Brett Johnson (Author), Brian Klocke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

It would be a perfect world if everyone could quit their jobs and devote themselves fully to the causes they believed in. The Better World Handbook shows ordinary, caring people how to live out their values and have a life as well! The principle behind this informative and user-friendly guide is to incorporate everyday activism into even the most mundane areas of our busy lives-like grocery shopping, banking, eating, reading the newspaper, and working.

From the Author

We have written The Better World Handbook as the definitive guide for the average person wanting to make a real difference in the world. Our book is specifically written for well-intentioned people who may be too busy to be actively involved in social change organizations. Our intention is to reach people who normally would not consider themselves activists, people who care about creating a more just and socially responsible world for everyone but don't know where to begin.

Our book answers 3 basic questions: 1. What stops people from getting involved in making a difference in the world?, 2. What are the major challenges facing our world?, and finally 3. What can the average person do in their everyday life to make the world better? This final question is what makes up the core of the book.

6 Things That Set This Book Apart From Others:

1. Action Oriented

The real strength of The Better World Handbook lies in its simple, concrete actions. Too many books discuss the world's problems without offering actions that the average person can take to make a difference. Our book is completely action oriented. We give you all the necessary information, making each action as simple as possible. We also encourage you to interact with the book by writing notes and checking off the actions you complete.

2. Intuitive Organization

We have organized The Better World Handbook in the most intuitive way possible. Chapters in most books about social change relate to general topics rather than concrete areas of life. People are not accustomed to thinking about their lives in this way. We organize The Better World Handbook intuitively, according to areas of people's everyday lives. People are more likely to take actions related to concrete areas of their own lives such as Shopping, Food, and Travel rather than general problems like 'Saving the Environment,' 'Bringing Peace to the World,' or 'Working for Social Justice.' You will find actions in every part of your life that can make a positive difference in the world.

3. Written For The Average Person We have written The Better World Handbook for the average person. Too often, books on social change are oriented towards academics or activists already in social change networks. While our book may appeal to those audiences, we wish to reach average well-intentioned people who care about the world but have little time, interest, or resources to engage in 'traditional' activism. To this end, we keep the overall tone of the book positive and solution focused so as not to weigh down the reader with the world's problems.

4. Everyday Activism The Better World Handbook offers actions that most people can take NOW. Many books propose grand solutions to social problems but fail to offer immediate, everyday actions for the reader to take. For example, most people will not picket a corporation's headquarters, but they may boycott a corporation's products if they use sweatshop labor. Whenever possible, we suggest actions connected to everyday life.

5. Comprehensive Approach The Better World Handbook covers a range of values and social problems, integrating corresponding actions into every area of the reader's life. Many books are 'single issue' oriented; they focus exclusively on the environment, political activism, or social justice. Our book is much more comprehensive, guiding you towards the possibility of living out your values in every aspect of your life. We also thoroughly research a variety of global problems, offering a creative, comprehensive vision for a better world.

6. Engaging Format We have written and designed The Better World Handbook in the most engaging way possible. Believing that we must engage you, the reader, before you will ever consider our actions, we include icons, text boxes, cartoons, graphs, checklists, tables, resources and imagery. We keep the tone positive, inspiring the reader by demonstrating the difference she or he can make in the world through simple lifestyle changes.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: New Society Publishers (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865714428
• ISBN-13: 978-0865714427
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #787,326 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Social Justice Bible, July 16, 2002

By	J.W.K (Nagano, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Most of us want to do what is right but lack the proper information to realize our deepest values in action. We want to save the rainforest, purchase products that are ecologically sound, end war, famine, and every other ill that plagues humanity. However, we lack a clear understanding of how our everyday actions shape the world. This highly informative book will help you express your values in action.

The "challenges" this book outlines include: economic inequality, Third World debt, corporate sweatshops, war, militarization, the death penalty, media violence, natural resource depletion, air pollution and climate change, ecosystem destruction, overpopulation, lack of democracy, money in politics, media monopoly, inequality of women, racism, heterosexism, inadequate hHealth care, prisons, advertising overload, commercialization of childhood, materialism and overconsumption, fragmented communities, and finally a certain loss of our humanity.

Not to worry, though, there is no reason for cynicism. The authors are young, vibrant, and optimistic about social change. The is no pessimist's rant. In fact, section one, "the cycle of cynicism," actually deals this problem head on, offering many hopeful alternatives.

The rest of the book is action-oriented. Included are hundreds of small things we can implement in our everyday life: including pracical advice on banking and investing, shopping, food, personal lifestyle choices, friends and family, community, home, work, media, politics, travel, and involvement with organizations.

The variety and quality of the recommendations show extreme breadth of research and awareness on the part of the authors. The amount of references is staggering: including links to organizations, further reading suggestions, alternative media venues and action allert email lists.

By far and away the most practical and informative resource available for those interested in living an ecologically and socially ethical life, "The Better World Handbook" is nothing short of a bible for the new millennium. Pick up a copy and start living in accord with your values today.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be the change you're hoping for., February 8, 2002

By	G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mahatma Gandhi said that we must be the change we wish to see in the world (p. 1). This is also the premise of THE BETTER WORLD HANDBOOK, which demonstrates that you don't have to be a Ghandhi, Mother Teresa, Cesar Chavez, or Martin Luther King, Jr. to make a positive difference in the world. By turning our good intentions into everyday actions, even ordinary people can make a profound impact on our local and global communities.

The authors of this definitive, 291-page handbook are college instructors and Ph.D candidates at the University of Colorado, Boulder. (Okay, so some Boulder residents believe that the rest of the planet rotates around our city. But when it comes to serious issues of land development, diversity, endangered species, public smoking, chain stores and restaurants, shopping malls, alternatives to SUVs, and recycling, there is indeed much for the rest of our country to learn from this very special community.) THE BETTER WORLD HANDBOOK first identifies the problems facing our planet. For instance, while "we have become a nation of sleepwalkers" (p. 1), the wealthiest 20 percent of the world's population earns 30 times as much income as the poorest 20 percent (p. 13). The average American CEO makes 475 times as much as the average worker (p. 13). The richest 1 percent of Americans own almost as much wealth as the bottom 95 percent of the U. S. population (p. 14). The average American consumes as much energy as two Germans, six Mexicans, twelve Chinese, twenty-nine Indians, or 117 Bangladeshi (p. 25). Air pollution kills nearly 70,000 Americans every year (p. 25). Development results in the extinction of 137 species each day, while the world's population grows by 212,000 people a day (p. 26). Our children watch 20,000 to 40,000 commercials on television every year (p. 42).

After confronting these alarming statistics, in an easy-to-read format, the HANDBOOK then reveals how we can make the world a better place through our actions involving money, shopping, food, friends and family, community, work, transportation, and travel. For example, the authors encourage us to vote, invest in socially responsible companies, take a daily walk, get to know our neighbors, ride a bike to work or take the bus, work less, shop locally and buy less stuff, eat organic foods and less meat, watch less tv, volunteer, recycle, and appreciate others. They even go so far as to offer suggestions for our personal transformation, cultivating emotional and spiritual well-being, maintaining physical health, and taking time for reflection in our lives. Offering us words to live by, THE BETTER WORLD HANDBOOK is sure to become a trusted resource for anyone hoping to change the world through the power of one.

G. Merritt

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brian Ladd's Review (Boulder, CO), December 8, 2001

By	Brian Ladd (Boulder, CO (USA)) - See all my reviews

The Better World Handbook is an inspiring and refreshingly different kind of "how-to" guide for people seeking to embody their hopes for a more just and caring world. By touching on all the major areas of our daily activities, authors Jones, Haenfler and Johnson ably negotiate the interconnectedness that describes our personal, economic, environmental and political relationships. I was impressed both with the Better World Handbook's comprehensibility and with the logic of its organization. Straighforward subject headings, relevant chapter introductions, and an easy-to-understand presentation of opportunities for personal and collective action define the book.

Some readers may label the book as "progressive" and dismiss it because of its advocacy of a number of social change organizations that might also be labelled as such, but I think the book can prompt any of us--wherever we are on the religious or political spectrums--to explore the various aspects of our lives with a view towards justice and sustainability.

The book also tends to be counter-cultural even while meeting the reader right where s/he is, integrated into the dominant culture. The Better World Handbook frequently sheds needed light on many of the disintegrating and unhealthy forces of our modern society. I liked the margin notes and text boxes scattered throughout the book that provide compelling facts and statistics, lending weight to the authors' arguments for the suggested courses of action in each chapter.

One part of the book that I especially liked but was disappointed not to see more of was the inclusion of the authors' personal stories and experiences. In the chapter on travel, for example, co-author Ross Haenfler relates his experience, while travelling in the American Southwest, of choosing to buy a hand-woven rug directly from a Navajo woman rather than through a retail tourist shop in the area. I would have enjoyed hearing more from Ross and also from the other authors about the personal experiences (both positive and negative) they've had while trying to put their own suggestions into action. This might have helped bring the authors further into dialog with their readers.

The Better World Handbook is a wonderful and timely book. I wish to thank the authors for the huge commitment they have made to this project; it is a gift to all of us who hope for a better world and wish somehow to be signposts of that new reality.

Brian Ladd
Boulder, CO

December 8, 2001