Here’s to considering walkability when deciding where to live. Which reminds me of a study I heard about a couple months ago contending that walking contributes more to global warming than driving does. Treehugger’s EcoGeek has a nice debunking of it here.
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improvement items (1) - Products: jewelry (2)
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Blogroll
- Alternative Consumer
- Big Green Purse blog
- Compass
- Conscious Consuming
- Consumerist: Shoppers Bite Back
- Do Well and Do Good
- Ecolabelling.org blog
- EcoStreet
- Emerald City
- Hippyshopper
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- Money Changes Things
- No Impact Man
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Tools for consumers
- Alonovo: the Social Values Marketplace
- Climate Counts
- Corporate organics: who owns whom
- EthicalQuote
- Ethiscore
- FishPhone.org
- GoodGuide: Find Safe, Healthy, and Green Products
- Green America's Responsible Shopper
- Greenwashing Index
Evaluate ads making environmental claims - Hooze: Organically Grown Public Data about Products and Companies
- Knowmore.org: The People's Corporation Watch Project
- National Geographic's Green Guide for Everyday Living
- Seafood Watch
- Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database
- Z Recommends’ directory on BPA in children’s feeding products
My buycotts & boycotts
- December 2010
I haven't actually bought anything from Po-Zu yet, but I appreciate their awareness of the fact that many vegan shoes are made of petroleum products and aren't necessarily better for the environment than leather footwear. Po-Zu seems to set a high bar for itself when it comes to ingredients and supply chains. - March 2010
After running out of dish soap, I started using our good old bars of Sappo Hill out of necessity. But you know what? Our dishes are just as clean, and when I pick up the soap at our grocery store, the only packaging on the bars is the price tag. And did I mention the soap is awesome? We love the oatmeal bar. - February 2010
TMI alert: If you're a squeamish guy, read no further. I'm done with tampons! Instead, I'm using the DivaCup. - January 2010
Mr. Wallet Mouth and I both love Pact. Its underwear is made of organic cotton, and the company donates 10% of its sales to worthy environmental causes. Not only that, but the company is serious about eco-friendly packaging. Each pair of undies comes not in a plastic bag but in a little cloth pouch made from fabric remnants. I'm also impressed with how responsive Pact is over email; when I asked a packaging question, I got a nice reply from the CEO. - December 2009
After reading about Skoy Cloths, the biodegradable paper-towel alternative, on Fake Plastic Fish, I bought a bunch for stocking stuffers and my own kitchen, and I'm now a fan. They're lasting a long time, despite repeated washings in the laundry, and they arrive with minimal packaging. - October 2009
I was already of fan of Straus yogurt (see June 2007), but now I love it even more. According to Michael Straus, a son of the company's founder, Straus yogurt "is made, cooled, and set in stainless-steel vats, unlike most yogurts, which are poured while still hot into plastic cups to cool and set." As someone who's concerned about plastics and chemical safety, I'm happy to hear that! - July 2009
I'm using a lot more baking soda now that I'm making more of an effort to clean the house in a nontoxic way. But from now on I'll be buying Bob's Red Mill, since Arm & Hammer engages in animal testing. - July 2008
Started feeling extra-good about buying one of my fave meat substitutes, Tofurky, after learning that its maker, Turtle Island Foods, is an independent, family-owned company (Unlike Boca Foods, which is a subsidiary of Kraft, and Morningstar, which is owned by Kellogg). - April 2008
I'm going to start buying my canned beans from Eden Foods, for two reasons: it uses custom-made cans that don't contain bisphenol A, and it's an independent, family-operated company. - February 2008
From now on, whenever I order takeout or ask for a doggy bag, I’ll make sure to avoid #6 polystyrene containers (and, of course, Styrofoam).
Reading list
- Branded! How the 'Certification Revolution' Is Transforming Global Corporations, by Michael E. Conroy
- Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons, by Peter Barnes
- Challenge to Power: Money, Investing, and Democracy, by John C. Harrington
- China Road, by Rob Gifford
- Confessions of an Eco-Sinner, by Fred Pearce
- Consumer Society in American History: A Reader, Lawrence Glickman, editor
- Corporation, The, by Joel Bakan
- Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
- Ecology of Commerce, The, by Paul Hawken
- Economics of Innocent Fraud, The, by John Kenneth Galbraith
- Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill), by David Cay Johnston
- No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, by Naomi Klein
- Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, by Stacy Malkan
- Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century, Alex Steffen, editor
Tip Jar
Change is good
