I enjoyed reading Daniel Goleman's Ecological Intelligence, which is talks about how better consumer knowledge of the ecological and biological ramifications might change the way we buy -- and hence, the world -- forever. Yes, of course. I figured this was pretty much required reading, too, for anyone with green proclivities.
As I read it, though, a nagging thought kept me from being fully immersed in the book: If only it had been published two years ago.
Golemen exhorts us all to look behind greenwashing to the true environmental costs of making and buying things, and how one virtuous aspect of a product, as in organic cotton's use of no or less-harmful pesticides, may mask another nasty aspect, as in the harmful dyes often used in "organic" products. He talks about how overconsumption got us to where we are today, environment-wise, and points to how wising up to these issues will get us on the right track.
Thing is, I think we're already hip to these issues; at least, most of us are, judging by the sophisticated questions online readers ask people like Grist's Umbra: Biodiesel vs. hybrid? Is it o.k. to forage in a local park for dandelions to make wine? Paper or plastic? And so forth. Perhaps, though, these kinds of questions come from mainly rabid eco-folk and not the general book-buying public. If so, I wish the general public had gotten wind of all this much earlier.
Seeing the hard questions in a book (greenly printed, by the way) does give them a bit more, well, heft, and Goleman's tone is thoughtful rather than snide or hysterical, which helps his case. There is some nice reporting on how companies are pushing the green envelope, and how it has benefitted their bottom line. Case in point: Wal-Mart installed generators in its truckers' cabins so driver could cool or heat themselves without having to idle their engines; the company saved $25 million a year. The book offers plentiful proof that consumers, given the information and the choice to do the right thing with ease, will do so every time. Goleman also handily explains the science behind Life Cycle Assessment, which is tracking energy use, chemical contamination and so forth from a product's birth to long, long life in a landfill.
The book devotes plenty of space to the online rating system at GoodGuide, which I applaud; the site has the most comprehensive eco rating systems to date, and even covers the latest health and recall news (we covered it months ago -- again, the online world just seems much more cutting edge, eco-wise).
Yet, two things admittedly not in the scope of this book that I just feel I need to add here to ya'll: You can up your green quotient simply by buying less, and taking time to find that One Perfect Thing when you do buy (I'll elaborate in future posts). Second, letting companies and elected officials know where you stand, particularly on the health issues, goes a long way; hopefully there will be more outlets for two-way communication in the future each and every time we make a purchasing decision.
I'd settle for buying every CEO a copy of this book. Change is coming, people. So lead, or get out of the way and prepare for bankruptcy.
~BurbMom
Or maybe every CEO could read a copy online...
Posted by: Maggie | June 24, 2009 at 09:00 AM