Ecoholic

Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services
by Adria Vasil
371 Pages
Non-Fiction
Reference: Sustainable living, Home economics, Environmental awareness
W. W. Norton & Company
April 2009

I was looking for a book that told me if putting toilet paper in the trash or in the toilet was better/worse, if it is better to have a this chemical or that one in my coffee, and then Ecoholic was plunked into my hands! It is a complete guide to how to best take care of yourself, your home, your children and your planet all at the same time. Living sustainably can be very complicated, as it seems like the professionals are all on conflicting sides. Paper or plastic? Oh, wait-none! Because of the confusion it is easy to want to check out and just keep doing as you are doing, I get that and that is exactly what I did. Still I was curious, what effect does it really have if we all convert to the fluorescent bulbs, when they do last longer but contaminate the landfills with mercury? Those kinds of questions and a BILLION more will be answered in this book.

As for the kids, and health and being environmentally friendly- how could that ever work?? We want it and we want it now, and then our kids pick that up faster than this years Christmas toy. Ecoholic is excellent at providing answers for all of your questions of what is safe for everyone involved.

The table of contents includes: Bathroom Confidential, What Not To Wear, Green's Anatomy, Food for Thought, No Kidding Around, Homeward Bound, Home Improvement, Outer Space, I Get Around, It's All Fun and Games, You work Hard For Your Money (So You Better Green It Right), Big Issues. In each of these chapters Adria Vasil goes to great detail in giving you the skinny on the big picture.

I really enjoyed this book, well maybe enjoyed isn't the right term. I appreciate it. It really has brought me to a much better understanding of what I should watch for in the products I buy, what I should eat and what I should wash my hair with. I have made some big changes after reading Ecoholic. We now all use homemade or organic soaps and shampoos. Almost all of our food is organic. We think about what we buy and how it affects our planet. This isn't just a good book, it is one of those you can keep in your library and bust out for a stellar explanation of the way things are. Put it on your Christmas list, everyone should have a copy.

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