The Virtuous Consumer: Your Essential Shopping Guide for a Better, Kinder, Healthier World

Is laminate flooring good or bad? Should one buy beverages in plastic bottles or cans? And how can one crack the code of little numbers in triangles on the bottom of plastic containers? Virtuous Consumer is for busy people who want to buy responsibly but are not sure where to start. There's surprisingly little useful information available, so in this book Leslie Garrett provides the answers to commonly asked questions. Each chapter in this practical, easy-to-read book reveals how a particular sector of the economy impacts the planet and its people. Those who want a greater understanding of the issues can read the whole thing ― those who don't can turn straight to “The Buy Line,” a section at the end of each chapter that clearly and succinctly explains what items to put on one's shopping list. What’s more, the book is sprinkled with bizarre trivia, fascinating personality profiles, and quick tips ― all focused on living a greener, cleaner life.

Leslie Garrett is an award-winning journalist, author, and editor. Her work has appeared in Chatelaine, Today's Parent, and many other national publications. Her syndicated column “The Virtuous Consumer” runs monthly in City Parent, Big Apple Parent, About Families, and a number of other publications. She also writes “The Virtuous Traveler,” a syndicated column that appears on petergreenberg.com, the online newsletter of NBC travel editor Peter Greenberg. It was also syndicated in The Globe & Mail and SCENE magazine. Together, her columns reach close to two million readers. Leslie is the author of a dozen children's books, including a biography of the renowned environmentalist David Suzuki, and EarthSmart, a book for early readers on protecting the environment. She resides near Toronto, Canada, and her website is, www.virtuousconsumer.com.