the virtuous consumer

By: Leslie Garrett
Edited date: November 15, 2022Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Not everyone can bicycle to work, raise children diaper-free and farm organic vegetables. For the rest of us, however, there are infinitely more ways to make sustainable choices according to Leslie Garrett’s The Virtuous Consumer. For busy people who want to buy more responsibly but don’t know where to start, this thorough and accessible guide answers questions such as Is it better to buy plastic bottles or cans? (plastic can be recycled into a fleece jackets, cans can be recycled indefinitely) and What are eco-friendly lines of lipstick? (Burt’s Bees and Kiss My Face, to start). Garrett breaks down buying into every possible consumer category, from food and clothing through travel and child rearing, to energy consumption and pets. And yes, there’s a beginner’s guide to composting.

Peppered with insightful and colorful profiles of “virtuous consumers” and quirky trivia, the book makes for a fascinating read. For quick reference, readers can skip to “The Buy Line,” a section at the end of each chapter that gives you quick shopping options. Garrett reassures us that we don’t have to forgo all luxuries, but that conscious choices can lead to guilt-free enjoyment. Innovative tips provide ways to minimize waste and maximize the environment; there’s no shame in re-gifting a present””consider it eco-friendly! 

The Virtuous Consumer truly shows us that we can create a kinder, better world through environmentally and socially responsible actions. You can make a difference, one purchase at a time, starting with this book.

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