2 stars
This book was fine. The main issue with it is that it was published over 10 years ago so understandably, much of the information is out of date. There are many eco-friendly options that are not discussed such as bidets, LED lightbulbs, package-free products, refillable products, etc. Can be a good place to start for some ideas but with so many innovations between then and now, may be better to opt for a more recent publication.
Overall, the book was well-written. It is broken down roughly by topic such as travel, parties, personal care, clothing, and food. There are certainly still helpful tips and information that may be useful in educating oneself on everyday environmental impacts.
I am not necessarily interested in being “chic”, but am always looking for ways to be a little more green. I found this in a Little Free Library so I picked it up to see if I found any useful suggestions.
One thing I did dislike was the author’s tone. Her version of “chic” seems to really be judgmental, which I did not care for. It’s fine to not like something, but her stance on certain things was off-putting. Calling spider plants tacky, thrift stores skeevy, and people who save ribbons and bows creepy is not a great way to connect to your reader. She clearly has certain preferences, but she came off as kind of rude in expressing some of them. She also comes off as anti-fat with her oversimplified segments of “green women don’t get fat” (because they walk more, etc.)
I also felt she was overly negative about products she wasn’t interested in. She completely writes off reusable menstrual products and just says to use organic tampons. It’s fine if it’s not for her, but if people are okay with that option and it helps reduce waste, does it really matter? Shooting down such things is not a great way to expose people to various options in order to let them choose what works for them. This felt more like a book of what she does, rather than really offering options to the reader to become more informed to make their own choices.
Finally, there are tons of statistics in the book, many of which felt extremely overwhelming. At times I felt anxious about all of the negativity. I think more recent books are often more positive in focusing on how same changes can make an impacts This just felt like too much at time. Also, there is no reference section (just a list of suggested books), which makes it hard to compare updated stats from the same sources.
Overall, it was fine, but again, it’s rather old. May be good for someone trying to make some small changes, but much of the information seems pretty obvious at this point (choose local or organic, bring your own bag, try reusable products, etc.). More recent books like 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste may be more helpful for those looking to reduce their negative impact on the environment and find a variety of options to do so.
With all that said, I did love that the book was printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and used vegetable-based ink. Also half of royalties went to environmental organizations such as Alliance for Climate Protection, Roots & Shoots, and the Central Park Conservancy.