Ecoholic – Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services in Canada, by Adria Vasil
Global warming, carbon emissions, toxic waste, landfills, climate change, endangered species, unsustainable farming practices, diminishing natural resources, deforestation, over population and the list goes on. They are all hugely hot topics of major environmental concern and resulting health problems, even more so today than ever.
Just in time for Earth Day, celebrated globally April 22, a fabulous new book called Ecoholic – Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services in Canada published by Random House is a must have for every urban mom’s library.
Adria Vasil’s Ecoholic is a fantastic resource for practical tips and products that help you do your part for the earth. You’ll get the dirt on what not to buy and why, and the dish on great gifts, clothes, home supplies and more. Based on the popular and authoritative "Ecoholic" column that appears weekly in NOW, Ecoholic is a cheeky and eye-opening guide to all of life’s greenest predicaments. It is filled with all sorts of green products from all natural cleaning supplies, to eco-friendly paints, insulation and flooring. Need recipes for window cleaners or home-made laundry detergent?, you’ll find it here, along with cool clothes, shoes and beauty care. Want the best for your baby, and concerned about those plastic bottles? Check out the kids section for everything environmentally friendly and safe for baby. Need tips on how to make your home more energy efficient and even how to buy green energy? How about wonderful eco-friendly vacation ideas? It’s not just the eco-tourist holiday anymore, check it out for lists of green hotels in Canada.
This book gives you all the up to date hard facts and information on how to avoid toxins in the home, buying pesticide-free food, sustainable seafood, and meat and veggie choices. Tips for reducing energy and water use, keeping your home and garden pest-free without harmful chemicals, green gift-giving and ethical investing, choosing an environmentally friendly career, and the big issues facing Canada and how to get involved are all included.
"This book is for people who want to do something to lighten their impact on the planet. The small steps cost us little in the way of effort, money or time, but the cumulative effects can be enormous."
—David Suzuki
We sent a copy of Adria Vasil’s, Ecoholic to our urbanmom’s book review panel and here is what they had to say about this comprehensive guide to going green.
urbanmoms: What was your initial impression of this book?
Jill: Ecoholic is fantastic, it’s hard to put it down, it’s chock full of so much information. I do try to do my bit for the environment but clearly not enough. Ecoholic educates you on everything “green” from cleaning supplies to renovation materials to local organic food delivery. It’s a must have.
Paddi-Anne: I loved Ecoholic right from the start. Adria’s tone is casual but she gets right to the point, lightly mocking how we have, "hundreds of products to preen every part of our bodies".
urbanmoms: What do you think are the key messages of this book? Did they resonate with you?
Jill: I think the key message is that the environment is a major concern and something that is very topical right now and on everyone’s minds but many aren’t sure what they can do about it. Ecoholic has a solution for almost everything, full of great ideas on how to make your home and family more environmentally friendly.
Paddi-Anne: Adria keeps it simple, encouraging the reader to think about what they eat, drink, wear, and use everyday. She approaches everything in a holistic way, tackling where things come from and the impact they make along the way. The topic of environmental change can be overwhelming but she stresses keeping it simple. Even changing just one little thing is worth it.
urbanmoms: What would another mother find most appealing about this book?
Jill: There is a whole section devoted to kids, we all do our best to keep our kids healthy and safe but wow is there a lot of bad stuff out there. Like everything, you go away feeling a little overwhelmed and paranoid that you did certain things wrong but this section is very informative on everything from clothes to baby bottles to what to feed your kids. So many toys are made of PVC plastic so get rid of them, Ecoholic provides all sorts of cool eco-friendly toy options too.
Paddi-Anne: The book is structured as an easy reference tool. The "Kids" chapter has tons of easy ideas for "greening" your home and making it as safe and non-toxic as possible.
urbanmoms: What stood out about this book?
Jill: It’s really thorough; so many things that you had never even thought about that you can do to better for the environment. There is a really great resource guide in the back that has lists of all the places you can get organic foods, farmer’s markets and even car sharing companies.
Paddi-Anne: Ecoholic is incredibly comprehensive. It covers everything from diaper options to lawn mowers.
urbanmoms: Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why/why not?
Jill: I would definitely recommend this book to a friend, it has so much to offer.
Paddi-Anne: Absolutely! Every house should have a copy of Ecoholic.
urbanmoms: Please share any other comments about your experience with this book:
Jill: After reading Ecoholic, I feel like there is so much more I could be doing. Just this week, I bought a recycled grocery bag from the PC “Green” line so that I can do small grocery shops in my neighbourhood without collecting all those plastic bags. I heard this week that San Francisco has even pasted a by-law prohibiting plastic bags in grocery stores… so we have a long way to go but every little bit helps.
Paddi-Anne: I loved the easy reference "green tips" boxes!
Paddi-Anne and Jill are urbanmoms.ca members and participants in our book review panel. A great big urbanmoms.ca THANK YOU goes out to them for sharing their thoughts on Ecoholic with us.
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About the Author
Adria Vasil has been writing the Ecoholic column for NOW Magazine since the spring of 2004 and has covered environmental issues for NOW’s news section for four years. Vasil has a degree in development politics and cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto and a degree in magazine journalism from Ryerson. An advocate for the earth, women’s issues and human rights since her teens, Vasil has appeared on MTV Canada and CBC’s Newsworld to promote environmentalism.
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