Product Description

Climate change, sweatshops, fair-trade, ethical investment, organic food...life can sometimes seem like a moral minefield. Which products and companies should we support or avoid? And which "ethical" claims can we trust? The Rough Guide to Ethical Living cuts through the greenwash to answer these and many other questions. From tea to trainers and pensions to plane-tickets the guide looks at all the problems and ethical options. With recommended websites, books and magazines plus tips on reducing your carbon footprint at home and on the road, this book is the essential handbook for responsible consumers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20674 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Duncan Clark has worked at Rough Guide for eight years. In 2004, he wrote the well-received The Rough Guide to Ethical Shopping, and is currently in the process of editing The Rough Guide to Climate Change.He has been central to Rough Guides' widely reported climate-changeinitiative, encouraging travellers to fly less often and stay longer,and is a founder member of the Penguin Group's environmental committee.Duncan has also co-written a number of bestselling technology titles,including The Rough Guide to the Internet and The Rough Guide to iPods, iTune & music online.

Customer Reviews

A comprehensive review
I was very happy to find this book. There are many different ways to help the planet and its people, but in the mean time this is difficult to find a compact, comprehensive and well documented review about all of it. This book does it.
They tell about many different subjects (carbon offsets, organic products, efficiency of boycotts, GM food, origins of carbon emissions, different types of home energy, ethical trade, etc...), try to stay objective in the pros and cons, and provide pertinent figures.
As there isn't enough room in one book for everything, they also point to websites for further documentation.
For many years I have been reading about "ethical behaviour", but I learnt a lot from this book.
And right now, I will start by changing my bank...

Really helpful overview
This is an easy to read and very practical introduction to issues around ethical consumerism and developing a greener, less exploitative lifestyle. It is an expanded edition of an earlier book, 'The Rough Guide to Ethical Shopping', covering a wider range of topics.

While the book clearly advocates lifestyle changes which would benefit the overall welfare of the Earth and its inhabitants, it avoids being overbearingly moralistic. Instead it provides information to help readers make their own decisions. For example, it discusses the pros and cons of boycotting products from certain companies or countries. At another point, it shows how improving the insulation in your home can often help reduce carbon emissions far more significantly than other more expensive measures like installing wind turbines or solar panels.

Overall the book aims to be helpful rather than merely 'right on' or politically correct. As another reviewer has indicated, one of the book's strengths is that it points to a whole host of websites where particular topics can be explored in more detail. It is a really useful introduction to a wide range of related subjects. I don't know of another introductory book of similar scope.

Highly recommended reading.

Don't buy this great book!!
Don't buy this great book!!

It has been superseeded by The Rough Guide to shopping with a Conscience on the 25th of Jan 2007. This topic always evolving so it's worth buy the most up to date version.

Don't make the same mistake I did!