Go Greener Tips

There are many types of addiction among individuals, harmless and harmful – chocoholics, alcoholics, shopaholics and workaholics, to name the more popular.  However, you have probably not heard of the most beneficial addiction of all – the ecoholic, of which Adria Vasil is proud to be one. 

Simply put, the ecoholic is somebody who is addicted to the planet Earth.  Adria Vasil’s “Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services”, which is a comprehensive compendium of Vasil’s knowledge acquired through 5 years of writing for Canada’s NOW Magazine in her “Ecoholic” column, is probably the best guidebook on becoming one.

When you read the book, you will observe that the language used is no-nonsense, direct and practical with just the right kind of edge and entertainment to it.  You will want to refer to it to answer your pressing questions about eco-friendly choices but once you do get your answers, you will want to know more and so far, it has yet to disappoint.

There are many examples of everyday products that Vasil exposes for their dangers to the environment, the dangers to the people behind the manufacture of the product especially on children, and the dangers to the health of the individuals using the product.  It will really make you thick twice before pulling something off the supermarket shelves.

Take for example the ubiquitous coffee.  People from all over the world love their coffee.  In fact, it is the second most traded commodity in the world after crude oil.  It is supposed to be guilt-free especially when you take it without the embellishments of whipped cream and milk.

However, did you know that coffee is founded on virtual slave labor where millions of families spend long hours to maintain coffee fields and yet they earn so little it will take 3 days of hard work before the cheapest Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is well within their budget?  That’s why the Global Exchange has dubbed coffee plantations as sweatshop in the fields.  Does your espresso still taste good? Probably the same but not quite as satisfying.

And then there is chocolate.  Its effect on environment starting with cultivation is ugly, to say the least.  Rainforests are felled, wild habitats are destroyed and incidences of soil erosion increased, all for the love of chocolate.  Plus, there is also the fact that the modern-day version of slavery is used to cultivate the popular cash crop.

You will probably be asking yourself just what are you supposed to eat and use after reading through a dissection of virtually every food group and everyday items known to city person.  Well, no worries on that area as Vasil provides for practical eco-friendly options, be it from the privacy of your bathroom to camping outdoors.

Upon reading this book, you will realize that, indeed, there are plenty of things we can do to become an ecoholic.  You will be provided with practical advice and logical reasoning behind the advice, which is a God-send for those who want to start being eco-friendly but have little to no idea where to start.

So, the next time you are in a bookstore, do make a beeline for Vasil’s guide to becoming an ecoholic.  It will be one of the best decisions you will make in protecting the most important heritance you can give your children and children’s children.