Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything

Very much useful book

I have a mixed view of this book.Firstly, on a purely literary level, as with many business oriented books these days, there is one key idea, very easily grasped in the first chapter, with which you will agree or disagree. But there is very little real need to read on after that.Secondly, I absolutely agree with Goleman that consumers with good sustainability intentions either can't access the data they need to make an informed choice, or don't know how to assess the information they do have. In a perfect world, that information would be easily available to consumers, and they would be able to weight that information according to what matters to them - ie some might be especially concerned with the labour environment in which the product was produced, others might be more concerned with ecological impact etc.Thirdly I agree that in an era of "big data" this information is going to be coming easier to come by and there is an opportunity to present it to consumers in a variety of convenient ways - either through apps, QR codes, rating scales etcWhere I disagree with Goleman is that ipso facto this means that consumers will make better decisions. No. Some consumers will make better decisions about some product categories some of the time. The idea that all consumers are sufficiently involved in all categories to take the trouble to make informed decisions all the time is misguided. A mother may well take the trouble to make better decisions about the products' she buys' impact on her baby's health; but will she extend that to her husband's jeans, the cat's chow and the clothes she buys for herself? Probably not in most cases. For someone who focuses a lot on supermarket / hypermarket choices it surprising that Goleman has not discovered the concept of "buy time" - basically the longer a supermarket trip goes on, the shorter the decision time for each product becomes (on average). Which is why new products tend to be clustered near entrances not exits - we are more likely to consider something new at the beginning of a shop. The same will apply to assessing sustainability impact information; at the beginning of a shop we might, near the end, as we tire and the kids start to grizzle, we wont.I also disagree that people will make better sustainability choices even if cost is higher. Of course an affluent minority might. But for most consumers responsibility to your family, through efficient budgeting, is a higher priority than the greater good of the planet and humankind. Always has been, always will be. What people will do of course is choose the more sustainable product if everything else is the same, or nearly the same. But its a brand marketer's job to make sure that their product doesn't look or feel the same as a competitors'I was also puzzled by Goleman's focus on the supermarket and hypermarket, with no discussion of technology, automotive or other industries with a big negative footprint such as travel. And by his refusal to recognise that although all products create negative impacts, there are positives too...through creation of employment, provision of affordable nutrition etc etc. I am not saying that these positives outweigh the negatives, but they should be taken into considerationThere are some interesting case studies here of businesses that are making money and improving their sustainability. Good. But its notable that most of these are businesses that have just taken a decision that they "should" be more sustainable, rather than being driven by consumer demand. Which sort of runs counter to the main argument of the book - that better data, will drive consumer decisions, which will force manufacturers to "do the right thing" if they want to stay in businessI disagree. Although better data availability will drive the market to some extent, and will have a positive impact, I think it will be too small to really be a game changer. Sustainable consumption has to be a case of business leading consumers, rather than consumers driving the market

If I could return this book I would. The first chapter is interesting but after that it's just a whole lot of corporate and people shaming. I read the first 50 pages and just want to throw it in the trash. The author could have done this book with half the pages printed so he is causing harm to the environment.

I loved this book. I'm shocked that it doesn't have higher reviews, but I suspect most of them are people who are fans of Goleman's past work on Social Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence. Having read both of those books, I will say that this book has a less academic rigor to it. I've also read a handful of books in the social impact space (Cradle to Cradle, Death by Rubber Duck, Zero Waste, etc), yet still found quite a bit of value (and enjoyment) from my reading of Ecological Intelligence.Some highlights: Goleman's arguments for Radical Transparency. I like the chapter on "The Information Gap," and information asymmetry. As well as all the discussions of LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) as it relates to some of the companies profiled (like Wal-Mart, etc.).

This book follows what we buy from the raw materials used to manufacture them to what happens to them after we discard them. It makes you think about what you are acquiring.

I recommend it. Nothing else quite like it out there. I'm literate and numerate and in these times there's a huge need to be eco-literate to go with the other two. I recommend Innumeracy also. You don't want to be innumerate. Climate science is way too complex to grasp if you don't have some basic foundation.