Consumer Literacy

One of the books I'm reading is Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. To learn more about Goleman -- background, research, ideas -- I visited his blog. Not surprisingly, Goleman is promoting his new book Ecological Intelligence.

In addition to a captivating video (Goleman being interviewed by Bill Moyers), the blog includes a link to TIME, which showcased ecological intelligence as "One of 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now." The TIME piece posits that

[A]s the global economy has grown, our ability to make complex products with complex supply chains has outpaced our ability to comprehend the consequences — for ourselves and the planet.... [N]othing in evolution has prepared us to understand the cumulative impact that imperceptible amounts of industrial chemicals may have on our children's health or the slow-moving, long-term danger of climate change. Scanning the supermarket aisles, we lack the data to understand the full impact of what we choose — and probably couldn't make sense of the information even if we had it.

Which started me thinking about consumer literacy. Everything we buy is so processed, so chemical laden, it's difficult to tell what's harmless (let alone beneficial) and what's toxic. Consumers are beset with messages, stumbling through a haze of hype and counter-hype. What's accurate? Fabricated? Proven? Dubious?

To help, Goleman recommends a number of resources including Good Guide (ratings of natural, green, and healthy products) and Skin Deep (cosmetic safety reviews). There are options. We have a choice: be a dupe or an informed consumer. Shop "without consequences." Or make wise, ecologically sound decisions.

The more you learn, the more you realize: you can be kind to the planet and to your pocketbook. In many ways, it's more costly to be ignorant.