Shopping - it’s something we all do.

And because of that, we shoppers are the most powerful people on the planet. Sadly, many of us just don’t know about the influence that resides in our wallets.

Now is a particularly good time to ask if our spending dollars are making a difference or just making a bad company rich.

April 2007 saw retail sales in BC reach a record high $4.71 billion, 8.1 percent higher than the same month the previous year and 1.5 percent higher than March 2007 according to seasonally adjusted Statistics Canada data.

“We’re firing on all cylinders and almost every retail category is strong right now,” Retail BC president Mark Startup said in a recent Vancouver Sun interview.

When you pull a box of cereal, a bottle of shampoo or soda off the store shelf and put it in your shopping cart, how much do you know about the product’s manufacturer?

Does the product maker care about the environment and human rights? Does the company mistreat animals through laboratory testing or factory farming and its employees through unfair wages, union busting, and discrimination? Is the corporation the subject of class action lawsuits, government fines, political corruption, or unethical business practices?

Weighty questions for someone just out to buy an energy bar, an article of clothing or a bottle of wine.

Yet with average BC household consumer spending topping $16,000 annually, putting your dollar on the counter can have a huge impact.

Basically, shopping is just an extension of voting. By buying the product, you’re not only endorsing the quality and ingredients of the product, but also the manufacturer’s ethical behaviour.

If you buy products made by Exxon-Mobil, Altria (Philip Morris/Kraft), Wal-Mart, Chevron-Texaco, Pfizer, Nestle, Tyson Foods, General Electric, Archer Daniels Midland, or General Motors, you are supporting the 10 worst companies (in the above order) on the planet based on their overall social and environmental records.

You’ll learn that and much more by purchasing a copy of The Better World Shopping Guide at your local bookstore or by visiting author Ellis Jones’ web site.

The book is published by New Society Publishers (NSP), a Gabriola Island, BC-based firm that is one of Canada’s most environmentally sensitive book printers and a leading publisher of books to build a better world.

Jones gives the scoop on the ten worst and the ten best companies as well as the top ten shopping habits you should alter to make a real difference. He also highlights ten small companies you may not have heard of, that are true social and environmental leaders in their industries.

According to Jones’ research, the ten best companies to patronize are Seventh Generation, Patagonia, American Apparel, Eden Foods, Tom’s of Maine, Ben & Jerry’s, Working Assets, CLIF Bar, Stonyfield Farms and Aveda.

In 73 product categories, the book ranks companies on an A+ to F scale for a quick guide to the product you are thinking of buying. There’s also information on some of the differences between the best and worst companies as well as links to online resources to learn more about some of the companies listed.

If you want to begin with the changes that will make the most difference for people and the planet, Jones suggests starting with these ten things: your bank, the gasoline you buy, the supermarket you shop at, the retail stores you patronize, your car, the seafood, chocolate and coffee you buy, your credit card, and the cleaning products you use.

Jones is also the co-author of the recently published revised edition of The Better World Handbook, originally published in 2001 by NSP. He is currently a sociologist at University of California, Davis and a scholar of corporate social responsibility, global citizenship and everyday activism.

Jones says it is difficult to find good, solid information on the business practices of the world’s companies.

“For the past five years, I’ve dedicated myself to researching this very problem by compiling a database of every reliable source of information available on corporate behaviour and synthesized the information into a single report card grade for every company,” he writes.

While the book has a distinctly American focus, most of the listed products are available in Canada, some only at specialty stores.

Jones picks a corporate hero under each product category and under hair care the hero is Druide, a Quebec-based company that uses 100% sustainably harvested fair trade ingredients and follows strict ECOCERT organic standards.

The book is sized to fit in your back pocket or a small purse and organized in a shopping friendly format in order to help you change the world as you shop.

Thinking of buying a new car? Toyota is the most ethical automaker while General Motors is the worst.

How about a new outfit of clothes? Patagonia and American Apparel get A+ rankings. Well-known brands like Ralph Lauren, Polo, Calvin Klein, Bill Blass and Guess get Ds.

Looking to buy an energy bar? CLIF gets a top ranking A while Powerbar comes in at D-.

Need a battery for some piece of electronic equipment? Duracell rates a B- and the Energizer bunny hops in with a D.

If you are in doubt about which product choice to make, a local alternative is almost always the best one.

By using this book, you can turn your shopping list into a potent tool to change the world. Your money is your purest form of power. This book will help you spend it wisely.

RESOURCES - Labels on products can be confusing. The Consumers Union Guide to Environmental Labels and this Public Works and Government Services Canada site are good guides to the symbols used on products to indicate they are certified to meet specific environmental and social justice criteria.

Michael Jessen is a Nelson eco-writer. He can be reached by e-mail at zerowaste@shaw.ca.