"Rachael Zoe Miller is the kind of Explorer who doesn’t just study problems—she designs human-centered solutions that invite all of us to be part of the change. With heart, humor, and rigorous research, she brings science to life in ways that are approachable, imaginative, and relevant to our daily lives. Rachael reminds us that lasting change doesn’t come from a one-size-fits-all answer, but from thoughtful participation rooted in our own needs and values. That’s the kind of forward-thinking leadership that inspires a healthier, more hopeful future."
—Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO, National Geographic Society
We’re all polluters—most of us just don’t realize it. Every day, we make consumer choices that can harm the planet and our own health, often without even knowing it. The maze of options and trade-offs can feel overwhelming. This book cuts through the confusion with a clear, accessible guide to practical decisions tailored to your personal priorities. It’s science-based without being sleep-inducing, and it might even leave you feeling like an eco-friendly superhero—cape optional, impact real.
—Edith Widder author of Below the Edge of Darkness.
Did you know that microplastics are in our food, in our water and in our brains (among other places)?! Have you sat staring at a shopping cart on your screen or at an item in a shop and experienced a moment (or several moments) of a modern sort of existential panic thinking, “Should I buy this?”
In Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics, Cora Ball Co-inventor, National Geographic Explorer and Chief Ocean Lover, Rachael Zoe Miller takes you through an easy-to-use, interactive process that mixes knowledge with practical considerations about items that present frequent conundrums, from fleece jackets to take-away food packaging, laundry detergent, and more. You will be guided through a 5-question framework that helps you make purchases (or decisions not to purchase) that you will feel good about.
The goals of this choose-your-own-adventure style guidebook are to help protect you and your family’s health, to protect the ocean, to protect the planet, to save you money or help you spend it wisely, to eradicate buyer’s remorse, and to inject a heap of learning and some fun along the way.
A word from Rachael Zoe Miller:
"Rather than prescribing one set of behaviors or decisions and expecting that to work for all consumers, Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics acknowledges the diversity in people’s family, health and financial priorities by using a choose-your-own-adventure style. I aimed to make the book both interactive and fun with a conversational tone and empathetic illustrations that tend toward sweet, rather than scary photos of entangled animals, for example. My goal is that everyone who reads/uses it will come away with new knowledge, decisions about specific items that are tailored to their own needs and concerns and a feeling of confidence in those decisions. I believe that in achieving those goals of thoughtful consumption (this is not a book about just saying no to everything), we will protect the ocean and planet in tangible ways. Those benefits include healthier bodies and minds, changes in resource use (both shifts to alternatives and an overall reduction), a reduction in waste and a corresponding reduction in the production and exposure of microplastics (and microfiber)."
Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics as an E-book
The E-book version is coming soon to Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Apple Books.