WHY WE BUY

and why it matters

How Our Everyday Purchases Can Create a More Human Economy

How Our Everyday Purchases Can Create a More Human Economy

releasing October 27th, 2026

Preorder available now!

What are people saying about Why We Buy?

  • "At Pantsuit Politics, we talk constantly about what it means to be a citizen — not just at the ballot box, but in the texture of everyday life. In Why We Buy and Why It Matters, David is asking what it means to be a consumer. This isn't a book about consuming less or feeling guilty about what you already have. It's about consuming with intention — which is a completely different invitation. That reframe is both honest and hopeful, which is a hard combination to pull off. This book does it.”

    — Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, co-hosts of Pantsuit Politics

  • “Regenerative businesses should be the future. David shows how our everyday choices as consumers drive them forward and accelerate the restoration we need.”

    — Esha Chhabra, Author, “Working to Restore”

  • “Why We Buy and Why It Matters refuses cynicism and anti-capitalist rants alike. Instead, David invites us to recover the connection between consciousness, community, dignity, and commerce. The small choices we make every day are shaping the kind of people we are becoming. The timely insight David offers in this book is that we can reclaim agency over those choices in conscientious and practical ways. Capitalists, cynics, and everyone in between need this kind of hopeful guidance!”

    — Don Golden, Just Capital Quotient

  • “As someone who has been immersed in the world of ethical sourcing and procurement for nearly two decades, I was actually startled by how enlightening Why We Buy was to me. It shed a refreshing light on my own professional journey and provided a framework for understanding not just myself, but also my customers and the greater drivers within our current economic climate. Why We Buy and Why It Matters is a desperately needed buyer's handbook giving clear next steps to anyone no matter where their current purchasing patterns lie. It is informative as it is hopeful, and has the power to shape and change the social purchasing conversation into the future.”

    — Melissa Sevy, Ethik

Preorder bonus

Preorder bonus

Pre-ordering matters more than almost anything else you can do for an author, and it's exactly the kind of small choice with big impact this book is about. So here's my way of saying thank you! Preorder the book by October 27th and receive these bonuses:

  • A copy of Radical Business, my first book.

    • Your choice of a free digital copy or a physical copy at a discount. It's the foundation the new book is built on: how business can serve people, not just profit.

  • The Why We Buy Toolkit (digital download).

    • This Toolkit helps you take the ideas in the book and run with them, including:

      • The Plant, Water, Grow Journal,

      • A Book Club Discussion Guide,

      • A 30-Day Kickstart Challenge,

      • The 5-Minute Greenwashing Check,

      • The Seven Seeds Company Evaluation Worksheet,

      • and The Conscious Consumer’s Personal Budget Worksheet.

  • Entry into the Ethical Brands Giveaway. ***

    • Everyone who preorders is entered to win a bundle of products from companies featured in the book, the kind of businesses voting with your dollar is all about. The grand prize pairs La Terza Coffee with a Cotopaxi bag, a Thistle Farms candle, and Soapbox soaps. Three more winners each take home a bag of La Terza Coffee plus one of the featured items.

    • ***No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Open to legal US residents 18 and older. See official rules for the free entry method and full details.

Once you’ve completed your preorder, return to this page and submit the form below to claim your bonuses:

Preorder today and Claim your bonuses

Step 1

Preorder your copy of the book at your preferred retailer.

Step 2

Submit your information and confirmation of purchase in this form.

Step 2

Spread the word! Share your recent purchase with your community.

Our economic system thrives when we make purchases without thinking. Yet, in a world built on speed and convenience, we easily lose sight of the people who make the products we buy and use every day.

Why We Buy and Why It Matters invites readers to slow down and see consumption for what it is - a sacred act of interdependence. It offers inspiring examples of mission-driven businesses and shows how simple changes in personal habits can lead to a groundswell of conscious consumerism.

For anyone who longs for their daily choices to reflect their values, Why We Buy and Why It Matters proves that the stakeholder economy isn't just a distant ideal -

It's already taking shape, one purchase at a time.

Preorder here

Rethink

For over a century, the dominant economic model has prioritized extracting value from people, communities, and the planet. But that model is cracking. A stakeholder economy is already emerging, and this book helps you understand the shift that's underway.

Reclaim

You hold more economic power than you've been told. And you don't need to overhaul your life or your budget. This book gives you a practical framework for identifying businesses doing it right and making intentional shifts in the purchases you're already making.

Rise

The most lasting change happens when people practice conscious consumption together, with friends, in book clubs, around kitchen tables. When even a small percentage of people make deliberate choices in community, the research shows it becomes unstoppable.

Preorder here

about the author

David Gaines has spent over two decades at the intersection of business, ethics, and consumer choice. As owner and Chief Visionary of La Terza Coffee, he's built a company rooted in sustainable sourcing and community connection. A former National Chairperson of Social Enterprise Alliance and conscious business coach, David helps entrepreneurs align profit with purpose. His first book, Radical Business, challenged readers to rethink how companies can operate as forces for good. Why We Buy, and Why It Matters turns that lens toward consumers, making the case that our everyday purchasing decisions are a powerful tool for change. David lives in Cincinnati with his wife Beth and sons Parker and Lincoln.

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