Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;We have a problem with Stuff. With just 5 percent of the worldand#8217;s population, weand#8217;re consuming 30 percent of the worldand#8217;s resources and creating 30 percent of the worldand#8217;s waste. If everyone consumed at U.S. rates, we would need three to five planets! andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andnbsp;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;This alarming fact drove Annie Leonard to create the Internet film sensation The Story of Stuff, which has been viewed over 10 million times by people around the world. In her sweeping, groundbreaking book of the same name, Leonard tracks the life of the Stuff we use every dayand#8212;where our cotton T-shirts, laptop computers, and aluminum cans come from, how they are produced, distributed, and consumed, and where they go when we throw them out. Like Rachel Carsonand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff andlt;/Iandgt;is a landmark book that will change the way people thinkand#8212;and the way they live. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Leonardand#8217;s message is startlingly clear: we have too much Stuff, and too much of it is toxic. Outlining the five stages of our consumption-driven economyand#8212;from extraction through production, distribution, consumption, and disposaland#8212;she vividly illuminates its frightening repercussions. Visiting garbage dumps and factories around the world, Leonard reveals the true story behind our possessionsand#8212;why itand#8217;s cheaper to replace a broken TV than to fix it; how the promotion of "perceived obsolescence" encourages us to toss out everything from shoes to cell phones while theyand#8217;re still in perfect shape; and how factory workers in Haiti, mine workers in Congo, and everyone who lives and works within this system pay for our cheap goods with their health, safety, and quality of life. Meanwhile we, as consumers, are compromising our health and well-being, whether itand#8217;s through neurotoxins in our pillows or lead leaching into our kidsand#8217; food from their lunchboxesand#8212;and all this Stuff isnand#8217;t even making us happier! We work hard so we can buy Stuff that we quickly throw out, and then andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;we want new Stuff so we work harder and have no time to enjoy all our Stuff. . . . With staggering revelations about the economy, the environment, and cultures around the world, alongside stories from her own life and work, Leonard demonstrates that the drive for a "growth at all costs" economy fuels a cycle of production, consumption, and disposal that is killing us.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;It is a system in crisis, but Annie Leonard shows us that andlt;Iandgt;this is not the way things have to beandlt;/Iandgt;. Itand#8217;s within our power to stop the environmental damage, social injustice, and health hazards caused by polluting production and excessive consumption, and Leonard shows us how. Expansive, galvanizing, and sobering yet optimistic, andlt;Iandgt;The Story of Stuff andlt;/Iandgt;transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet.
Review
"[Leonard] urges readers to learn to value stuff they truly need and avoid the forces that urge us to consume excessively. An important work for consumers of all ages." Library Journal
Review
"An earnest, reasoned contribution to the national conversation on sustainability." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A rigorous thinker in command of a phenomenal amount of information, Leonard...offers hard facts, diligent analysis, and an ambitious vision in this comprehensive critique." Booklist (Starred Review)
Synopsis
Beginning with a startlingly simple message ("We have a problem with stuff. We use too much of it. And way too much of it is toxic."), Annie Leonard, creator of the internet film phenomenon
The Story of Stuff, expands on the film in a powerful and inspiring book that tracks the life of the "stuff" we use every day, from extraction through production, distribution, consumption, and disposal.
Uncovering and communicating a new idea that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of buying and throwing things away she transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet, and, perhaps most importantly, she offers us hope that change is within reach. Brilliantly combining information about the economy, cultures, and the environment, Leonard illuminates how our "growth at all costs" economy has made for a system in crisis: it's a linear model used on a finite resource the earth and we've pushed that resource almost to its limit and jeopardized our own health in the process. The book will offer a deeper, more expansive look at the life of our "stuff" along with plenty of concrete solutions, while maintaining Leonard's trademark sense of fun.
Synopsis
A classic expose in company with An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of Stuff expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the "stuff" we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.
The Story of Stuff was received with widespread enthusiasm in hardcover, by everyone from Stephen Colbert to Tavis Smiley to George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America, as well as far-reaching print and blog coverage. Uncovering and communicating a critically important idea--that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposal--Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet.
From sneaking into factories and dumps around the world to visiting textile workers in Haiti and children mining coltan for cell phones in the Congo, Leonard, named one of Time magazine's 100 environmental heroes of 2009, highlights each step of the materials economy and its actual effect on the earth and the people who live near sites like these.
With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, The Story of Stuff will be a long-lived classic.
Synopsis
Annie Leonard tracks the life of the stuff we use every day, transforming how we think about our patterns of consumption.
Synopsis
A classic exposand#233; in company with andlt;I andgt;An Inconvenient Truthandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;I andgt;Silent Springandlt;/Iandgt;, andlt;I andgt;The Story of Stuffandlt;/Iandgt; expands on the celebrated documentary exploring the threat of overconsumption on the environment, economy, and our health. Leonard examines the and#8220;stuffand#8221; we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;I andgt;The Story of Stuffandlt;/Iandgt; was received with widespread enthusiasm in hardcover, by everyone from Stephen Colbert to Tavis Smiley to George Stephanopolous on andlt;I andgt;Good Morning Americaandlt;/Iandgt;, as well as far-reaching print and blog coverage. Uncovering and communicating a critically important ideaand#8212;that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposaland#8212;Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;From sneaking into factories and dumps around the world to visiting textile workers in Haiti and children mining coltan for cell phones in the Congo, Leonard, named one of andlt;I andgt;Time andlt;/Iandgt;magazineand#8217;s 100 environmental heroes of 2009, highlights each step of the materials economy and its actual effect on the earth and the people who live near sites like these. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, andlt;I andgt;The Story of Stuffandlt;/Iandgt; will be a long-lived classic.
Synopsis
Every week we pile our garbage on the curb and it disappearsandmdash;like magic! The reality is anything but, of course. Trashed, Derf Backderfandrsquo;s follow-up to the critically acclaimed, award-winning international bestseller My Friend Dahmer, is an ode to the crap job of all crap jobsandmdash;garbage collector. Anyone who has ever been trapped in a soul-sucking gig will relate to this tale. Trashed follows the raucous escapades of three 20-something friends as they clean the streets of pile after pile of stinking garbage, while battling annoying small-town bureaucrats, bizarre townfolk, sweltering summer heat, and frigid winter storms. Trashed is fiction, but is inspired by Derfandrsquo;s own experiences as a garbageandshy;man. Interspersed are nonfiction pages that detail what our garbage is and where it goes. The answers will stun you. Hop on the garbage truck named Betty and ride along with Derf on a journey into the vast, secret world of garbage. Trashed is a hilarious, stomach-churning tale that will leave you laughing and wincing in disbelief.
About the Author
Annie did her undergraduate studies at Barnard and graduate work in city and regional planning at Cornell. She has traveled to 40 countries, including Haiti, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Pakistan and South Africa, in her work investigating and promoting anti-pollution issues internationally. Annie currently resides in California with her daughter.