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Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have
*First Place Winner of the Society of Environmental Journalists' Rachel Carson Environment Book Award*
"If you're looking for something to cling to in what often feels like a hopeless conversation, Schlossberg's darkly humorous, knowledge-is-power, eyes-wide-open approach may be just the thing."-- Vogue
From a former New York Times science writer, this urgent call to action will empower you to stand up to climate change and environmental pollution by making simple but impactful everyday choices.
With urgency and wit, Tatiana Schlossberg explains that far from being only a distant problem of the natural world created by the fossil fuel industry, climate change is all around us, all the time, lurking everywhere in our convenience-driven society, all without our realizing it.
By examining the unseen and unconscious environmental impacts in four areas-the Internet and technology, food, fashion, and fuel - Schlossberg helps readers better understand why climate change is such a complicated issue, and how it connects all of us: How streaming a movie on Netflix in New York burns coal in Virginia; how eating a hamburger in California might contribute to pollution in the Gulf of Mexico; how buying an inexpensive cashmere sweater in Chicago expands the Mongolian desert; how destroying forests from North Carolina is necessary to generate electricity in England.
Cataloging the complexities and frustrations of our carbon-intensive society with a dry sense of humor, Schlossberg makes the climate crisis and its solutions interesting and relevant to everyone who cares, even a little, about the planet. She empowers readers to think about their stuff and the environment in a new way, helping them make more informed choices when it comes to the future of our world.
Most importantly, this is a book about the power we have as voters and consumers to make sure that the fight against climate change includes all of us and all of our stuff, not just industry groups and politicians. If we have any hope of solving the problem, we all have to do it together.
"A compelling-and illuminating-look at how our daily habits impact the environment."-- Vanity Fair
"Shows how even the smallest decisions can have profound environmental consequences." --The New York Times
"If you're looking for something to cling to in what often feels like a hopeless conversation, Schlossberg's darkly humorous, knowledge-is-power, eyes-wide-open approach may be just the thing."-- Vogue
From a former New York Times science writer, this urgent call to action will empower you to stand up to climate change and environmental pollution by making simple but impactful everyday choices.
With urgency and wit, Tatiana Schlossberg explains that far from being only a distant problem of the natural world created by the fossil fuel industry, climate change is all around us, all the time, lurking everywhere in our convenience-driven society, all without our realizing it.
By examining the unseen and unconscious environmental impacts in four areas-the Internet and technology, food, fashion, and fuel - Schlossberg helps readers better understand why climate change is such a complicated issue, and how it connects all of us: How streaming a movie on Netflix in New York burns coal in Virginia; how eating a hamburger in California might contribute to pollution in the Gulf of Mexico; how buying an inexpensive cashmere sweater in Chicago expands the Mongolian desert; how destroying forests from North Carolina is necessary to generate electricity in England.
Cataloging the complexities and frustrations of our carbon-intensive society with a dry sense of humor, Schlossberg makes the climate crisis and its solutions interesting and relevant to everyone who cares, even a little, about the planet. She empowers readers to think about their stuff and the environment in a new way, helping them make more informed choices when it comes to the future of our world.
Most importantly, this is a book about the power we have as voters and consumers to make sure that the fight against climate change includes all of us and all of our stuff, not just industry groups and politicians. If we have any hope of solving the problem, we all have to do it together.
"A compelling-and illuminating-look at how our daily habits impact the environment."-- Vanity Fair
"Shows how even the smallest decisions can have profound environmental consequences." --The New York Times
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 22, 2019
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September 19, 2019THIS is the "the world is ending due to climate change and consumerism and capitalism" book I've been wanting to read. I've read a ton, and many of them are quick to suggest that as individuals we can save the world (we can't). They make us feel bad, then say it's up to us to change things. Sure, it is. But there are huge factors outside our daily lives that we cannot change, and we're left in the dark on so many other things purposefully that even if we think we're "doing good," we're actually not. Schlossberg narrates the audiobook and the things other reviews have complained about -- her humor and sarcasm and self-inserts -- work really well in audio in a way they might not in print. They definitely take off the edge of the doom and gloom, and they're a reminder we're all humans just trying to do our best.
The book covers everything you can imagine: from bitcoin to athleisure to roses. The environmental impact is explored and what we can do -- and why we're held back from making huge impact (capitalism is always the answer). There's a great intersectional approach here, too, highlighting why and how poor communities and communities of color are particularly impacted by environmental change.
Equal parts compelling and horrifying. The audio was absorbing.
The book covers everything you can imagine: from bitcoin to athleisure to roses. The environmental impact is explored and what we can do -- and why we're held back from making huge impact (capitalism is always the answer). There's a great intersectional approach here, too, highlighting why and how poor communities and communities of color are particularly impacted by environmental change.
Equal parts compelling and horrifying. The audio was absorbing.
September 2, 2019
The book is chockfull of important information and deserved a higher rating . Unfortunately, the author constantly inserts herself into the narrative in irrelevant asides and attempts to be humorous. While making these critical issues accessible is a good thing, jokey nonsense is a distraction.
September 3, 2019
While it's nice to read a book that hits the major environmental issues in an easy-to-read way without sacrificing science, all the cheeky or snarky parenthetical comments had my eyes rolling before I even got to the second section of the book. I appreciated learning more about the environmental impacts/costs of the Internet/technology and fashion, but I was pretty familiar with the rest of the information in the book, especially concerning food. Decent read if you're totally not up to speed on environmental issues and have a high tolerance for memes and super trendy cultural references -- otherwise, there are better books out there.
September 20, 2019
This is Climate Strike Day! As I'm writing this, young people and adults are striking all across the world to demand transformative action to address the climate crisis. Hopefully this movement will grow and grow, demanding answers to the problems the world is facing.
Tatiana Schlossberg is a journalist writing about climate change and the environment. What makes this book different from many others on the subject is that she examines how the little things we do and use every day are having a huge impact on the environment--from streaming videos, to buying blue jeans online, to using Uber, to running air conditioners, and much more. The chapters are entitled: Technology and the Internet; Food; Fashion; and Fuel. Really eye-opening...and somewhat panic-inducing!
There's not much advice though on what we each can do, I wish there were, but perhaps that is asking too much of a journalist, to help us solve our problems. Public demands like those being expressed during the worldwide climates strikes today are a step in the right direction. As is educating yourself. So read this book! Schlossberg's writing is very accessible and pretty clear about the problems we are inadvertently causing.
Tatiana Schlossberg is a journalist writing about climate change and the environment. What makes this book different from many others on the subject is that she examines how the little things we do and use every day are having a huge impact on the environment--from streaming videos, to buying blue jeans online, to using Uber, to running air conditioners, and much more. The chapters are entitled: Technology and the Internet; Food; Fashion; and Fuel. Really eye-opening...and somewhat panic-inducing!
There's not much advice though on what we each can do, I wish there were, but perhaps that is asking too much of a journalist, to help us solve our problems. Public demands like those being expressed during the worldwide climates strikes today are a step in the right direction. As is educating yourself. So read this book! Schlossberg's writing is very accessible and pretty clear about the problems we are inadvertently causing.
November 13, 2019
Of all the super depressing environmental books I've read in the last 6 months, this is probably my favourite. I enjoyed her asides - that some reviewers found snarky. Also, she completely endorses what I want to do anyway - never going anywhere and rarely buying anything.
June 20, 2022
Interesting. Thought provoking.
Uninspiring, however.
It reads like: Apples are good except that they might not be if the traveled to you by carbon-emitting trucks and if they were grown with diesel-powered tractors or if the very soil they were grown on was once Native American land.
These things are all problematic of their own accord, but the lasting impression is hopelessness.
Uninspiring, however.
It reads like: Apples are good except that they might not be if the traveled to you by carbon-emitting trucks and if they were grown with diesel-powered tractors or if the very soil they were grown on was once Native American land.
These things are all problematic of their own accord, but the lasting impression is hopelessness.
November 6, 2019
I think this book is essential reading for people who know something about climate change and agree that they need to reduce their "carbon footprint". I thought I was doing that, but this book revealed "the environmental impact" I did not know I have. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more but who prefers to read fiction.
While this book may be familiar turf to those immersed in fighting our ecocide, for the average person (like me) who considers himself or herself to be "educated" about the environment each page is a revelation.
Schlossberg demonstrates in (mostly) elegant prose so many issues I had never heard of before. One little tidbit only is:
"Our actions and the problems they create are connected, all around the world. Goats in the Mongolian desert add to air pollution in California; throwing away a computer helps create an illegal economy that makes people sick in Ghana......." (page 233).
I could go on at length. The most important thing the book accomplishes is a breathtakingly broad scope at how many of our actions and our purchases contribute to the single biggest problem on earth today. Schlossberg also offers great narratives about items as diverse as aquaculture, , blue jeans, packaging and shipping, justice, and Mongolian goats. It's all connected.
As an English teacher, I've vainly sent out books of poetry to friends and family for decades. Now this is the one book I think is more essential for us right NOW than _Hamlet_ or _Paradise Lost_. Holiday gift alert!
I've been distressed by the paucity of talk about climate change thus far in our election cycle.
I've glanced at other reviews here and I think that the book has been marked down by some reviewers for the author's sense of humour and asides. While Schlossberg does not have David Sedaris levels of wit, she does have the most crucial topic of our age which transcends issues of style. I would not hesitate to put her and her book into the same category as the major works of Rachel Carson, Al Gore, Naomi Klein, and Amitav Ghosh, among others. The footnotes seem impeccable; I did wish for an index. If you are impressed by the work of Greta Thunberg, then you will learn from this book.
Near the end of the book the author says: "We have to vote....for people who offer meaningful policies and make sure they are achieved." Yes, we must.
While this book may be familiar turf to those immersed in fighting our ecocide, for the average person (like me) who considers himself or herself to be "educated" about the environment each page is a revelation.
Schlossberg demonstrates in (mostly) elegant prose so many issues I had never heard of before. One little tidbit only is:
"Our actions and the problems they create are connected, all around the world. Goats in the Mongolian desert add to air pollution in California; throwing away a computer helps create an illegal economy that makes people sick in Ghana......." (page 233).
I could go on at length. The most important thing the book accomplishes is a breathtakingly broad scope at how many of our actions and our purchases contribute to the single biggest problem on earth today. Schlossberg also offers great narratives about items as diverse as aquaculture, , blue jeans, packaging and shipping, justice, and Mongolian goats. It's all connected.
As an English teacher, I've vainly sent out books of poetry to friends and family for decades. Now this is the one book I think is more essential for us right NOW than _Hamlet_ or _Paradise Lost_. Holiday gift alert!
I've been distressed by the paucity of talk about climate change thus far in our election cycle.
I've glanced at other reviews here and I think that the book has been marked down by some reviewers for the author's sense of humour and asides. While Schlossberg does not have David Sedaris levels of wit, she does have the most crucial topic of our age which transcends issues of style. I would not hesitate to put her and her book into the same category as the major works of Rachel Carson, Al Gore, Naomi Klein, and Amitav Ghosh, among others. The footnotes seem impeccable; I did wish for an index. If you are impressed by the work of Greta Thunberg, then you will learn from this book.
Near the end of the book the author says: "We have to vote....for people who offer meaningful policies and make sure they are achieved." Yes, we must.
December 15, 2019
The subtitle is "The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have." In most cases, I did know about the impact already, but in many it is even worse than I thought. Imperatives for us all: Don't eat meat, not even seafood. Don't drive a car or use Transportation Network Companies (such as Uber or Lyft), which are often even worse. Don't order online, especially not from Amazon or expedited delivery. If you can't get it locally, buy used or forgo it. Don't use air conditioning. Change your house or change your life so that you don't need it. People have done without these things for millennia. If this prescription seems rough, read this book, consider the alternative and acknowledge that it's much, much rougher.
July 30, 2020
This was a very informative read, but it was like reading a textbook. I could only read a couple chapters at a time. Was a very depressing read overall, heh, since the conclusion seems to be that everything we do is destroying the environment, and changing our individual habits won't make much of a difference (the changes need to be widescale and prevalent in order to make a real difference). Still, I feel much more aware of the environmental impact of everything I do and this book will stay with me for quite a long time as a result.
Recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about how horrible we are to Mother Earth.
Recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about how horrible we are to Mother Earth.
September 16, 2019
Dnf. It means well. An excellent term paper. Not a a very good book.
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February 19, 2024Za nieśmiesznymi odautorskimi wtrętami, za kiepskim tłumaczeniem, za niestaranną redakcją kryje się sporo ciekawej treści o środowisku. Niestety tylko dla wytrwałych. Nie należy też liczyć, że autorka zaproponuje konkretne środki zaradcze - te można streścić w słowach: "konsumujmy mniej".
January 4, 2021
Thoroughly researched and very well written. A bit too into the weeds at times, but overall a great read.
Concrete changes Schlossberg inspires:
Wash jeans every fifth wear
(try to) buy fewer athleisure outfits
Carbon offset flights (myclimate.org)
Recycle electronics
Standard (rather than expedited) shipping so that fewer trucks/cargo ships travel at half capacity
Concrete changes Schlossberg inspires:
Wash jeans every fifth wear
(try to) buy fewer athleisure outfits
Carbon offset flights (myclimate.org)
Recycle electronics
Standard (rather than expedited) shipping so that fewer trucks/cargo ships travel at half capacity
November 24, 2019
This book is a well curated survey course on climate change. I recommend it, even though I gave it only 3 stars.
It would have been a 4 star read, for what it is, if the author had given her audience more credit and not indulged in attention seeking behavior.
The environmental impact you don't know you have? Really? Only if you been living in a cave your entire life.
On page 57: "Now that I have revolutionized your understanding . . . " The author is like the kid who learns something new for the first time and wants to tell everyone, thinking she is the first to know something. (A condescending attitude - perhaps as a result of an over primed ego - I'm seeing and hearing more frequently from young adult writers and podcasters. A behavior that should be kept private, until the shock and awe flames out and diminishes the desire.) The book is full of good information, along with snarky, look at me self-conscious referencing. On page 75, "Feel free to jot them (things she missed) down in the margins and then go ahead and keep it to yourself." I guess, so she can be surprised when she discovers them on her own and excited at the opportunity to tell everyone about what she just learned.
It would have been a 4 star read, for what it is, if the author had given her audience more credit and not indulged in attention seeking behavior.
The environmental impact you don't know you have? Really? Only if you been living in a cave your entire life.
On page 57: "Now that I have revolutionized your understanding . . . " The author is like the kid who learns something new for the first time and wants to tell everyone, thinking she is the first to know something. (A condescending attitude - perhaps as a result of an over primed ego - I'm seeing and hearing more frequently from young adult writers and podcasters. A behavior that should be kept private, until the shock and awe flames out and diminishes the desire.) The book is full of good information, along with snarky, look at me self-conscious referencing. On page 75, "Feel free to jot them (things she missed) down in the margins and then go ahead and keep it to yourself." I guess, so she can be surprised when she discovers them on her own and excited at the opportunity to tell everyone about what she just learned.
December 18, 2021
I had read that this book was "darkly humorous", but it's not. I listened to the audio read by the author (who has that Kennedy waver in her voice), and there were many unnecessary, seemingly nervous attempts at humour that mostly fell flat. She did however get the nuances of the environmental issues she covered, and introduced me to some I hadn't even considered -- like Athleisure wear. The fashion section is important since we all wear at least a minimum of clothing and it has an impact. Polyester is made from petroleum and these microfibres come off our clothes every time we wash them, gathering in the ecosystem as deep as the Mariana Trench and glaciers in the middle of nowhere!
She covers Tech, Fashion, Fuel and Food -- some in a more cursory way. There are obviously many other topics that need addressing, but this was an impressive effort from a young journalist who really digs in and considers the big picture. She's obviously quite intelligent. I missed the 10 min conclusion, but I'm hoping she explains how she lives to make less of an environmental impact. I always want to know if these authors walk their talk.
She covers Tech, Fashion, Fuel and Food -- some in a more cursory way. There are obviously many other topics that need addressing, but this was an impressive effort from a young journalist who really digs in and considers the big picture. She's obviously quite intelligent. I missed the 10 min conclusion, but I'm hoping she explains how she lives to make less of an environmental impact. I always want to know if these authors walk their talk.
April 17, 2020
I did not enjoy this book at all. It's a basic primer on sustainability and one that tries to introduce the idea at an individual level - the impact that our day to day lives have on the climate overall. The idea behind the book was that if you read reports about sustainability and climate change, it makes you feel helpless and insignificant at a personal level(agreed) and that most people want to be able to make eco-friendly decisions but lack the knowledge(agreed). It covers four basic grounds - food, fuel, fashion, and technology/internet.
Because it is an introductory book, it just skims over many things briefly. The writing is strange - the author is trying to be funny but the jokes are really off-putting, and there are so many percentages and numbers that it is impossible to keep track. For a worthy intention, the book should be acknowledged but the output is far from impressive.
Because it is an introductory book, it just skims over many things briefly. The writing is strange - the author is trying to be funny but the jokes are really off-putting, and there are so many percentages and numbers that it is impossible to keep track. For a worthy intention, the book should be acknowledged but the output is far from impressive.
August 30, 2021
I've been reading a lot of books on this topic lately in an effort to bully myself out of deeply ingrained consumerist habits. This book doesn't say anything wildly different than the ten thousand others out there, but I really vibe with the author's voice - the tone is serious throughout with occasional snark and sarcasm that (for me) was a pleasant break from the bleak prospects of our environmental future.
December 11, 2023
this is one of those books I'm going to recommend to Every Single One of you!! really good intro to thinking more and knowing more about how consumptive habits of people AND companies and governments are going to end the world, and also had a new angle on some of those issues that I (a seasoned climate crisis panicker) still found interesting and engaging! The tone of this is very approachable, friend to friend kind of feeling, and also constantly pointing out that it is a deeply complex issue and so there is no One Right Thing to do, but at least now you have the info to make whatever choice feels most important for you. also gave me a superiority complex about my favorite jeans but MANY other takeaways!!!
March 3, 2022
Okay so not a lot of new, groundbreaking info in here per se but still brought up some interesting points about the interconnectedness of climate issues and introduced some intersectional perspectives I hadn’t considered before
April 1, 2022
i think this would be a 3.5 if half-ratings were allowed.
i'm conflicted about this because climate change and consumption is a huge topic that becomes more and more important everyday, and the topics schlossberg writes about as contributing to climate change and environmental degradation are ones that are not widely discussed; however i felt as though each topic could have gone a little bit more in-depth and the millennial quips were funny at times but annoying at others.
i'm conflicted about this because climate change and consumption is a huge topic that becomes more and more important everyday, and the topics schlossberg writes about as contributing to climate change and environmental degradation are ones that are not widely discussed; however i felt as though each topic could have gone a little bit more in-depth and the millennial quips were funny at times but annoying at others.
June 2, 2021
There were parts of this book that seemed really esoteric. There were parts that seemed very pragmatic. And there were some parts that got me mad. I think the author's thrust was to make you mad and to get you to change your ways. I'm not sure she achieved that in most respects, but it was still a good read.
Too esoteric: When you watch Netflix (or are on the internet - yet streaming services are the biggest offenders), you are burning electricity. It takes electricity for the internet to run. Are we supposed to give up our streaming services to save the earth? I just didn't get this one, and it's the one she started with. I thought it was interesting they store the servers in cold places to minimize the energy needed to keep them cool.
Got me mad: When we "recycle" electronics, they get sent to third world countries where little kids are paid pennies to disassemble and are exposed to all the yucky stuff when electronics are broken down to their smaller parts. If we recycle, we give kids horrible diseases.
Here's the quandary: So are we supposed to put our dead electronics in the landfill instead? I don't want to expose little kids to toxins. I don't want to contribute to landfills. AAAAGGGGH, what am I supposed to do??? Not get electronics?
Pragmatic: I think the most productive idea I took away from this book was to buy less. I go to Costco and see some piece of clothing on sale, and I just toss it in my cart. So if the clothing item is cotton, tons and tons of water were used in making the item. BAD. If the item isn't cotton, it's likely synthetic. Synthetic materials shed and contaminate the water supply when washed (plastic fibers fall off) or contaminate the air (more plastic). BAD. She also said to wash your clothes after 5 wearings and not just one, but...no...just no. Basically, any piece of clothing I buy is bad for an environmental reason. So I should just buy as little as possible.
Air travel. BAD.
Corn. BAD.
Meat. BAD.
She interspersed a few corny jokes. Even still, it was a depressing read. I'm not sure how much of the book has to be embraced by a meaningful amount of people to make a meaningful environmental impact. I suspect a lot. I doubt it will be embraced.
If it makes anyone feel better, I read this as an ebook.
Too esoteric: When you watch Netflix (or are on the internet - yet streaming services are the biggest offenders), you are burning electricity. It takes electricity for the internet to run. Are we supposed to give up our streaming services to save the earth? I just didn't get this one, and it's the one she started with. I thought it was interesting they store the servers in cold places to minimize the energy needed to keep them cool.
Got me mad: When we "recycle" electronics, they get sent to third world countries where little kids are paid pennies to disassemble and are exposed to all the yucky stuff when electronics are broken down to their smaller parts. If we recycle, we give kids horrible diseases.
Here's the quandary: So are we supposed to put our dead electronics in the landfill instead? I don't want to expose little kids to toxins. I don't want to contribute to landfills. AAAAGGGGH, what am I supposed to do??? Not get electronics?
Pragmatic: I think the most productive idea I took away from this book was to buy less. I go to Costco and see some piece of clothing on sale, and I just toss it in my cart. So if the clothing item is cotton, tons and tons of water were used in making the item. BAD. If the item isn't cotton, it's likely synthetic. Synthetic materials shed and contaminate the water supply when washed (plastic fibers fall off) or contaminate the air (more plastic). BAD. She also said to wash your clothes after 5 wearings and not just one, but...no...just no. Basically, any piece of clothing I buy is bad for an environmental reason. So I should just buy as little as possible.
Air travel. BAD.
Corn. BAD.
Meat. BAD.
She interspersed a few corny jokes. Even still, it was a depressing read. I'm not sure how much of the book has to be embraced by a meaningful amount of people to make a meaningful environmental impact. I suspect a lot. I doubt it will be embraced.
If it makes anyone feel better, I read this as an ebook.
March 19, 2021
This book is amazing.
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for uniform plant structures”
Capitalism vs. Climate Change, ding ding.
At first, it is super daunting and scary, Tatiana opens up the book talking about how using the Internet (yes, the internet) to the extent that we are now is in part also causing the climate change that we are experiencing today. She tells us why, how we can do better, and she also does a deep dive on other topics that are close to home for all of us. She explains everything in a very digestible way, and she acknowledges that she doesn’t have all the answers, she is just giving us the information. One thing that I enjoyed the most about the way this book is written, is that it is not treated as a lecture. The author doesn’t talk down to you about the negative affects of your habits and hobbies, she ensures to remind the reader that she does those things too, and that we are all assholes together. I really enjoyed reading/listening to this and I would love to read more of her work in the future.
P.S: guys, you don’t all have to feel bad about eating red meat (it’s my fave) it’s CORN that’s the problem. God damn CORN. We unknowingly consume a ridiculous amount of corn. Please do your own research. It’s I n s a n e.
As someone that takes a special interest in sustainable agriculture, holy crap.
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for uniform plant structures”
Capitalism vs. Climate Change, ding ding.
At first, it is super daunting and scary, Tatiana opens up the book talking about how using the Internet (yes, the internet) to the extent that we are now is in part also causing the climate change that we are experiencing today. She tells us why, how we can do better, and she also does a deep dive on other topics that are close to home for all of us. She explains everything in a very digestible way, and she acknowledges that she doesn’t have all the answers, she is just giving us the information. One thing that I enjoyed the most about the way this book is written, is that it is not treated as a lecture. The author doesn’t talk down to you about the negative affects of your habits and hobbies, she ensures to remind the reader that she does those things too, and that we are all assholes together. I really enjoyed reading/listening to this and I would love to read more of her work in the future.
P.S: guys, you don’t all have to feel bad about eating red meat (it’s my fave) it’s CORN that’s the problem. God damn CORN. We unknowingly consume a ridiculous amount of corn. Please do your own research. It’s I n s a n e.
As someone that takes a special interest in sustainable agriculture, holy crap.
September 25, 2019
While the research in this book was super interesting, the author’s awkward sense of humor was not.
I did learn a lot about our everyday environmental impact. And I do think that everyone should be forced to learn this stuff too. But I also got very annoyed by the author trying to insert herself into the narrative in irrelevant ways, and at her editor for allowing it to make it through to the final version. (Maybe it was less awkward in print, but the audiobook felt so juvenile.)
So if anyone has any recs for a book that covers this topic, but comes off as a little more professional, I’m all ears.
I did learn a lot about our everyday environmental impact. And I do think that everyone should be forced to learn this stuff too. But I also got very annoyed by the author trying to insert herself into the narrative in irrelevant ways, and at her editor for allowing it to make it through to the final version. (Maybe it was less awkward in print, but the audiobook felt so juvenile.)
So if anyone has any recs for a book that covers this topic, but comes off as a little more professional, I’m all ears.
September 28, 2019
3.75, honestly I wanted to stop listening to this book after the first 5 minutes but i am glad i decided to persevere. On the plus side, the book does an admirable job of pointing out areas where one might not realize the full scope of the problem being caused by particular consumption habits. The book is understandable, not too technical and addresses the issues that could be caused by proposed solutions. For the most part, she is nonpartisan. What i did not like about the book were attempts at humor. I didn't think they were funny or needed nor did they contribute to the overall message of the book.
August 2, 2020
Over the last ten+ years, I've read a lot about the climate crisis. sustainability, and related topics. This has been along the spectrum of very light pop-sci articles about ~the most sustainable bedding brand~ to dense academic works. Most of the things that are actually worth reading are very depressing because what they deal with is very depressing.
This is a depressing book, don't get me wrong, but it is less depressing than a lot of other books on the topic, and is less about Science and Policy Proposals in the way that can be off-putting to people who don't know a lot about the topic. I laughed out loud a few times - I think a number of reviewers here didn't interpret the humor as self-effacing, but that's how I saw it, and it wasn't a huge element of the book.
This is the book I would recommend to someone who is new to or has a superficial understanding of this topic, but I think it's worth a read even if you have more knowledge - I learned more about some things, like about glider kits for trucks, and about the specifics of the wood pellet industry in the South. I think it's very important that it explicitly outlines the interconnectedness of all our decisions, that it presents environmental justice, and that it delineates how (maybe not quite purposefully), at seemingly almost every turn, industry and politicians and those in power and who want more money try to sidestep anything that helps not only the environment that we all have to live in and rely upon, but also people's lives. I don't think it goes far enough in a call for systemic action, but that might be too much for an introductory survey that seemed to purposefully toe the line of being "partisan" (we all live on this planet so how is protecting it "partisan" lol) that some other online reviewers liked.
This is a depressing book, don't get me wrong, but it is less depressing than a lot of other books on the topic, and is less about Science and Policy Proposals in the way that can be off-putting to people who don't know a lot about the topic. I laughed out loud a few times - I think a number of reviewers here didn't interpret the humor as self-effacing, but that's how I saw it, and it wasn't a huge element of the book.
This is the book I would recommend to someone who is new to or has a superficial understanding of this topic, but I think it's worth a read even if you have more knowledge - I learned more about some things, like about glider kits for trucks, and about the specifics of the wood pellet industry in the South. I think it's very important that it explicitly outlines the interconnectedness of all our decisions, that it presents environmental justice, and that it delineates how (maybe not quite purposefully), at seemingly almost every turn, industry and politicians and those in power and who want more money try to sidestep anything that helps not only the environment that we all have to live in and rely upon, but also people's lives. I don't think it goes far enough in a call for systemic action, but that might be too much for an introductory survey that seemed to purposefully toe the line of being "partisan" (we all live on this planet so how is protecting it "partisan" lol) that some other online reviewers liked.
September 14, 2019
On the one hand, I really wanted to be dead already, because who wants arctic melt? My highest anxiety comes from all the horrible bacteria and viruses trapped under the permafrost that will get released when the permafrost melts. Which isn’t described in the book, thank heavens. But I already sadly have vivid nightmares about it - I won’t move to Canada because I don’t want to be patient zero or any other number (there’s no logic to this) - so that part really wasn’t necessary.
Everything else is super depressing. It’s also not going to change much in the way I live. Here I am typing away at my smartphone, whose components were made god alone knows under what conditions, using electricity in multiple ways and generating carbon waste. And even though I don’t wear as much denim as I used to, I’ll go with fast fashion because I get swayed by pretty clothes and don’t have the money to get the real thing. I can’t live without my AC either, god how can I in this never ending North Carolina summer?
So. Some of it I already knew the basics of (tech, food). The fashion carbon footprint was fascinating. The fuel didn’t only cover what I was expecting it to cover and that was great also. I didn’t particularly like the conversational way the book was written in, and it puzzled me because I usually like snark. And then I realized that this book is my thought process, verbatim. It’s also my way of writing, and I hate both my thought process and writing. So a star less than I otherwise would have given.
Everything else is super depressing. It’s also not going to change much in the way I live. Here I am typing away at my smartphone, whose components were made god alone knows under what conditions, using electricity in multiple ways and generating carbon waste. And even though I don’t wear as much denim as I used to, I’ll go with fast fashion because I get swayed by pretty clothes and don’t have the money to get the real thing. I can’t live without my AC either, god how can I in this never ending North Carolina summer?
So. Some of it I already knew the basics of (tech, food). The fashion carbon footprint was fascinating. The fuel didn’t only cover what I was expecting it to cover and that was great also. I didn’t particularly like the conversational way the book was written in, and it puzzled me because I usually like snark. And then I realized that this book is my thought process, verbatim. It’s also my way of writing, and I hate both my thought process and writing. So a star less than I otherwise would have given.
March 8, 2020
A look at how each persons daily habits effect the environment. Yes everyone is responsible. No you can not push it on to someone else to deal with. Yes you can do something about it. Vote, contact your favourite stores/brands. Advocate for change in small ways.
This is the basic tenet that Tatiana Scholssberg is putting across in this book. She does say that it really is not up to the consumer to be extremely knowledgeable about everything that is purchased. We do not make the items. It is just not feasible either. What is feasible is if the companies who make these products take responsibility for the products they make. It is also feasible if the government regulates those products, etc. to be more responsible as well.
The book is not forthright in getting to the point. She has written in a conversational manner. One in which she really tries not to take sides, or draw conclusions. She does not even give the reader help on deciding on an action plan. She also meanders too much in her explanations.
It is wishy-washy in that respect. Although she does point out areas of concern that the regular media is not, such as the internet.
This is the basic tenet that Tatiana Scholssberg is putting across in this book. She does say that it really is not up to the consumer to be extremely knowledgeable about everything that is purchased. We do not make the items. It is just not feasible either. What is feasible is if the companies who make these products take responsibility for the products they make. It is also feasible if the government regulates those products, etc. to be more responsible as well.
The book is not forthright in getting to the point. She has written in a conversational manner. One in which she really tries not to take sides, or draw conclusions. She does not even give the reader help on deciding on an action plan. She also meanders too much in her explanations.
It is wishy-washy in that respect. Although she does point out areas of concern that the regular media is not, such as the internet.
February 27, 2020
I wanted to stop listening to this book because it invoked panic attacks and depression, but also at times made me laugh out loud with her dry wit and sense of humor. It made me feel helpless to create meaningful change in the path we are headed with the climate. I REALLY did want a checklist at the end for ways we can help change our trajectory. But the author admits she will not provide such a list. Perhaps she knows that would be a pacifier for the bad feelings that reading about this subject creates. She does mention the need to be an active voter -- but the follow-on book needs to be about how to be an engaged citizen. Telling the reader to get out and vote is great, but teach us how to research and learn how to best use our votes to create change!
June 30, 2020
As I was reading this, I kept getting depressed. I don't know why I thought I wouldn't. This book spells out in several areas how our actions as consumers affect the whole world. "In the name of convenience or immediate gratification or profit, we've created a world where we use resources because we can, with little attention paid to our waste and the problems it creates. We've imagined that our actions are not connected to each other, as if we don't live on one planet with one ocean and one atmosphere, one Arctic and one Antarctic. The crisis of climate change and environmental degradation feels sudden, but it's actually an escalation of urgency, building since the Industrial Revolution and known about since the 1970s. Our perceptions that our actions aren't connected and that the planet's abundance is unlimited and the behavior those perceptions encourage are catching up with us."
Schlossberg's book is surprisingly funny. She doesn't offer a lot of solutions, but encourages us to live "in a way that honors your values" and to vote, stay engaged, and demand change. This book should cause you to think about how your consumption of goods and services impacts our world.
Schlossberg's book is surprisingly funny. She doesn't offer a lot of solutions, but encourages us to live "in a way that honors your values" and to vote, stay engaged, and demand change. This book should cause you to think about how your consumption of goods and services impacts our world.
June 18, 2020
Listening on audio, I wished the entire time it'd been recorded by a professional narrator versus the author, but that's really beside the point. This exceeded my expectations. It surprised me that this didn't seem agenda-based in the sense of touting singular, right-wrong paths. This journalist instead provided a deep, equitable delve into the many interwoven, intricate cause-and-effect facets of the topics she researched. And gotta give bonus points for it NOT reading like research!
I learned a ton and now understand why the waters of information are so muddied. It's not black and white.
I learned a ton and now understand why the waters of information are so muddied. It's not black and white.
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