The secret life of stuff : a manual for a new material world

Wouldn't you like: - Products that don't damage the environment? - A better way of life without agonising about your 'footprint'? - To really know your stuff? Climate change? Biofuels? Nuclear power? Landfills? Recycling? Renewable energy? Environmental issues can feel overwhelming. But, in fact, it is simple; it all comes down to one thing - stuff . Our use of the Earth's resources - whether a crisp packet or a cargo ship, a T-shirt or a wind turbine - has an inescapable impact on our future. In The Secret Life of Stuff , Julie Hill uncovers the origins and the true cost of what we use. Her inventory of over-consumption may shock but it is the first step towards overcoming waste. The misuse of stuff is not your fault, it's a product of history. But it is only by understanding what has gone wrong, that everyone - politicians, business people and us as consumers - can create a new and better material world. "Would you like: products that don't damage the environment? A better way of life without agonising about your 'footprint'? To really know your stuff? Climate change? Biofuels? Nuclear power? Landfills? Recycling? And, non-renewables? Environmental issues can feel overwhelming. But, in fact, it is simple; it all comes down to one thing - stuff. How we use the earth's resources - whether a slice of bread or a cargo ship, a cotton shirt or a nuclear reactor - effects our environment. In The Secret Life of Stuff, Julie Hill takes a journey through everything around us and how we use it. She uncovers the true origin and cost of stuff and, while her inventory will shock, it is the first step towards overcoming waste. Over-consumption is not your fault, but it is not something you can ignore either. Hill shows how politicians, business people and we, as consumers and citizens, together can create a new, and better, material world."--Publisher's description Like The Omnivore's Dilemma , this inventory of how we consume stuff is a wake-up callshocking but inspiring, facing facts and finding solutions Taking readers ona journey through everything around us and how we use it, this bookuncovers the true origin and cost of stuff, and, whilethe inventory will shock, it is the first step toward overcoming waste. Environmental issues can feel overwhelmingthere seem to beendlessissues to be educated about,includingclimate change, biofuels, nuclear power, landfills, recycling, and non-renewables, but, in fact, it all comes down to one thingstuff. Howpeople use the earth's resourceswhether a slice of bread or a cargo ship, a cotton shirt or a nuclear reactoraffectsthe environment. Over-consumption is not your fault, but it is not something you can ignore either. Hill shows how politicians, business people, and we, as consumers and citizens, together can create a new, and better, material world.