Overview

Like The Omnivore's Dilemma, this inventory of how we consume stuff is a wake-up call - shocking but inspiring. 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.

Full Product Details

9780099546580

Table of Contents

Reviews

Part of the charm of this calm but devastating 'manual for a new material world' is that Hill is genuinely interested in where her stuff comes from. . . . we can read about the secret lives of wine glasses and the weird metals in mobile phones, of Styrofoam cups and night soil, and analyse the ecological footprints of electronic book readers and packets of crisps, without being bludgeoned by guilt. -- Independent

Author Information

Julie Hill has 25 years environmental experience, including working with governments, businesses, the environmental think-tank Green Alliance, the Environmental Agency and the award-winning Eden Project. She counts her experiences as parent, consumer and citizen to be just as relevant to The Secret Life of Stuff as those generated by being a life-long environmentalist.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available