Inconspicuous Consumption, Tatiana Schlossberg
Inconspicuous Consumption, Tatiana Schlossberg
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Inconspicuous Consumption
The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have

Author: Tatiana Schlossberg

Narrator: Tatiana Schlossberg

Unabridged: 7 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Balance

Published: 08/27/2019


Synopsis

*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

Reviews

Goodreads review by Phineus

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.......more

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 imp......more

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 journa......more

Goodreads review by Wendy

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.......more


Quotes

"Focusing on food, fashion, technology and fuel, she shows how even the smallest decisions can have profound environmental consequences."—New York Times

"A compelling-and illuminating-look at how our daily habits impact the environment...[Schlossberg's] wry, sometimes self-deprecating humor makes the depth of research and information provided throughout the book go down easy."—VanityFair

"Inconspicuous Consumption is scary informative-in both senses-but also oddly enjoyable, filled with salty jokes and fun (or not so fun) facts...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

"To solve the climate crisis, it is crucial that we address the
problems in the way our democracy is functioning. In her illuminating book, Inconspicuous Consumption, Tatiana Schlossberg does just that by exploring how individuals, corporations, and governments are all contributing to this crisis, and how we need to work together to help fix it."—Former Vice President Al Gore

"Entertaining and eye-opening...the sharp, well written book doesn't read like an admonishment; instead it's a call to action that reminds us all of our responsibility and capability to change the world."—Town & Country

"The author breaks complex issues down to be understandable to the lay reader, while her humor and wit ensure that readers will close the book feeling energized rather than hopeless."—Booklist (starred review)

"Readers will find solace, humor and a route to feeling empowered with possibilities for positive change, rather than drained by an accumulation of bad news."—Society of Environmental Journalists' Judges for the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award

"The subject of climate change is inescapable, as it should be, but too few stories focus on one's everyday impact upon the environment. In Inconspicuous Consumption, former New York Times science writer Tatiana Schlossberg breaks down exactly how everyday activities - watching Netflix, eating a burger, turning on the light - impact the environment."—Bustle

"How many chances do we get each day to make a meaningful difference for Earth? Plenty, says environmental writer Tatiana Schlossberg. Can we eradicate ecodespair? With knowledge, context, and applicable insight, yes, absolutely. Moreover, as thoughtful citizens we can begin to reverse ecodystopia to utopia. Inconspicuous Consumption is smart, funny, and helpful, and this is everything because our Earth deserves our full attention."—Min Jin Lee, author of Free Food for Millionairesand Pachinko, finalist for the National Book Award

"Schlossberg adeptly guides readers toward understanding the unlikely implications of how the manufacture of everyday acquisitions...exact environmental and human costs. Beyond individual choices, though, Schlossberg's sophisticated understanding of the world's complexity and her conversational style rally readers to vigilance about corporate and governmental oversight in this small world."—The National Book Review