Outsmart waste : the modern idea of garbage and how to think our way out of it /

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Szaky, Tom.
Imprint:San Francisco : Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2014.
Description:1 online resource
Language:English
Series:A BK currents book
BK currents book.
Subject:
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11210367
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9781626560253
1626560250
9781626560260
1626560269
9781626560246
1626560242
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Print version record.
Summary:"Garbage doesn't exist in nature--the output of one organism is the useful input of another. So why does garbage exist in the human system? Why did it only become a problem the past century? And most importantly, how can we eliminate it--outsmart the very idea of garbage? Eco-entrepreneur Tom Szaky says that to outsmart waste first we have to understand it, then change how we create it, and finally rethink what we do with it. He traces the roots of our current garbage crisis to 20th century technological advances that resulted in historic changes in consuming habits--both the amount of garbage created and its longevity increased dramatically. Szaky argues we can turn this around by changing what we buy, when we buy, why we buy, and what we do with what we've bought. And through innovative recycling and creative "upcycling" (creating new products from discarded objects) we can stop seeing garbage as useless waste and start seeing it as useful waste--a tremendous volume of resources that are simply misunderstood. After reading this mind-expanding book you will never think of garbage the same way again"--
Other form:Print version: Szaky, Tom. Outsmart waste 9781626560246
Description
Summary:Ever-expanding landfills, ocean gyres filled with floating plastic mush, endangered wildlife. Our garbage has become a massive and exponentially growing problem in modern society. Eco-entrepreneur Tom Szaky explores why this crisis exists and explains how can we solve it by eliminating the very idea of garbage. To outsmart waste, he says, we first have to understand it, then change how we create it, and finally rethink what we do with it.<br> <br> By mimicking nature and focusing on the value inherent in our by-products, we can transform the waste we can't avoid creating from useless trash to a useful resource. Szaky demonstrates that there is value in every kind of garbage, from used chewing gum to juice pouches to cigarette butts. After reading this mind-expanding book, you will never think about garbage the same way again.
Physical Description:1 online resource
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781626560253
1626560250
9781626560260
1626560269
9781626560246
1626560242