07/01/2019
This first book by environmental journalist Schlossberg details hidden environmental impacts in the fields of electronic technology, food, fashion, and fuel. The author explains that while the Internet operates as tiny packets of electronic pulses, running it and storing its data requires a global infrastructure. There are many buildings, servers, routers and exchange points, all powered by electricity. While online commerce might reduce physical shopping, it requires air freight and truck delivery trips. Turning to our food systems, Schlossberg's focus is on unsustainable farming methods, depleted soil, wasted produce, overfishing, and acidifying oceans. With fashion, cheap clothes made of cotton, and oil-based and wood pulp-based fabrics create environmental issues. The fuels section touches on toxic coal ash, wood particulates, and petroleum burned by various modes of transportation. The author concludes, "Our indifference to the value of our resources and to their limits threatens everything, including our own success and survival." VERDICT Although Schlossberg's asides sometimes derail the journalistic narrative, with this call for mass action she presents valuable information that could help readers make more sustainable choices in their lives.—David R. Conn, formerly with Surrey Libs., BC
…[Schlossberg] has scoured the internet for pretty much every scary and fascinating statistic on her subject that you can imagine, and her time has been well spent. You come away from her book with a stronger sense of the sheer largeness of the human enterprisethe number of us now consuming, and the overwheleming effect of all that volume.
The New York Times Book Review - Bill McKibben
05/27/2019
In this straightforward, accessible look at the environmental impact of consumer habits, journalist Schlossberg examines how seemingly innocuous “everyday, run-of-the-mill” decisions substantially affect the wellbeing of the planet. She divides her discussion into four manageable parts devoted to, respectively, technology, food production, fashion, and fuel. Regarding the first, she observes that the extraction of the metals used to manufacture lithium ion batteries—“the invention that, more than almost any other... powers our phones, laptops, and electric cars”—often comes “at great environmental and human cost” in such countries as Argentina, Chile, and Congo. Meanwhile, the “biggest environmental problem created by agriculture,” according to Schlossberg, is due to corn. So much of this crop is grown, mostly for products such as alcohol, oil, animal feed, and sweeteners, that it wreaks havoc on biodiversity and native ecosystems. Style-conscious readers should be particularly fascinated by Schlossberg’s critical look at fashion industry practices, notably the water-intensive process through which cotton gets made into denim. With insight and urgency, Schlossberg prods readers to think more deeply about how they participate in these and other activities, and how they might mitigate their impact. In the process, she delivers an intriguing and educational narrative. Zoe Sandler, Esther Newberg, ICM Partners (Oct.)
"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 "An approachable, lighthearted tally of our more pernicious environmental impacts, rich with historical context. For all its aversion to the reductionist notion of an ecofriendly lifestyle in the twenty-first century, this book delivers on actionable data for the ecoconscious consumer and climate activist."—Kim Cobb, professor, earth and atmospheric sciences,Georgia Institute of Technology "Schlossberg brings a variety of current conversations on environment together in down-to-earth, easily understood terms. Avoiding dense technical language and writing in a highly personalized style laced with humor and asides, the author provides much-needed clarifications about climate change and pollution that not only empower average consumers with the ability to act and make informed decisions, but also encourage and inspire that action. If fighting climate change can be engaging, fun, and fulfilling, this is the road map."—Kirkus "[A] straightforward, accessible look at the environmental impact of consumer habits...With insight and urgency, Schlossberg prods readers to think more deeply...[and] delivers an intriguing and educational narrative."—Publishers Weekly "With this call for mass action [Schlossberg] presents valuable information that could help readers make more sustainable choices in their lives."—Library Journal
By the time listeners finish this audiobook, two facts become apparent: Humans are negatively impacting the environment in numerous ways they are not even aware of, and Schlossberg should have left the narration to a professional. Her delivery lacks solid inflection, and though she fills the audiobook with puns and jokes, her voice doesn’t reflect their playfulness. Despite the complexity of her understanding of inconspicuous consumption, her narration doesn’t motivate or engage listeners; instead it leaves them feeling as disengaged as her tone. That is especially disappointing given that she shows how everything from Internet usage to clothes to waste food represents missed opportunities and further degradation of the environment. L.E. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
By the time listeners finish this audiobook, two facts become apparent: Humans are negatively impacting the environment in numerous ways they are not even aware of, and Schlossberg should have left the narration to a professional. Her delivery lacks solid inflection, and though she fills the audiobook with puns and jokes, her voice doesn’t reflect their playfulness. Despite the complexity of her understanding of inconspicuous consumption, her narration doesn’t motivate or engage listeners; instead it leaves them feeling as disengaged as her tone. That is especially disappointing given that she shows how everything from Internet usage to clothes to waste food represents missed opportunities and further degradation of the environment. L.E. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
2019-07-01 An environmental journalist pens an informative, practical guide to understanding and acting on climate change.
To many, the climate change crisis often seems so overwhelming and intimidating that they try to avoid thinking about it altogether. As former New York Times reporter Schlossberg relates, before becoming informed, "I didn't like reading about climate change and its effects—it filled me with dread and made me feel powerless. The problems seemed too big and too inevitable for me to do anything about, so it felt like it was probably best to look away." But as she demonstrates in her debut book, climate change is not just a remote problem about California wildfires and superhurricanes that is only relevant to scientists and legislators. "There are trade-offs and consequences for almost everything we buy and use and eat," she writes; our personal choices and daily activities have a direct impact on the planet's overall health and future. Breaking the narrative into four categories—Technology and the Internet, Food, Fashion, and Fuel—Schlossberg follows and connects the dots between our habits and the far-reaching consequences they may have. Although the thrust of the book is climate change, this is more a volume about cause and effect that tackles a broad scope of topics. Whether visiting a Connecticut apple orchard to flesh out the current definition of "organic food," exploring microplastic pollution caused by sweat-wicking microfiber athletic wear, or weighing the environmental advantages of e-commerce versus traditional retail shopping, Schlossberg brings a variety of current conversations on environment together in down-to-earth, easily understood terms. Avoiding dense technical language and writing in a highly personalized style laced with humor and asides, the author provides much-needed clarifications about climate change and pollution that not only empower average consumers with the ability to act and make informed decisions, but also encourage and inspire that action.
If fighting climate change can be engaging, fun, and fulfilling, this is the road map.