#50BookPledge Book 1 The Secret Life of Stuff

I am trying to read 50 books during 2012 which works out to roughly one book a week.  My rules are flexible and audio books are included.  I've also decided that if I don't like a book I've borrowed from the library I'm not going to force myself to finish it because there are a lot of great books out there just waiting for me to find them  Well enough about the challenge, here is my first review.

Review of The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World written by Julie Hill, released by Random House UK, January 2011.

I have a casual interest in books that challenge me to think about how I can live a less resource heavy lifestyle. The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World (The Secret Life of Stuff) was just that kind of book, forcing me to really think about the world around me and the resources consumed. This wasn't your typical “green living” book that discussed ways to reduce your individual impact on the World by only buying/consuming natural products, but rather an all encompassing overview of both the natural and synthetic. The primary message of this book is that we need to be aware of where the stuff we consume comes from and what will happen to that same stuff when we no longer have a use for it. I really enjoyed The Secret Life of Stuff and spent a great deal of time discussing several of the issues presented with other people.

Ms Hill promotes the concepts of reduce and reuse over recycle as the latter is fraught with issues the least of which is finding markets for the products ready to be recycled. She covers how household waste diversion is the norm, but that business and industry aren't held to the same standards even though the results would be much greater.

The Secret Life of Stuff tackles the question many consumers who are trying to make a difference asks – How much difference can one person/family make? There are several examples in the book that explain this and in reality it depends on the item in question.

The Secret Life of Stuff explores why “natural” isn't always the best choice as illustrated by the analysis of cotton. This is one of the most resource intensive crops and even if you can find organic cotton, chances are that is has some negatives associated with it as well. This isn't to say that the author doesn't find value in some “natural” products including bio-plastics, created from food crops or better yet food waste. Instead it is just that all of the inputs need to be considered.

The Secret Life of Stuff is a really well written, easy to read book that forces the reader to think about the things in our World, the environmental costs, disposal and everything in the middle. It is a proponent of products being created with the end of life for that product considered at the time of manufacture and therefore best able to be recycled. For anyone who is looking for an introduction into the social environmental issues facing the global community I recommend this book. If you want to know more when done reading it Ms Hill has an extensive list of her sources (98 pages worth in my e-edition).