The Waste-Free World by Ron Gonen

THE WASTE-FREE WORLD by Ron Gonen seeks to describe “How the Circular Economy Will Take Less, Make More, and Save the Planet.” Gonen, an experienced and recognized authority on recycling and sustainability, looks first at “Defeating Take and Waste” where he argues that “transitioning to circular methods of production, distribution, consumption, and reuse of products and materials will not only heal the planet; it also holds enormous economic opportunity.” Subsequent chapters advocate for action in more detail by exploring “A Wealth of Circular Solutions” that deal with areas like forests, greener groceries, and the sustainable closet. Gonen provides an historical overview; for example, he notes trends from the Scott Paper Dress of the late 1960s, through fast fashion to more sustainable clothing, employing technology to promote resale (like ThredUp or ShopThrilling) and on to newer innovations such as using micro algae to produce cloth.  An extensive set of notes (including references that span several decades) comprises roughly thirty percent of the text which offers numerous ideas for both producers and consumers.  

THE (ALMOST) ZERO WASTE GUIDE by Melanie Mannarino is quite specific in that it offers “100+ Tips for Reducing Your Waste Without Changing Your Life.”  An award-winning magazine writer, Mannarino provides suggests across chapters involving cooking, life at home, personal care, travel, clothing, and the broader community. Early on she acknowledges that “for most of us … it’s incredibly easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of waste being generated every minute of every day” and promotes the memorable 1970’s slogan of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Mannarino refers frequently to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and credits them with the statistic that “40 percent of the food in the United States goes uneaten, and food waste is the largest component of the solid waste in landfills.” While some of her suggestions (e.g., adopting Meatless Mondays to help reduce greenhouse gas production) may seem feasible, others (e.g., make your own baby food or reuse cooking water after storing it in your fridge) have less appeal.

Wasted by Byron Reese and Scott Hoffman

WASTED by Byron Reese and Scott Hoffman seeks to explore “How We Squander Time, Money, and Natural Resources-and What We Can Do About It.” Written by a couple of Austin-based entrepreneurs, WASTED is a wide-ranging look at our world and its problems. As the authors note, “one of the major themes of this book deals with what is seen and what is unseen. When we think of waste, it’s easy to picture all the food that’s thrown away.  It’s much harder to see the second – and third – order effects of trying to avoid waste in the first place.” Reese and Hoffman note the characteristics of waste in a broad manner (undesirable, incurs a net negative cost, and can be avoided). They then divide the text into four parts dealing with Waste and Our Planet (covering sub areas like plastics, aluminum cans, and water); Waste in our Business (e.g., returned goods and food waste); The Science of Waste (carbon footprints; electricity and fuel use); and The Philosophy of Waste (referring to time, money and even human potential). The multi-faceted text is bursting with facts (“there are 800 million hungry people in the world, and Americans and Europeans spend enough just on cosmetics to feed them all” or “the family dog has a bigger carbon footprint than the family SUV”) which will surprise and intrigue our student researchers. In addition, WASTED concludes with a rather hopeful discussion of how we, as a society, can achieve less waste and looks at the role of government, businesses, voluntary associations, institutional religion, public opinion and individual action. The index is over a dozen pages long, but I did not see any notes – of course, those would be helpful in pursuing more deeply the many points Reese and Hoffman raise.