Waste. We make it every single day. But how often do we think about it? It’s easy enough to throw your garbage in a trashcan and never think of it again. Out of sight, out of mind—right?
Not for long. “New research showed that the annual volume of that waste could double by 2025, thanks to growing prosperity and urbanization,” writes Paul Connett, author of The Zero Waste Solutionand contributor to the documentary film Trashed. “Translation: Rather than producing 1.3 billion tons per year, as we do now, we could soon be producing 2.6 billion tons.” Soon, it will be impossible for us to avoid our own waste.
But there’s hope. Through research, case studies, and profiles, Paul Connett’s The Zero Waste Solution introduces problem-solving techniques to rid the planet of as much waste as possible by 2020. “If we lave the waste problem to itself, we are part of a nonsustainable way of living on this planet with huge consequences for human health and the global environment,” writes Connett in the Foreword. “However, with good leadership we can become part of the solution.”
Inspiring Zero Waste initiatives already exist worldwide, in places like:
- San Francisco, CA: By 2012, they achieved 80 percent waste diverted and are continuing to move forward;
- Austin, TX: Has plans to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills 90 percent by 2030;
- Sicily, Italy: This small island is playing a large role in the fight against incinerators—expensive, unsustainable, toxin-producing waste disposers; and many more.
In his latest book, Connett imagines a world in which cities, regions, and countries with zero waste initiatives were not mere case studies and hopeful examples, but the worldwide norm.
“The Zero Waste Solution is for all those concerned about humanity’s health and environment, writes Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons in the Foreword. “Essential reading for anyone fighting landfills, incineration, overpackaging, and the other by-products of our unthinking and irresponsible throwaway society.”
The Zero Waste Solution: Untrashing the Planet One Community at a Time is available now and on sale for 35% off until November 11th.
The Zero Waste Solution
Untrashing the Planet One Community at a Time
by Paul Connett
Foreword by Jeremy Irons
"Paul Connett is one of the few people I know who can make waste interesting. In this book, he glides you through the diverse world of garbage and guides you to the many, ready, efficient, and safe solutions that don't involve you breathing in the toxics of the incinerator industry."—Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and author, The Seventeen Solutions
Waste is something we make every day, but we rarely give it much thought. That is changing, though, as emerging programs around the globe show many ways in which a community can achieve zero-waste status.
In The Zero Waste Solution, author and scientist-turned-activist Paul Connett profiles the most successful zero-waste initiatives around the world, showing activists, planners, and entrepreneurs how to re-envision their community’s waste-handling process by doing the following:
- Consuming less;
- Turning organic waste into compost;
- Recycling and reusing other waste;
- Demanding nonwasteful product design; and,
- Creating jobs and bringing community members together in the process.
Connett is a leading international figure in the decades-long battles to fight pollution and has championed efforts to curtail overconsumption and keep industrial toxins out of our air, drinking water, and bodies. He’s best known around the world for leading efforts to help communities sustainably eliminate and reuse waste rather than burn it or stow it away in landfills.
In addition to showing how zero-waste status can be achieved, Connett exposes the greenwashing behind renewed efforts to promote waste incinerators as safe, nontoxic energy suppliers. The book offers detailed information on how communities can battle incinerators that emit dangerous particles into the atmosphere.
The Zero Waste Solution is an important toolkit for anyone interested in creating sustainable communities, generating secure local jobs, and keeping toxic alternatives at bay.
- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_zero_waste_solution#sthash.p0jevOHj.dpuf