Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash
Written by Edward Humes
Narrated by Joe Barrett
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
In Garbology, Edward Humes investigates trash-what's in it; how much we pay for it; how we manage to create so much of it; and how some families, communities, and even nations are finding a way back from waste to discover a new kind of prosperity. Along the way, he introduces a collection of garbage denizens unlike anyone you've ever met: the trash-tracking detectives of MIT, the bulldozer-driving sanitation workers building Los Angeles's Garbage Mountain landfill, the artists residing in San Francisco's dump, and the family whose annual trash output fills not a dumpster or a trash can but a single mason jar.
Garbology reveals not just what we throw away but who we are and where our society is headed. Waste is the one environmental and economic harm that ordinary working Americans have the power to change-and prosper in the process.
Edward Humes
Edward Humes is the author of ten critically acclaimed nonfiction books, including Eco Barons, Monkey Girl, Over Here, School of Dreams, Baby E.R., Mean Justice, No Matter How Loud I Shout, and the bestseller Mississippi Mud. He has received the Pulitzer Prize for his journalism and numerous awards for his books. He has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and Sierra. He lives in California.
More audiobooks from Edward Humes
Door to Door: The Magnificent, Maddening, Mysterious World of Transportation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Garbology
Related audiobooks
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea, and Human Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Year of No Garbage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-made Landscape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreen Metropolis: What the City Can Teach the Country About True Sustainability Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Second Nature: Scenes from a World Remade Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Weather Makers: How We Are Changing the Planet and What it Means for Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Symphony in C: Carbon and the Evolution of (Almost) Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plastic: A Toxic Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability--Designing for Abundance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rust: The Longest War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Source: How Rivers Made America and America Remade Its Rivers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Nature For You
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elephant Whisperer: My Life With the Herd in the African Wild Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Uncertain Sea: Fear is everywhere. Embrace it. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Underland: A Deep Time Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Coffee: A Sustainable Guide to Nootropics, Adaptogens, and Mushrooms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Genius of Birds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When You Find My Body: The Disappearance of Geraldine Largay on the Appalachian Trail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Every Living Thing: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Venom Doc: The Edgiest, Darkest, Strangest Natural History Memoir Ever Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Garbology
77 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sad truth about landfills well exposed. I would love to have more examples of how to be more green though
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow! My wife and I just listened to this book and we wish it was required reading in public schools! We wish every American would read it. It was eye opening and spurred so much interesting discussion. We highly recommend it to EVERYONE!!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We have become a consumer culture, a society where disposable is all too common. This book looks at trash and all it entails: landfills, recycling, and what else can be done with it, and/or about it, and/or ideally things we can do to reduce it. Plastic is, of course, a big issue - including the “patch” of plastic floating around the Pacific Ocean (which is apparently more of a soup or chowder (smaller chunks all over the place), rather than a patch where it’s all together in the one spot). I thought this was quite interesting. Some people have actually studied trash (garbologists). There was some history of how landfills got started, and how people traditionally got rid of their trash. Of course, the consumer culture – marketing to promote more and more buying (and also throwing away because we want the new stuff) – came to rise in the 50s, and hasn’t let up. One idea that was new to me (at least in the detail described in this book) was the waste-to-energy idea, turning trash into energy. I have heard of it, but this book went into more detail than I ever knew about it. Denmark and Germany seem to be the forerunners for this, and it sounds like a great idea. Of course, alongside these kinds of ideas, humans really do need to figure out ways to cut down on the amount of stuff we acquire (and subsequently throw away). There was also some info on things some people are doing to cut down on their consumerism and disposables.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book. Humes did extensive research. It's not comprehensive, but it covers many many human aspects and tells the stories of business people, anthropologists, artists, and many more tackling the study of trash.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inspiring. Life changing
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An interesting, informative, and sobering look at how much waste we produce, where it goes, what impact it has on the environment, and what can be done to lesson the impact.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5“Garbology” will teach you more about trash, waste, and garbage in America than you ever thought there was to know about this subject. For example, waste is big business. Landfills were originally a temporary solution that became a permanent practice. The US is one of the most wasteful nations on the planet. Our current rate of waste production cannot be sustained for much longer. Recycling isn’t nearly as helpful as most people think it is. And all of this is evidence of American selfishness, indulgence, and obliviousness.Humes’ writing is entertaining and informative. He weaves his narrative so well that it’s quite easy to forget that you’re actually reading about garbage. He also structures this book very effectively—he tells a great deal about the history of waste management in the US, he examines the current garbage crisis, and he offers very practical solutions.Obviously, this book is not for everyone. If you like non-fiction, however, give this one a try. You’ll probably enjoy it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Book review by Skyler T., posted by CA Library:"Garbology by Edward Humes and it is a nonfiction book told as nonfiction. What’s the book about, the books about garbage! Garbology of course no just garbage. The book teaches you about landfills and dumps, and oceans and how garbage impacts them all in a way or two.The book garbology also teaches you about how you can safely and none safely have dumps or landfills. Also how to get garbage out of the ocean and waters. People who are trying to make a difference and help. It tells us how our paper waste can help another country that heeds paper and how someone makes a lot of money from that.This book also tells you stores of people who have been affected by garbage in their life. And how to stop getting garbage, how it can affect more people in the future.This is an all in all good book it does not make you want to stop reading it and it does not make you want to stop because it is boring its actually is pretty interesting ."
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5wow, this is a great book to read. In the beginning it shows the reality in USA and the Oceans, landfills, garbage patch in the Pacific and trash tracking devices, later you can learn from other countries and inventive people that there is a way out. Easy to read and full of ideas to make a better life and safe money.