Sustainability: Consumerism and Waste

Why are people so interested in what they and others throw away? This book shows how this interest in what we discard is far from new -- it is integral to how we make, build and describe our lived environment. As this wide-ranging new study reveals, waste has been a polarizing topic for millennia and has been treated as a rich resource by artists, writers, philosophers and architects. Drawing on the works of Giorgio Agamben, T.S. Eliot, Jacques Derrida, Martin Heidegger, James Joyce, Bruno Latour and many others, Waste: A Philosophy of Things investigates the complexities of waste in sculpture, literature and architecture.

"In recent years, food waste has risen to the top of the political and public agenda, yet until now there has been no scholarly analysis applied to the topic as a complement and counter-balance to campaigning and activist approaches. Using ethnographic material to explore global issues, Food Waste unearths the processes that lie behind the volume of food currently wasted by households and consumers. The author demonstrates how waste arises as a consequence of households negotiating the complex and contradictory demands of everyday life, explores the reasons why surplus food ends up in the bin, and considers innovative solutions to the problem.

"When you drop your Diet Coke can or yesterday's newspaper in the recycling bin, where does it go? Probably halfway around the world, to people and places that clean up what you don't want and turn it into something you can't wait to buy. In Junkyard Planet, Adam Minter-- veteran journalist and son of an American junkyard owner-- travels deeply into a vast, often hidden, multibillion-dollar industry that's transforming our economy and environment. Minter takes us from back-alley Chinese computer recycling operations to recycling factories capable of processing a jumbo jet's worth of trash every day. Along the way, we meet an international cast of characters who have figured out how to squeeze Silicon Valley-scale fortunes from what we all throw away.

102 tons, (or: becoming China's trash compactor) -- The Biggest Thing We Make. Ain't no mountain high enough ; Piggeries and burn piles: an American trash genesis ; From trash TV to landfill rodeos ; The last and future kingdom ; Down to the sea in chips ; Nerds vs. murdles -- The Trash Detectives. The trash trackers ; Decadence now -- The Way Back. Pick of the litter ; Chico and the man ; Green cities and garbage death rays ; Put-downs, pickups and the power of no -- Garbage in, garbage out.

"The social media and spread of communication through various social networks form the communication grapevine. This is an emerging informal channel of business communication and a critical element in building the posture of a firm in a competitive marketplace. The grapevine effect is contributed to by the social media through word-of-mouth that stretches throughout the market irrespective of the various measures taken by firms to build their brand and competitive posture.

What is the impact of consumerism? Consumption is linked to economic well-being / Kevin A. Hassett and Aparna Mathur -- Consumption is not an indicator of economic well-being / Virginia Postrel -- Consumerism may be linked to mental and emotional problems / Tori DeAngelis -- Consumerism is not linked to mental and emotional problems / Brendan O'Neill -- The consumption of luxury goods is changing among consumers / Knowledge@Wharton -- Luxury is not the same as consumer excess / Joseph Epstein -- What facilitates consumerism? Advertising promotes consumerism / Anup Shah -- Shopping addiction promotes consumerism

Waste: A Handbook for Management gives the broadest, most complete coverage of waste in our society. The book examines a wide range of waste streams, including: Household waste (compostable material, paper, glass, textiles, household chemicals, plastic, water, and e-waste)Industrial waste (metals, building materials, tires, medical, batteries, hazardous mining, and nuclear)Societal waste (ocean, military, and space) The future of landfills and incinerators Covering all the issues related to waste in one volume helps lead to comparisons, synergistic solutions, and a more informed society. In addition, the book offers the best ways of managing waste problems through recycling, incineration, landfill and other processes.

This second edition of Consumerism in World History draws on recent research of the consumer experience in the West and Japan, while also examining societies less renowned for consumerism, such as those in Africa. By relating consumerism to other issues in world history, this book forces reassessment of our understanding of both consumerism and global history. Each chapter has been updated and new features now include: a chapter on Latin America Russian and Chinese developments since the 1990s the changes involved in trying to bolster consumerism as a response to recent international threats examples of consumerist syncretism, as in efforts to blend beauty contests with traditional culture in Kerala. With updated suggested reading, the second edition of Consumerism in World History is essential reading for all students of world history.