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The Plastic Problem
"Human beings are an amazingly inventive species in creating technologies that have taken us far beyond planetary boundaries that constrain all other animals. Whether it's very powerful innovations like pesticides, antibiotics or combustion engines, we fail to consider the long-term ramifications of our enterprises in a world where everything is interconnected. Plastics are a classic example, created by chemists from complex molecules of life in fossil fuels, applied in so many useful ways but ignoring what happens when the products are discarded as waste on such a scale that we have a gargantuan problem. The story of plastic is a cautionary tale about every aspect of the way we are living in the Anthropocene."
-- David Suzuki The shocking truth of plastic's impact on our planet -- and what we can do about it. The data is in and it's bad. We create and throw away too much plastic, and it is killing our planet. However, too many people have very little idea about just how far this problem reaches, and those who do know feel helpless with the enormity of the task at hand. To fill this void and provide some hope is Rachel Salt's simple and transformative book, The Plastic Problem . As a producer for the award-winning and wildly popular YouTube channel AsapSCIENCE, Salt is accustomed to taking big, complicated concepts and translating them into entertaining and easy-to-understand segments. She applies the same methodology to The Plastic Problem . The result is a critically important book that will change the lives of those who read it. Never before has the problem been presented in such an impactful way. Readers of any age will emerge from this book with a thorough understanding of the problem, its individual and global impacts, and -- most importantly -- hope for the future. In 18 bite-sized chapters, Salt walks readers through the invention and globalized creation of plastic, its impacts and uses in our day-today lives, and its importance to the larger global economy. She then examines the how and why of what makes plastic so harmful to our planet and, just in case there was any doubt, Salt reinforces this danger by providing chapters on the planet-choking results of our plastic habit -- including the fact that there is almost certainly, plastic floating inside each and every person in the world. Salt finishes this vital book with a message of hope. All is not lost. We can make changes -- both at home and on a global scale. Big changes are already happening. If you want to be an actor and help change the future, The Plastic Problem is the best place to start. " Plastic kills. Breaking our plastic addiction is a matter of survival for humans and it impacts every creature on Earth to the deepest part of the ocean. With clear, concise prose and illustrations, The Plastic Problem navigates a way through this plastic mess we've found ourselves in."
-- Erich Hoyt, author of Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises , The Whale Called Killer and Creatures of the Deep ; Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation; Co-chair, IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
-- David Suzuki The shocking truth of plastic's impact on our planet -- and what we can do about it. The data is in and it's bad. We create and throw away too much plastic, and it is killing our planet. However, too many people have very little idea about just how far this problem reaches, and those who do know feel helpless with the enormity of the task at hand. To fill this void and provide some hope is Rachel Salt's simple and transformative book, The Plastic Problem . As a producer for the award-winning and wildly popular YouTube channel AsapSCIENCE, Salt is accustomed to taking big, complicated concepts and translating them into entertaining and easy-to-understand segments. She applies the same methodology to The Plastic Problem . The result is a critically important book that will change the lives of those who read it. Never before has the problem been presented in such an impactful way. Readers of any age will emerge from this book with a thorough understanding of the problem, its individual and global impacts, and -- most importantly -- hope for the future. In 18 bite-sized chapters, Salt walks readers through the invention and globalized creation of plastic, its impacts and uses in our day-today lives, and its importance to the larger global economy. She then examines the how and why of what makes plastic so harmful to our planet and, just in case there was any doubt, Salt reinforces this danger by providing chapters on the planet-choking results of our plastic habit -- including the fact that there is almost certainly, plastic floating inside each and every person in the world. Salt finishes this vital book with a message of hope. All is not lost. We can make changes -- both at home and on a global scale. Big changes are already happening. If you want to be an actor and help change the future, The Plastic Problem is the best place to start. " Plastic kills. Breaking our plastic addiction is a matter of survival for humans and it impacts every creature on Earth to the deepest part of the ocean. With clear, concise prose and illustrations, The Plastic Problem navigates a way through this plastic mess we've found ourselves in."
-- Erich Hoyt, author of Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises , The Whale Called Killer and Creatures of the Deep ; Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation; Co-chair, IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force
- GenresScienceNonfictionEcology
80 pages, Paperback
Published September 20, 2019
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2019
This great informational book is one of the best I have seen. It answers all your questions about plastic. With easy to read text and bright photos we learn what plastic is, where we find it in home, groceries and oceans. It details the toxicity of plastic, but also the need for plastic and shares some eye-opening information about recycling and reusing. Readers will learn about how deadly this material is and how we can help and find solutions.
November 27, 2019
I was truly blown away by this book!! Rachel Salt delivers a wealth of valuable information in a short 75-page book filled with colorful graphic images. The book is geared towards teenagers, and should be required curriculum in all schools throughout the world. Rachel Salt talks about the many serious problems related to plastic use and consumption. It’s an eye-opening book that will make you want to scream for changes (hopefully). Everyone should read this book! It’s that important a subject.
In addition to scaring the crap out of anyone who reads the book, it also offers some very doable options for dealing with the plastic problem.
If you can’t find this book at your bookstore or local library, ask them to get it. Even if you choose to be only a small part of the plastic solution, it’s better than being a part of the problem.
In addition to scaring the crap out of anyone who reads the book, it also offers some very doable options for dealing with the plastic problem.
If you can’t find this book at your bookstore or local library, ask them to get it. Even if you choose to be only a small part of the plastic solution, it’s better than being a part of the problem.
December 3, 2019
The Plastic Problem packs a lot of information in only 80 pages by utilizing real color photos, graphs, & drawings explaining what plastic is, how it is made, the various items in the typical home that are plastic, the plastic in our groceries, how plastic creates a lot of waste, the damage plastic causes to coral & islands, that it creates deadly debris such as floating garbage patches, how wildlife think plastic is food, microplastics, plastic through the food web, how there is plastic in humans, plastic toxicity, global issues, global solutions, & the future.
This slender book does a brilliant job illustrating through text & photography, the damages that our overuse of plastic is causing to our environment. Most disturbing is that plastic is now inside all of us. In human stool samples, out of all the people sampled, 100% had plastic in their feces. Seriously concerning. The book illustrates how plastic is in our water, soil, foods, & animals, islands of plastic floating in our oceans, beaches covered in plastic, on & on it goes.
Yet, on page 58 I felt like I was reading a different book.
The author argues why "we can't completely ban plastic" The reasons why are weak at best. She actually argues that using a reusable canvas shopping bag is more environmentally damaging because it contributes more to global warming than plastic bags. Fine. But a cotton canvas bag will break down naturally. A plastic bag will not. Remember plastic in our poop? Next, let's pick on a cotton t-shirt. It seems that a plastic polyester t-shirt requires less water, therefore the author feels it is better than a cotton t-shirt. I happen to grow organic heirloom cotton. I can't speak for conventional hybrid &/or genetically modified cotton, but I can speak for what I grow. The cotton I grow enjoys a nice drink, but it has never required more watering then any of the lettuces, herbs, squash, beans, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, or other crops I organically grow. And, let's not forget the whole thing about how polyester could take 1000 years to break down (but never disappear, now it's just nano sized), while cotton breaks down naturally because, it's natural. Sorry, but I'm sticking with cotton canvas & cotton clothing over stuff made from fossil fuels.
It doesn't end with picking on cotton. What about cars? Plastic is in our cars, so they weigh less therefore plastic is better than steel. The reason is because it will cost less in fuel. Fuel from fossil fuels. The same fossil fuels that made the plastic in the car. Yet, somehow it's better. Here we go with that little problem of plastic never truly breaking down. It amazes me that for the first 57 pages this is rammed home, but now it is suddenly better than something that does break down. What?!?!
Food packaging is also picked on for virtually the same reason. Glass weighs more than plastic. What about all the chemicals that leach into the foods & the garbage problem? But but but plastic weighs less so it costs less to transport; uses less fuel. Again, the fuel that fuels the transportation system is from the same source that fuels our plastic nations.
The only area where I mostly agree with the author is regarding the medical field. Plastic creates one time use which greatly helps to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
After this "why we cannot live without plastic" nonsense the book gets back on track with The 6R's: Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, Repair, Refuse, & Recycle. Here common sense advice is given to reduce our personal plastic usage. In my home we avoid buying foods in plastic containers & jars, opting for glass whenever possible. We also grow as much of our own food as possible. We then can that food in glass mason jars that are likely to outlive us. We buy clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton, wool, hemp, & leather. If we can afford it, we buy these things organic. No polyester filled blankets or jackets. We opt for wool or down. I'd love if my home was Zero Waste, but even though it's not, we do strive to do our part to reduce our plastic usage.
The biggest way we as consumers have a voice is with how we spend our money. Corporations listen to dollar signs, not our voices. If you buy it, you support it.
Overall, if it wasn't for the 360 degree point of view change on page 58, I would have loved this book. It is laid out in a very user friendly way. It is educational & holds the readers attention. It is a keeper, suitable for kids & adults alike.
This slender book does a brilliant job illustrating through text & photography, the damages that our overuse of plastic is causing to our environment. Most disturbing is that plastic is now inside all of us. In human stool samples, out of all the people sampled, 100% had plastic in their feces. Seriously concerning. The book illustrates how plastic is in our water, soil, foods, & animals, islands of plastic floating in our oceans, beaches covered in plastic, on & on it goes.
Yet, on page 58 I felt like I was reading a different book.
The author argues why "we can't completely ban plastic" The reasons why are weak at best. She actually argues that using a reusable canvas shopping bag is more environmentally damaging because it contributes more to global warming than plastic bags. Fine. But a cotton canvas bag will break down naturally. A plastic bag will not. Remember plastic in our poop? Next, let's pick on a cotton t-shirt. It seems that a plastic polyester t-shirt requires less water, therefore the author feels it is better than a cotton t-shirt. I happen to grow organic heirloom cotton. I can't speak for conventional hybrid &/or genetically modified cotton, but I can speak for what I grow. The cotton I grow enjoys a nice drink, but it has never required more watering then any of the lettuces, herbs, squash, beans, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, or other crops I organically grow. And, let's not forget the whole thing about how polyester could take 1000 years to break down (but never disappear, now it's just nano sized), while cotton breaks down naturally because, it's natural. Sorry, but I'm sticking with cotton canvas & cotton clothing over stuff made from fossil fuels.
It doesn't end with picking on cotton. What about cars? Plastic is in our cars, so they weigh less therefore plastic is better than steel. The reason is because it will cost less in fuel. Fuel from fossil fuels. The same fossil fuels that made the plastic in the car. Yet, somehow it's better. Here we go with that little problem of plastic never truly breaking down. It amazes me that for the first 57 pages this is rammed home, but now it is suddenly better than something that does break down. What?!?!
Food packaging is also picked on for virtually the same reason. Glass weighs more than plastic. What about all the chemicals that leach into the foods & the garbage problem? But but but plastic weighs less so it costs less to transport; uses less fuel. Again, the fuel that fuels the transportation system is from the same source that fuels our plastic nations.
The only area where I mostly agree with the author is regarding the medical field. Plastic creates one time use which greatly helps to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
After this "why we cannot live without plastic" nonsense the book gets back on track with The 6R's: Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, Repair, Refuse, & Recycle. Here common sense advice is given to reduce our personal plastic usage. In my home we avoid buying foods in plastic containers & jars, opting for glass whenever possible. We also grow as much of our own food as possible. We then can that food in glass mason jars that are likely to outlive us. We buy clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton, wool, hemp, & leather. If we can afford it, we buy these things organic. No polyester filled blankets or jackets. We opt for wool or down. I'd love if my home was Zero Waste, but even though it's not, we do strive to do our part to reduce our plastic usage.
The biggest way we as consumers have a voice is with how we spend our money. Corporations listen to dollar signs, not our voices. If you buy it, you support it.
Overall, if it wasn't for the 360 degree point of view change on page 58, I would have loved this book. It is laid out in a very user friendly way. It is educational & holds the readers attention. It is a keeper, suitable for kids & adults alike.
February 25, 2020
Reviewed with You Are Eating Plastic Every Day.
These attractive, fact-filled books about plastic pollution crossed my desk yesterday in our new @follettlearning order. I highly recommend both for all elementary and middle school library collections. Both are suitable for browsing or research projects and have relevant full color images, source notes, an index and a glossary.
.
.
.
Some of the horrifying facts I learned about from these books:
~ only 9% of plastic trash is recycled
~ the Yangtze River in China carriers 15 million tons of plastic a year
~ plastic-based clothing sheds clothing in each wash -- about 64,000 pounds of microfibers are released into U.S. water systems every day
~ Seafood mistake microplastics for food, which is one way microplastics enter the food chain
~ Even vegetarians consume microplastics -- as much as 90% of table salt contains microplastics (salt tested in Indonesia was the worst)
~ Cleaning up plastics out of the ocean and other water systems is EXTREMELY difficult
.
.
.
If you could only afford one of these, I'd buy You Are Eating Plastic Every Day. I found it to be slightly better organized and I liked the images better. I did, however, like the section in the other book, The Plastic Problem, about why we can't completely ban plastic, such as that green options aren't necessarily better in every case and that plastic can help reduce food waste. Overall, these are highly informative, interesting books that belong in every school. They will be useful for sustainability units and especially for the upcoming 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
.
.
.
#middleschoollibrarian #middleschoollibrary #library #librarian #futurereadylibs #iteachlibrary #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #librariesofinstagram #librariansofinstagram #librariesfollowlibraries #librarylife #librarianlife #schoollibrarian #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #iteach #librarylove #booksbooksbooks #amreading #bibliophile #schoollibrariansrock #bookreview #bookrecommendation #igreads #malibrary #msla #mediaspecialist
These attractive, fact-filled books about plastic pollution crossed my desk yesterday in our new @follettlearning order. I highly recommend both for all elementary and middle school library collections. Both are suitable for browsing or research projects and have relevant full color images, source notes, an index and a glossary.
.
.
.
Some of the horrifying facts I learned about from these books:
~ only 9% of plastic trash is recycled
~ the Yangtze River in China carriers 15 million tons of plastic a year
~ plastic-based clothing sheds clothing in each wash -- about 64,000 pounds of microfibers are released into U.S. water systems every day
~ Seafood mistake microplastics for food, which is one way microplastics enter the food chain
~ Even vegetarians consume microplastics -- as much as 90% of table salt contains microplastics (salt tested in Indonesia was the worst)
~ Cleaning up plastics out of the ocean and other water systems is EXTREMELY difficult
.
.
.
If you could only afford one of these, I'd buy You Are Eating Plastic Every Day. I found it to be slightly better organized and I liked the images better. I did, however, like the section in the other book, The Plastic Problem, about why we can't completely ban plastic, such as that green options aren't necessarily better in every case and that plastic can help reduce food waste. Overall, these are highly informative, interesting books that belong in every school. They will be useful for sustainability units and especially for the upcoming 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
.
.
.
#middleschoollibrarian #middleschoollibrary #library #librarian #futurereadylibs #iteachlibrary #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #librariesofinstagram #librariansofinstagram #librariesfollowlibraries #librarylife #librarianlife #schoollibrarian #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #iteach #librarylove #booksbooksbooks #amreading #bibliophile #schoollibrariansrock #bookreview #bookrecommendation #igreads #malibrary #msla #mediaspecialist
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July 2, 2020Too bad this was only available in ppb. It's informative and attractively designed.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews