How to Give Up Plastic

June 1, 2019
Between 5 and 13 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean every year, and plastic waste is expected to triple within the next decade. Greenpeace adviser and anti-plastics activist McCallum presents a road map to ending the culture of disposability that has led to massive overdependence on plastics. Local success stories and interviews with environmental activists are interspersed with tips and guidelines for reducing use of plastic products, from the usual suspects like drink bottles and grocery bags to more surprising culprits like fleece jackets and glitter. But McCallum emphasizes that consumer choices alone are not enough; communal action is required to compel governments and corporations to take action to end the overuse of plastic products. Step-by-step instructions for lobbying government representatives, leveraging news outlets and social media to influence local and national businesses, and eliminating plastic in the home empower readers to promote change at every level. Though clearly aimed at affluent and nondisabled readers, this accessible and optimistic book nevertheless offers a galvanizing alternative to ominous media prophecies of inevitable environmental disaster.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)