All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet
Our shopping culture isn’t an obvious polluter.
There’s always more to buy, buy, buy. Kids love trendy clothes, the latest electronics, fast food and even plastic gift cards. Sales draw us in, shiny new gadgets have us going ga-ga and personalized pop-up ads on our social media feeds have us frantically buying things—and throwing them out—without a second thought. You can’t see the pollution the way you can see smog in the air or a forest that’s been chopped down. But our buying habits and obsession with the latest and greatest are affecting the planet.
All the things we need, want and gotta have are responsible for big environmental problems. But making small changes in what and how often you buy can have an impact. All Consuming shows the pros and cons of making different choices when it comes to buying the things you love. It also shines a spotlight on kids who are bringing about change and offers ways you can help out too.
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Resources for Kids and Teachers
Reviews for All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet
- “Plastic gift cards. We’ve all given and received them, but did you know they’re made of PVC, a single-use plastic that’s nondegradable and can exist forever in a landfill? That revelation is one of the many eye-opening facts that readers will discover in this useful and well researched Orca Think series title. Silver focuses on how we purchase clothing, fast food, tech (like cell phones), and gifts, highlighting how our throwaway culture and habit of overconsumption is harming the planet. Enterprising young entrepreneurs from around the world offer more sustainable ways of producing these products. Suggestions are provided for upcycling clothing, giving more sustainable gifts, making eco-friendly food packaging, and learning how to repair technology rather than discarding it. The colorful illustrations and photos, impactful statistics, appealing page design, catchy titled sidebars (“Price Check” and “Super Saver”), glossary, and additional resources work together to make this an appealing and informative book for young people”
– Review from Sharon Rawlins - “All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet by award-winning children’s author Erin Silver reminds us of the inconvenient truths of our modern, disposable society.
This new addition to the Orca Think series thoroughly investigates our questionable need for “retail therapy” with four chapters that unpack the perils of fast fashion, fast food, the latest tech devices, and gift-giving trends.
The book opens with a sober warning: “Buy now, the planet pays later.” We quickly see how our consumer culture creates a global hornet’s nest of problems: how our wants and needs drive sweatshops and child labour, how our demand for the latest cellphone contributes to e-waste chemicals seeping into our water and soil, and how well-meaning toys and gift cards create growing landfills.
While the big picture can feel grim, we’re also reminded that small changes can “make a huge impact on the environment one purchase at a time.” There’s practical advice on better alternatives such as shopping sustainably, making your technology last longer, and taking matters into your own hands by repairing appliances and toys. “
– Review from Nikki Luscombe