The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World

by Julie Hill

Like The Omnivore's Dilemma , this inventory of how we consume stuff is a wake-up call—shocking but inspiring, facing facts and finding solutions  Taking readers on a journey through everything around us and how we use it, this book uncovers the true origin and cost of stuff, and, while the inventory will shock, it is the first step toward overcoming waste. Environmental issues can feel overwhelming—there seem to be endless issues to be educated about, including climate change, biofuels, nuclear power, landfills, recycling, and non-renewables, but, in fact, it all comes down to one thing—stuff. How people use the earth's resources—whether a slice of bread or a cargo ship, a cotton shirt or a nuclear reactor—affects the environment. Over-consumption is not your fault, but it is not something you can ignore either. Hill shows how politicians, business people, and we, as consumers and citizens, together can create a new, and better, material world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific book, especially for those humans interested in making our societies zero waste. The text is bookended with the story of Evie and Ed who live a few decades in the future and they're living quite an ideal life with shorter work weeks, a society where composting is the norm, a world that builds things to last, extracts very little to make products, and generally maintains a circular economy. In between these opening and closing chapters we get somewhat of a roadmap as to how they got that way. Hill covers every aspect of material we use in our daily lives and shows how each item comes into existence and what usually happens to it when we throw it away. Her ideas about how to move closer to Edie and Ed's world are generally smart and possible - everything from VAT tax increases on items based on the amount of carbon used to make the product to taxing landfills in order to force governments and industry to innovate ways out of our conundrum.

[Lee-Ann Sleegers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World written by Julie Hill, released by Random House UK, January 2011.

I have a casual interest in books that challenge me to think about how I can live a less resource heavy lifestyle. The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World (The Secret Life of Stuff) was just that kind of book, forcing me to really think about the world around me and the resources consumed. This wasn't your typical “green living” book that discussed ways to reduce your individual impact on the World by only buying/consuming natural products, but rather an all encompassing overview of both the natural and synthetic. The primary message of this book is that we need to be aware of where the stuff we consume comes from and what will happen to that same stuff when we no longer have a use for it. I really enjoyed The Secret Life of Stuff and spent a great deal of time discussing several of the issues presented with other people.

Ms Hill promotes the concepts of reduce and reuse over recycle as the latter is fraught with issues the least of which is finding markets for the products ready to be recycled. She covers how household waste diversion is the norm, but that business and industry aren't held to the same standards even though the results would be much greater.

The Secret Life of Stuff tackles the question many consumers who are trying to make a difference asks – How much difference can one person/family make? There are several examples in the book that explain this and in reality it depends on the item in question.

The Secret Life of Stuff explores why “natural” isn't always the best choice as illustrated by the analysis of cotton. This is one of the most resource intensive crops and even if you can find organic cotton, chances are that is has some negatives associated with it as well. This isn't to say that the author doesn't find value in some “natural” products including bio-plastics, created from food crops or better yet food waste. Instead it is just that all of the inputs need to be considered.

The Secret Life of Stuff is a really well written, easy to read book that forces the reader to think about the things in our World, the environmental costs, disposal and everything in the middle. It is a proponent of products being created with the end of life for that product considered at the time of manufacture and therefore best able to be recycled. For anyone who is looking for an introduction into the social environmental issues facing the global community I recommend this book. If you want to know more when done reading it Ms Hill has an extensive list of her sources (98 pages worth in my e-edition).

[Katie O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-organized, egaging, informative, and importantly: optimistic. Her vision of a more sustainable future relies on cooperation between government and the private sector, which is important. There could be clearer direction for common consumers (most readers) to enact broader change outside of our personal "stuff accumulation" habits.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many average or low ratings of this book have little or no mention of the reasons why the readers dislike them. Perhaps it's due to the time it takes to read and digest it, or perhaps those are readers who expected it to be less UK-centric (fair point). I found it special for many reasons, but mainly because it outlines what can be done to improve things. Even if it may be discouraging to an individual to read the opinion that governments and businesses are the ones who should lead the change, that doesn't mean we have no place in this. For instance educating ourselves on the whole picture is one of the things we can do, which I think this book helps do really well. It mentions many real institutions, projects and solutions that have been done or are in process and gives plenty of opportunities for further research. I found it inspiring and mind expanding.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in where our stuff comes from and what happens to it after we discard it-this is the book the read. It is extensive, detailed, approaching all sides of the eco equations-the pros and cons of resources. No answers are easy here but the utopia painted is truly an idyll.

Julie Hill knows what she is talking about, this is expert level information being provided in an accessible way.

I particularly liked the exploration of the limits of the “green consumer” and how change at policy, legislation and regulation will make the biggest difference (though do keep going with your green consuming though).

I also liked the correct use of the word ‘prodigal’, a small and petty thing of course but it made me happy.
The book was published in 2011, read what Hill says about concrete-we knew this crisis was coming.

[N. P. Thao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy read for a layperson, non-native speaker like me as it contains a vast amount of scientific information, and here and there it goes a bit technical. I like this book for the total and complete picture of environmental protection it presents, including how everyone - the governments, the businesses, the activists and the public - fits in. At the same time, it makes me feel overwhelmed by stressing the roles of governments and businesses which are even less expected in my country.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I do think this is a good book - eye-opening and elucidatory on the subject of human consumption and waste management practices. The book was going quite slowly for me as some parts were more difficult to read than others. Overall, there is a lot to learn from it and it does get you to think about how we live our lives.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are definitely interesting items in this book, particularly the overviews of material types and a chapter on futuristic material use.
The biggest focus is on waste and recycling management.

[MR. S. BEATTIE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its ok.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helped me see things in a clearer way. For example, we often hear ideas for more environmentally products and wonder, "Well, why don't we just do that?" This book takes you in depth about many resources giving you a better understanding of these ideas. Something may seem more environmentally sound but could require more processing (energy) to create it. An example I've learned from another source is there is a plant grown in Madagascar (which I can't figure out what it's name is right now) that is used to make recyclable plastic so less or no oil is used. Sounds good right? Using a renewable resource instead. However, 4/5 of the Madagascar rain forest has been cut down to grow this crop, destroying natural habitats and adding to global warming because the trees are no longer there to adsorb C02. The book goes into detail on these kinds of ideas.

The beginning of the book was more interesting to me because it talked about products on a more individual level where as in the end it talked largely about industrial scale. I enjoyed the authors style and wit all through the book.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I plucked this off the new arrivals shelf impulsively and later discovered it is from a UK perspective so I ended up skimming it. I found it pretty sobering. Even people trying to shop green don't have a lot of choices or are given only part of the information by retailers. Ultimately, buying less and keeping it longer are the way to go and the letter within written about about the excesses of Americans was depressing. We don't all have to behave like that no matter what retailers are telling us!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking book on products, consumption, and our relationship with 'stuff.' I especially liked the section outlining the lack of and need for full life-cycle information on products, both for us as consumers and for manufacturers, who can then use information to create more efficient goods. At the same time, the book is clear in outlining basic challenges, including that the cost of materials like plastic remains untied to its linear cycle as a product or true carbon footprint, and that this lack of connection hampers innovation and improvement.

[Sarah Guldenbrein · Rating 3 out of 5]

If everyone read this book, the world would be a better place. That said, it's more a survey of the subject than an in-depth guide. I was looking for deeper understanding of waste and consumption patterns. There was some good stuff in here to be sure, particularly if you're interested in materials science, but I didn't find it to be especially eye-opening as I've long ago internalized the author's overarching message.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a straightforward but fairly enlightening read about material waste. She hits all the major issues and provides some clear and interesting facts about major material groups (wood, plastic, metals etc). Its popular science at its best.

I very much enjoyed it, even if it doesn't offer that ever elusive panacea for our waste problems.

[Dianne Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb really gets you thinking about where this need for things comes from and what can be done to improve things in the future. A must read for anyone questioning consumerism.

[Rock Angel]

anecdotal, more a bathroom reader than a serious read